Catania, Sicily, Saturday 7 June, Day 45

Slow start today. We eventually got out the door round 10.00 and headed down the main piazza opposite the Duomo. Catania does not have a lot of very old buildings, as it has been devastated by eruptions of Mount Etna and by earthquakes at different periods in its history. The old city was the result of a rebuild after a major earthquake in the late 17th century, and the main square is very consistently of the style of the period, but with a uniquely Catanian touch in that the main building material is black basalt from the volcano, with white sandstone trim.  The city centre is UNESCO world heritage listed

Sicily was under the rule of Aragón at the time so the buildings have a sort of Spanish Baroque appearance. The Duomo has massive chandeliers, which I can't recall seeing anywhere else. But the thing I like best was the elephant in the square, u Liotru, who is the symbol of Catania.  It is not known with certainty how old he is, but certainly several centuries BC. He was placed in the square as part of an assembly of components by an artist of the day in the 18th Century. He has a sort of marble saddle cloth emblazoned with his own image and an Egyptian Obelisk with a dome and crucifix set on top of the whole thing. Bizarre but impressive.

Catania is an interesting place on many levels. It is totally cut off from the wonderful Mediterranean by its on port and train lines, but has more bikini shops than anywhere on earth. I made that last amazing fact up, but I would not be surprised if it was true. The impact of the GFC seems to have been very unequal here. The streets are full of well dressed people clutching shopping bags as the move from one luxury goods or high end clothing store to the next, and by wretched people begging, using various props - babies, dogs, kittens, crutches, annoying voices - or desperately trying to sell various bits of cheap trod. It still seems to have squares of housing damaged and derelict quite close to the centre of the city, perhaps a legacy of the bombing in World War 2.

After lunch of rice balls, arrancini - yum- I headed off to see if I could get some tickets for our bus tomorrow. This proved to be an experience straight out of Kafka's 'The Castle' as different people sent me in different directions, as there turned out to be two booking offices for the one bus company but one disdainfully refused to book tickets for our destination. I finally found the right office and the right counter, but was told I can only book a ticket on the day of travel.

We had a rest then returned to the great Trattoria from last night. They didn't start serving till 8.30 so we were both starving, but it was one of the best meals yet, great serve yourself antipasto, choose your own fish, caught that morning, from the selection, and how you want it cooked, and here's a mezzo of nice white wine and some freshly baked bread to get you going. Very direct but friendly service, fantastic food, all for 30 Euros for both of us.

Tomorrow, with a bit of luck, we will be catching a bus to Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples..

Catania, Sicily, Friday 6 June, Day 44

This morning we headed off down to the station bright and early to catch the train to Sicily. We had read some rather grim accounts of the trip so we stocked up on supplies. The train w's open plan, not one of the six in a little compartment with a sliding door to a corridor types, which was a relief.

The first part of the journey was great, interesting scenery, lots of little coves and ruins of castles and rocky crags and sleepy sea side villages - all very scenic and picturesque, and we ate our apples and paninis and felt quite smug.  Until the train arrived at the point where it gets loaded onto the ferry, Villa San Giovanni.

We creaked to a stop out in the hot afternoon sin, whatever aircon there had been while the train was moving stopped, temperature in the carriage started to climb. There was no announcement, and to add to the atmosphere, the conductor had thoughtfully locked all the toilets. We hadn't counted on the heat, and soon ran out of water. After about 50 minutes you could feel the general air of agitation rising, but eventually we crawled out into a shunting yard and after a few more stops or no apparent reason we finally were shunted onto the ferry. There was a general stampede for the loos - again, half the ladies' were locked, then another stampede for the bar, where only one person was serving.

With our supplies replenished, we could enjoy the approach to Sicily. Here is our first sighting of Messina.

The train was about an hour late getting to Catania, and it was a hot and wearing journey for the last couple of hours., the worst travel conditions we have experienced so far.

Catania really feels like somewhere else, a bit rougher round the edges than most of the Italian cities we've visited so far. The entry to the town  from the railway station is fairly desolate, with graffitied run down apartments and some pretty marginal lives in evidence.  I think we needed a taxi at this point rather than our usual determination to arrive on foot.

We found our hotel, in a nice location across from a park, and settled in to recover. We had a good dinner in a local Trattoria, salad, pasta, wine, bread. When we asked for the bill, the young guy running the place said 'you pay 20'.  So we paid 20, easily the cheapest and by no means the worst dinner so far.

Not sure what we will do tomorrow. We are feeling a bit weary after today so maybe a low key day, though we are mindful that our time is running out here and that every day is precious.

Salerno, Thursday 5 June, Day 43

After another leisurely breakfast on the hotel terrace, watching the sun burn away the morning mist, we packed up - so easy because we were packing so light - and set off to revisit the garden of Villa Cimbrone. Gore Vidal said it was the most beautiful view in the world, and I totally agree with him. It was just as stunning, fragrant, soothing, breath-taking, the second time round. It is an inspiring place.

We went back to the hotel, collected our bags, then visited the Ravello Cathedral, which has fine bronze doors, and a thoroughly impressive pulpit, encrusted with mosaics and supported by columns resting on the backs of six beautifully carved lions. You couldn't help but give a rousing sermon from that pulpit.
We wandered down to the bus stop which has the best spot for waiting ever, with a stunning view out over the sea and the town far below - but the bus came 5 minutes before scheduled time so we didn't have long to enjoy it. It was almost empty compared to the bus coming up, but just as exciting navigating the hair pin bends and the other traffic.

Visited the Amalfi Cathedral, which looks to me like a mix of Moorish, Byzantine and Noman architecture. As you can see from the photo, it is definitely not disability friendly. The faithful must be pretty fit in Amalfi.

The Cathedral museum has some fine artefacts. It is said to be the resting place of St Andrew (I think we have seen at least half the apostles on our trip so far), and his reliquary in the Cathedral is a piece of brilliant craftsmanship, as were the silver heads of some other saints.

Amalfi the town seemed super busy, with a lot of people and traffic funnelled into a small space. We watched one hapless chap in campervan circle the roundabout multiple times  while we had lunch, perhaps waiting for a parking spot to miraculously appear, or perhaps he was just totally lost.

We caught the ferry back to Salerno, a much quieter trip than last time, and the ferry kept much closer to the coast, so we could see the palazzos, the little towns and harbours, and  the ruins of various fortifications stretching back over the centuries right down to World War 2.  Back to Salerno which also seems but a bit less frenetic, or perhaps we have chilled out a bit thanks to our time in Ravello.

We are catching the train to Sicily tomorrow, a long trip and a big jump. We've been stocking up on supplies as rumour has it that the catering is non existent on the train. But we are looking forward to it, to be somewhere so historic and remote.

Ravello, Wednesday 4 June, Day 42

Today we tried to sleep in, but we couldn't resist the light and the view, so we sat soaking up the morning sun and the panorama for a while then headed down for breakfast on the terrace. The view and the fragrant lemon trees seem to make food taste better - those were the best corn flakes ever.

After a bit more lounging round we pottered off to explore the nearby garden of the Villa_Cimbrone. I knew nothing about it and had no expectations, but as we approached it past a cliff face covered in honey suckle and roses, all in bloom, I began to think it might be something special, and it was. The location is stunning, on a little peninsula of land pointing out above the sea, and the gardens have been laid out by some inspired gardeners. We spent an extremely happy couple of hours wandering, admiring the faux temples and statues, the rose gardens, the magnificent vistas, the artfully framed groves. There were even two massive gum trees, exuding the nostalgic scent of the Australian bush, to remind us of home. It is a truly beautiful place. We liked it so much we want to go back there tomorrow.

Today's pic is us on the Terrace of Infinity at the end of the garden, me clutching Anne in terror as the cliff drops sheer several hundred metres -at least - just behind us.

The Villa Cimborne would be a hard act to follow, and indeed our next stop, Villa Rufalo, seemed pretty average by comparison, a bit scrappy and shop soiled. They hold a music festival on the grounds, and build a platform on scaffolding out from the cliff face to accommodate the orchestras. I would be too terrified to play a note.

For dinner we went to a restaurant with a magnificent view in the opposite direction to last night, so we could watch the shadows slowly creeping up the face of the mountains opposite as the sun set. We had a good talk with an older English lady we had met briefly on the train coming into Salerno on Saturday. She was an inspiration, travelling by herself, with a walking stick from a recently broken ankle, but really having a good time.  She has spent the week here in Ravello, and next time round I think we would do the same. We had a lovely dinner, listened to the happy banter of a Danish family with two lovely young sons sitting at the table sitting next to us, and shuffled off down the enchanted streets back to our hotel, feeling very fond of Ravello.

We will be sorry to leave tomorrow.

 

Ravello, Tuesday June 3, Day 41

This morning we got up bright and early and decanted a couple of days worth of stuff into two backpacks. After breakfast we left our bigger bags at the B&B, and headed off blissfully unencumbered for our mini trip to Ravello.

We caught the ferry to Amalfi which was packed with Italian school kids, about 12 or 13 years old from the look of them. It was a bit like being in the middle of a herd of sheep, as they seemed to make a continuous wall of sound, which reflected the collective emotion of the group, excitement, consternation, contentment. They were lovely kids though - Italian children are loved and valued, and it does them a lot of good. The trip along the coastline is well worth it, with little settlements, forts, and the fantastic mountains as backdrop.

In Amalfi we fortified ourselves with a coffee in a nice café overlooking the 'beach' - a patch of darkish pebbles a few hundred metres square, with the jetty on one side, bus stop on the other. A few hard core beach goers were lounging there or swimming. Makes me realise how lucky we are in Australia beach - wise.

We needed the charge from our coffee to fight our way onto the bus to Ravello. About 50% more people waiting than the bus would hold, and there was general mayhem in the crush to get on. The bus ride up the mountain was pretty exciting too - a tiny little road with hairpin switch backs, and cars and buses and motor scooters going in all directions. Some great sheer drops to contemplate on the way. Two girls behind us spent much of the trip clutching each other and exclaiming 'Mama Mia, oh, Mama Mia ...'. But we got to Ravello without mishap, and had lunch on the Duomo square to build up strength for the last climb up to our hotel, which perched high above the town, and way above the bay. Ravello is gorgeous!  Our hotel room has a sunny terrace with spectacular views back towards Salerno.

Ravello has been a destination for artists since the nineteenth century. There is a plaque on one nearby hotel recording that D.H.Lawrence wrote Lady Chatterley's Lover there. Wagner was a big Ravello fan. There is a lovely photo down in the main square of Humphrey Bogart on a donkey under a Ravello arch. He made a film here with Gina Lolabrigida which I really have to track down when we get home. The place has been a retreat and refuge for a very long time. You would have to be a very determined invader to attack someone holed up here, but it was overthrown by the Republic of Pisa in 1137.  The scenery is truly spectacular, the air is beautiful, and because it is so hard to get to, at this time of year at least it is very quiet. Unlike Salerno, the little streets are in good condition and very clean.

Here is a picture taken from the ferry looking up the mountain, with Ravello perched around the heights. We are somewhere way up there right now.

We had dinner in a restaurant admiring the terraces across the valley that generations have carved into the hillsides, watching the hues in the sky deepen, lights come on in the little clusters of buildings clinging to the rocky outcrops, and a lovely crescent moon appear.

We are looking forward to exploring the town and surrounds tomorrow.

Salerno, Monday, 2 June, Day 40

Today we hurried off early to catch the train to Paestum. A bit chaotic at the station, and the automated ticket machines had decided to go on strike in response to public demand, but a nice older lady saw me standing with furrowed brow trying to make sense of the notice, and pointed me in the right direction to buy the necessary tickets.

Paestum was originally a Greek city, Posiedium,  founded around 500-600 BC. Legend has it that Jason and the Argonauts, on their way back from seizing the Golden Fleece, had established a temple at the mouth of the nearby river, which led to the establishment of the Greek colony. After centuries of Greek inhabitation, which saw the construction of the impressive city walls and the temples to Minerva, Poseidon and Ceres, all of which stand to this day largely intact despite thousands of years of neglect, the city was taken over by the Romans, who added their own structures.  After the decline of the Western Roman Empire the city fell into decline. Malaria from the nearby wetlands caused the population to shift inland, and the city was largely abandoned for centuries. Interest was revived by people on the trand tour circuit, and Goethe and Shelley both visited. During world War 2, the American landings were made at nearby Paestrum Beach, and the Americans set up their command posqt at a nearby villa. There is footage in the museum of an American field hospital set up inside one of the temples.

It was special to be able to walk down the streets, through the houses, some of which still have the mosaic floors and shallow marble pools which were the focal points of the courtyards. The temples are impressively massive.

It was nice to be out in the country side as well, as we've been in cities pretty much the whole way. We had lunch at the most chaotic establishment of the trip so far, pottered round the few touristy shops, then headed back to catch the train back to Salerno. It was siesta time when we got back, the streets were quiet, the shops shut, and the lift was having its afternoon nap, so we dragged our tired sorry stumps back up the hill and settled down for a rest.

We had dinner at the lovely little restaurant that we discovered our the first day - lovely fresh sea food and a nice bottle of Ravello wine, then went in search of an ATM - a Bancomat in local parlance. I think Salerno has more churches than Bancomats. We only found one, which only had 50 Euro notes and was no good to us, but we passed numerous churches and shrines. Goes to show that mammon hasn't triumphed in Salerno yet.

Tomorrow we are leaving most of our luggage here, and catching the ferry to Amalfi, and the bus up to Ravello, where we will be staying for two nights.

Salerno Sunday 1 June, Day 39

Today began with an amazing breakfast prepared by our young hostess at the B&B, freshly baked muffins, an apple cake, home made marmalade, tart, plus the usual stuff, cereal, yoghurt, fresh coffee. We sat around a large circular table looking out over the splendid view, comparing notes with some of the other guests.

After that breakfast we definitely needed to get some exercise. We set off up and down the little streets, visiting first the Museum of Medical History. The first medical teaching institute on the world was established in Salerno so the place has a long tradition, and the museum certainly has an extensive collection of medical implements. Not exactly the most cheerful place however. Lots of prints of appalling medical conditions and people having holes drilled in them or implements inserted in them.

From there, to lighten the mood we visited the crypt of the Duomo, with its door lintels composed of life sized skeleton carvings, just in case you missed the point and thought you were going into a pub. This weekend is a long weekend in Italy, the Festival de Republica tomorrow and the feast of the Pentecost last Thursday which is also a holiday here. I guess that is why Rome train station was so busy. One nice thing about the long weekend is that a number of the churches, including the crypt, had teams of lovely young art students stationed outside many of the churches who were just waiting for visitors so they could provide commentary and background. Their pride in the history of the buildings of the city was very nice to experience, though I am afraid we didn’t understand too much of what they were telling us. Next we headed on to the Duomo itself, believed by the faithful to be the last resting place of St Matthew, and he certainly has had a few resting places.

The church was built by Robert Guiscard, the extraordinary Norman freebooter who took over Southern Italy around 1035 – the carvings have a very Norman feel.

Moving on we visited yet another church, Chiesa di San Michele, with more charming guides, and admired the grilled gallery where the Sisters of St Claire, an enclosed order, could attend mass without being seen.

Highlight of the morning was the archeological museum, which amongst other things has artefacts from the excavation of a number of Greek and Etruscan burial sites from the area around Salerno. Most amazing Greek pottery including this vase, dating from late 6^th Century BC.

After all that art and culture we were starving, and stopped at the first place we found, which was very nice. Managed to catch the elevator back up the hill before its siesta time, then we followed its example and had a siesta as well.

Late afternoon, we joined the passagiata along the sea front. It really is a very civilized past time, everyone can join in, dogs, children, older people like us, young people checking each other out. A fair chunk of the population of Salerno seemed to be down there enjoying the warm Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow we plan to catch train to visit the nearby ancient town of Paestum.