Returning to Italy from the South.

---

Whilst a month is a long time in reality it went very quickly so it was with a clean van and spring in the air we left Nafkaptos. Our friends Sonja and HP whom we met at Lake Bled had been onto the island of Lefkada and it looked enticing. I have said sooo many times before taking a large van, and ours is not large in length at only 6.4m, but anything bigger than a car is even too big for this summer idle and it has to be carefully considered. But March before anything really starts to open for the season is a perfect time, the roads were empty the water was so beautiful an Aqua and deep blue the likes of which we have never seen before. Sonja, and I think she's right said it's the white stones that reflect through the water and it is mesmerising even when up close the colour didn't change. I had one mission and that was to swim in it. We spent three glorious days on the island, a real gem and visited some of its beautiful beaches and enjoying the vistas from its coastal road and yes I did get my swim and boy it was a cold one. We spent our last night/day at Ammoudia in a Bay where Poppy enjoyed the sand we did some beach cleaning before we headed to the Port at Igoumenista for our 1am Sailing.

After a few attempts to actually get into the Port, we ended up with the trucks?!? Then I had to go separately through the terminal building and meet Graeme with the van on the otherwise, then a bit of a hunt we eventually found lane 7 and our boat. The chaos that ensued over the next few hours was a sight, it may have been that the original boat for this crossing had sadly had a devastating fire on it and this boat wasn't built for trucks but the goings on were amazing with vehicles reversing on. We kept our finger's crossed we weren't going to be one of those! Some 3 hours after starting the process and an hour and half over the sailing time we were on!! At least we did get a few hours sleep in the cabin.

We arrived in Italy to rain and decided the best option was to sit out the next 24hrs at a coastal spot, we were also tired from the previous day's activities. The rain passed and we drove into Albarabello which is a little town of beehive houses. Made in this style as when they were given authority to start urbanising the area permission was given but only without the use of mortar. Therefore the self supporting domed roof was the simplest configuration and also the easiest to demolish. Although the town is a tightly squeezed area of these now refurbished buildings as we drive in they are littered through the landscape.

The following day we head towards Pompeii with a stop off at a viewing spot for Matera. The guide book tells us we will be "transported back to the Holy Land" and it does have that look about it. Our viewing place is across a massive gorge and the original cave houses of its first inhabitants, who came here some 7000 yrs ago made their homes making caves in the limestone rocks. More elaborate structures including churches were built on top in later years and in the late 1800s, Matera's cave dwellings became noted for poverty, poor sanitation, meagre working conditions, and rampant disease. Evacuated in 1952, the population was relocated to modern housing, and the Sassi (Italian for "stones") lay abandoned until the 1980s. Today with investment it has of course become home to many visiting tourists, but it still allows you to understand how it's original inhabitants lived here. After an enjoyable walk through the landscape we head to our overnight park up on a hill, only to be thwarted by some more of the white stuff. We abandon the stop and head towards the coast, after a long days drive we stop at Potenza not an attractive town or parking spot, a car park, sometimes you have to take what you can, but we are away from the higher mountains and the falling snow. The next afternoon we have made it to Pompeii with a slight detour to a beach for Poppy as we will be unable to take her with us when we explore the site the following day, and it could be a long visit!

The site is vast, 2 miles of city walls and 163 acres, and incredibly preserved varying to the near site of Herculaneum which was buried under pyroclastic flow of melted rock Pompeii was buried under metres of falling ash and Pumice after the eruption of Mt Versuvius in 79ad here the falling stone's destroyed the majority of the upper floors. We luckily find the Pompeii App which highlights two walks of about 4hrs through the site. Whilst we have visited many Roman sites nothing can really prepare you.. we don't do too much searching on the sites we visit it somehow takes that first experience away from you. Here the roads are perfect, the cart tracks of all those vehicles that toiled the streets, drainage systems still intake, coloured wall paintings and murals depicting daily life or just beautiful wall art. We walk and explore amphitheatres, arena's, temples and houses a plenty and find the casts of some of the inhabitants that had little time to flee when the volcano erupted and this all in the sight of Mt Versiverus still considered an active volcano.

The following day we head to Herculaneum a much smaller site and you descend down a ramp which also gives the impression of exactly how much debris had to be removed from these sites to showcase these special areas. Herculaneum was considered to be a more wealthier suburb of Pompeii with more expensive colours used for their paintings and the houses many still two stories high make it a different visit to understand the terrible outcome that fell upon the people of Pompeii and the surrounding towns.

Our next part of the journey will take us through Umbria and Tuscany though its larger cities attract the majority of tourism, our visit wouldn't be complete without spending some time in the small hilltop towns and villages that make the country such a special and enthralling place and synonymous of what I remember on all the holiday posters of Italy. March in the countryside may not be so alluring despite the rolling landscape and the seemingly impossible villges aloft small hill tops, but at least we get to see it in peace. We make stops at some old Civita di Bagnoregio 'the dying city' reached by a footbridge almost abandoned because of its fragile terrain except for 16 full time residents. Orviete is larger but has a great pedestrian access which snakes you through this vibrant, although very touristy, streets full of shops and eateries, but locals can seen waiving and chatting on street corners. We stop at a great restaurant and have the house specials Chicken with black truffle and Piegon 'Orviete' style. The table next to us take a shine to Poppy and we chat. I ask the senior lady if she lives here, her response "unfortunately" and I know where she's coming from.

The largest medieval city but also considered to be the loveliest is Siena, it sits upon three hills and is a climb from our parking spot outside of the city but affords us a beautiful view of what we are here to visit. It's an easy city to wander and the piazza and cathedral make memorable stops. An intriguing statue is found all over the city and we later discover it is of the she-wolf “Roman foundation myth” tells us it was a she-wolf that nursed and sheltered the twins Romulus and Remus after they were abandoned in the wild by order of King Amulius of Alba Longa. She cared for the infants until they were discovered by a shepherd, Faustulus. Romulus would later become the founder and first king of Rome. According to local legend, Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus and thus nephews of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Supposedly after their father's murder by Romulus, they fled Rome, taking with them the statue of the she-wolf suckling the infants, thus appropriating that symbol for the city (Isn't Roman history fascinating?!?) As we leave Siena we are back into the Tuscany country side and visit a to a small fortified village and a Monestery town where we hoped to enjoy some wine tasting and a meal, but it's Tuesday and it's closed.

Our final city stop has to be to Pisa to visit the iconic leaning tower. The tower does look positively precarious and we assume works have been undertaken to stop it leaning any further but we notice surveyors up high on the neighbouring Cathedral so that appears not to be a guarantee!! We enjoy the visit and ambling around its interesting city streets.

Our final visit for Italy is back at the coast, having researched what to see, Cinque Terre kept coming up and luckily for us there was a car park which allows Motorhomes to overnight in, so off we went. We took the easier route in rather than attempting the coastal road, and boy I'm glad we did! The Cinque Terre literally means five lands, and these five villages painted in all the seaside colours you would expect cling deliciously on the steep rugged cliffs of this coastal region. Whilst you can walk from each luckily for us and our now senior lady, Poppy, we let the train take the strain from Monterosso to Vernazza and just take some time sitting around its beautiful harbour and enjoy some delicious foccacaicia with the local pesto. It will be the fitting end to our second foray into Italy.

---