Blogs from Calabria, Italy, Europe

We got the high-speed train from Florence to Napoli; breakfast was a disaster Florence station had dreadful facilities. The train was comfy, our maximum speed was 297km an hour. In no time we were in Napoli, bought our tickets and struggled down the stairs to get the Circumvesuvia train to Sorrento. Its cheap 3.90€, slow and not very clean. Plus en-route to Sorrento passes some of the less salubrious parts of Naples. There are sections with huge tunnels and I hated the journey. We arrived at Hotel Michelangelo and had a big room with large terrace, ideal to hang out my washing! However, we had a leak in the bathroom, which was quickly repaired. We wandered into the centre of town and had drinks in the Foreigners Club, overlooking the marina. My first cocktail of the ... read more

Today Gabby got lost . Well she did not but the sat nav decided to confuse her and us . We put in the co-ordinates for Camping Marina in Tropea . Right by the sea and within walking distance of Tropea town . It should have been an easy drive but for some reason she decided to take us a circuitous route . Not contact with switchbacks up Monte Cassino she started again on our descent to Tropea. Surely there was an easier way to get to the campsite . An ACSI site and one of the few not yet closed. She took us through the town. It was busy . The usual Italian street cafes spilling out in the street. Cars double parked some at impossible angles . Folks walking on the pavements and in ... read more

Another day in Vibo Marina waiting for our part to come from Canada so we took the afternoon bus to a nearby village of Pizzo. Many told us it was a pleasant place to spend some time and that we MUST go to try their claim to fame, the tarufo. Just a short bus ride along the coast took us to this hillside village. When you first come up to the village you see the castle located on the point overlooking the sea. It was quite a hot afternoon so we first wandered into the main square which was lined with places selling their famous tartufo. After walking past all of them we decided to stop at the one with the longest history. The story is that the tartufo originated in 1952 which was made by ... read more

We arrived in Stella dell Sud Marina in the town of Vibo Marina and figured we would be here for just a couple of days. Well, as always plans change. Bob was concerned about our electrical system on the boat as he noticed the last couple of days that the batteries didn’t seem to be charging completely over night. When the sun was out the solar panels were doing their job and everything was fine, but we have to be prepared for those cloudy days and night passages so need to figure out a solution. When we left the US we loaded Tsamaya up with lots of spare parts. One of those was an extra alternator. Bob figured that he could easily put the spare on and we would be good to go. That isn’t quite ... read more

I cannot believe people live this high above town. On narrow steep roads. Ran into someone who two days ago was in sant'Agata, helping us find a family mauseleum 40 min from here. Here he was in belvedere Marrittimo at the castle and introduced us to a resident who.gave us a private tour of not one but 3 churches, and a home/grotto of San Daniele. Great pasta ...some of the best we have had, and gelato of course. Cheese and wine tonight...eating pecorino dolce sardegna...so good. Tonight is our last night in Italy :*(. Arrivederci Italia. A presto! Lascio un pezzo del mio cuore. Ciao! ... read more