Capri, an Island of the Cliffs

Capri is one of the island of the gulf of Naples. It is situated not far from the mainland but the "normal" ferry needs more than an hour to reach it. There are quick ferries, too. Jetfoils. Those arrive in the port of Capri, Marina Grande, in about 30 minutes. But the slow ferries allow you to enjoy the view of all the gulf of Naples if the weather is good. You can see all the islands and the Sorrento coast with calm for more time (and save moneyof the tickets, too).

There are 2 towns on the island, Capri and Anacapri. In the port, take a bus and go in Anacapri where it's possible to visit not only one of the most beautiful villas of the world but the incredible cliffs and caves (there are about 5 or more visitable caves there where the sun thanks to the particular conditions of the exposion color the water in azurre or red or emerald etc)

Capri is very good for trekking. The pathes have different complexity and there are very easy ways and very complicated, too. In any case you will be rewarded with breathtaking views. In fact, all the views are breathtaking, there, I think.

But there are different possibilities: if you don't want to look down from the cliff, you can rent a boat and look at the island down-up. The round trip coasts abut 16 euros, I think.

Sud Italy -Winter Means Rain

Italy, as all European countries, was reached by a very cold cyclone about 2 weeks ago.

The problem for this normally warm in winter country is that it was not ready to stand such a situation with dignity. Since there are never similar problems here, people do not have special cars and other necessary equipment to take the snow away. And I think with horror about the next future when all the snow will melt, specially that in the mountains.

Sud Italy was less hit by this natural calamity (in other countries, it is called simply "winter"). We had only rains here, and those who lives in the mountains came down with the cars covered with 20 cm of snow for 2 or 3 days.



I had to guide a group of excursionists from Salerno to it's castel and had to learn the way before the excursion. Nobody of my friends knew how is possible to go out from the Old Town to the castel and I had to study the situation. That is why I had to pass some days in Salerno even if the rain did not stop even for a moment.



The day of the excursion seemed to begin good enough: the rain was drizzling, and it even stopped then...



I like excursions and I participate on them gladly. But not under the pouring rain, guys...
The association wrote me that the excursion is confirmated. Than, they did not come the next day. I contacted all the museums about our visit -and the group did not come... The 4 persons that reached us at the end wanted to go for the walk. And I had to show them all the itinerary except the castle.

I was completly wet after it. I could not warm myself for 2 days than. Never more I will consent to guide somebody if the weather is not good...

Stories of Salerno -S.Trophimena

This ugly building in Salerno is the church of S.Trophimena, the protector of Amalfitans. Yes, Amalfitans in Salerno.

The existance of this church, actually closed for the visitors but excavated by archeologists, confirms a story, told by Chronicon Salernitanum, a chronicle written in X century, about the Amalfitans that first have seen their town destroyed by the Longobards of Sicardo, their houses plundered, the body of their protector transported in Benevento, -and than they were transported in Salerno -to repopulate the town maybe.



 Later, after the death of Sicardo, the body of the Saint was given back to the Amalfitansand they, after a day when the rests of the Saint were celebrated in Salerno, was embarked on a boat and transportated in the cathedral dedicated to the Saint in Minori. Amalphitans turnd back in their town, too.

So, this church had to exist from the IX century. But it was built on the base of Roman buildings. And later, when the population of this quarter grew, they built a bigger new church using the old church as a crypt.

The Treasures of the Diocesan Museum of Salerno

Winter is not the best tme to visit Italy but the vacation can offer many interesting things to learn and to see. For exsample, if you visit Salerno in this period, you can enjoy the new exposition in the Diocesan Museum that is open from December.



The Diocesan Museum is not very big but it has some rarities.

First of all are the medieval avory altar pieces. Well, nobody knows, sincerely, what it is and even how the pieces of this puzzle were composed originally. But the 69 pieces work that represents scenes from New and Old Testament is the only so complete collection in the world.



The second rarity are the pages of the Exultet -a "book" of images used to show to the believers what is the priest telling during the Mass. The persons did not understand latin and they used these pictures to make them participate consciously.

The next interesting object exposed in the diocesan Museum is the cross of Robert Guiscard. I'm not very sure that this cross is effectively the property of Robert Guiscard, the Normann Conquirer of Salerno but the artifact is very special in any case.

Travel with a Good Group of Interested Persons

December was very good month for me because I found an assotiation of the persons that like walking and like to visit interesting historical places -just as I do. We had an interesting walk over Sorrento



and than, on Jan.1, we climb a mountain to see the ruins of the Longobard castel and the breathtaking panorama of all our zone from the height of 1200 m.



With my husband, we visited Apulia with Taranto and Ostuni. We have seen 2 seas in the same day, Ionic and Adriatic sea. Traveling with the car was relatively difficult -mostly because it's hard to drive and to stay in the car all the day long, 12 hours. But the places we visited were really interesting and so fantastic!

This is Ostuni, the White town with Adriatic sea in the background.




Here is the countryside between Ostuni and Marina Franca with incredible trulli everywhere.



 And this is the view in the direction of Taranto and the Ionic sea

Winter Is Here. In Italy, too

Yesterday, the temperature was so nice. Yesterday, we had still autumn. Somebody could say it was similar to summer. Yesterday, the temperature was 18°C. It was yesterday.

Today, we have 8°C.
Probably, you will laugh. Is it cold winter? Well, maybe it is not cold if you look at it generally. But if we think that the temperature was 18°C till yesterday and it is 10 degrees lower today -this is the difference.
Yes, it's not like Siberia


«автор фото -Natavoro» на Яндекс.Фотках

They said that Vesuvius is covered with snow today. I did not see it because I was not from that part of our hill today. I'll photograph it tomorrow, promise. But Vesuvius is 1281 meters high and the temperature is low over 1000 m.

I'm afraid that all the water that fall on the earth in these 2 weeks becomes ice till tomorrow. Here, on the hills, it can happen. And I'm afraid to use the car in these conditions.  But now, when I write it, I hear that the rain continue.

So, what do you mean when you say "winter"?

A Particular Christmas Nativity Scene

One of the most important local traditions is to create Christmas Nativity scenes. They believe, it's a good omen to create and to visit them.

There are entire shops and even streets where they sell only Nativity scene's pieces. And different villages and associations organize alive Nativity scenes, too. It comes from the times of St. Francisc of Assisi who tryed to explain the Bible to the unalphabet persons this way.
I write about it every year so I'll not stop on it this time.

 The Feast of the Immaculate Conception I passed with a trekking association. We had an excellent walk from Sorrento to Massa Lubrense and back. Here you see the main square of Sorrento with the Christmas tree.

I like the new custom to place a syntetic Christmas tree in the towns. They do not use to kill the alive trees more. But what I wanted to tell you this time is an interesting Christmas Nativity scene that is organized as you see in a gorge where there were the mills in antiquity.
The scenes are real: the participants change their places every day and Gesus Christ appears in the crib only when He is just born. So, here you see only the beginning of the story.

Italy: Sunny November

Autumn is the best season in Italy. I just wtìrote about it in my article Autumn in Italy -Best Vacation ChoiceDo you like autumn? Many of us like it. But here, in southern Italy autumn is long, very-very long.

This year, all November was cool, too. Normally, this month is rainy. And December is lovely, than. But sometimes we can enjoy so high temperatures! Once, it was possible to swim till November! It's not about this year but... look at these photos, they will explain everything without words.

One of the beaches in the industrial zone of Salerno is desert. Nobody tryes to touch the water. I did not touch it, too. The stay near the sea is always not only joy, you absorb this healthy air and the rays of sun with every cell of your body.



Fishers find always time to sit on the stones that maintain the seaside in the center of Salerno. You can find them here day and night. I looked in their buckets but did not see anything else except young fishes. What is their interest in sitting there is a mystery for me.



The other interesting specie of humans flourish in the town: runners. The seaside of Salerno is very long. And, if you have this wish, you can arrive, comfortably running, till the end of the town. The most beloved is this central part that is about 1,5 km long.



Finally, if you do not belong to fishers and runners, you can always meditate looking on the boats that are slowly passing in front of you, giving to your walk and to all your vacation that incredible sense of calm and extreem relax.

Impressive Mountains

Sud Apennine mountains are very low if we look at them from the part where I live, between Salerno and Naples. They are similar to the hills more than to the mountains. You begin to understand that you are near the mountains when you travel on sud of Salerno. Here you can admire them and the frequent clouds over them, too. It's clear thet the tops of the moountain chains are much more clod than the plains but you understand it when you see the town on the beach caressed by the sunshine and treatening clouds that cover all the area only 4-5 km fare from there.

We were in Battipaglia and Eboli some days ago and I was amazed by the view of the mountains over Salerno how they present from that part. (and the clouds, as you see, do not delude me -I've told you the truth :-) )



But these mountains are very different from Vesuvius, for example, that is formed from the volcanic rock. Here you can see the layers from that our Earth is built.Sometimes they are calm as on this photo, other times they are broken violently. It makes a strange impression: you can see that terrible event with your own eyes if you have some imagination.



The mountains in our zone and in all Campania are not too high, but don't think they are old, low, tired. First of all, they arrive to 1800 (almost...) meter near Avellino and to the south of Salerno. And there are splendid stalactitic grotto there, too!

Two Faces of Sorrento

Sorrento is one of the ports of call for the cruise ships in Campania, in Italy. This little town is actually all faced to the tourists and they can found there everything they could look for when they step on the soil. There are comfortable connections to the other cities and tourist objects of Campania, too.

Sorrento is situated on the "terrace" of vulcanic stone (it's practically one tongue of lava) 50 meters over the port where there are only some services like taxis and bars. The tourists have to go up the stairs to reach the town for excursion or to take a train or a bus. This is the "new", the "modern" part.




If you are interested to explore the antique, original mode of life of the local population, you have to visit Marina Grande, a fishers' village that is situated from the other side of the rock you see on the first photo and that is possible to reach walking about 15 minutes from the center of the town. Here you can enjoy not only the colorful houses of the fishers but -if you want- you can swimm in those warm waters, too. So, if you like swimming and have to explore Sorrento don't forget your bathing suit. There is free and paid possibility and you will have a great walk up in the town after that -if you don't prefere the bus that stops directly on the beach.




Do you like Sorrento? You can book a cruise from this page -there is a cruise search engine on the right of this article. And remember -if you book your cruise from MY site, you can ask me to guide you in one of the touristic objects in Campania. There you will find the hotel search engine, too. If you prefere, you can contact me for last minute and other offers -you just know that  I'm a home based travel agent.

Milan -Cathedral Trimmed with Lace

I was in Milan 2 days a week ago. It was a very busy trip but I had some hours free before I had to go home and decided to pass them exploring the terraces of the Dom. I was in Milan different times but I never had the possibility to visit it's interesting places. The only place I've just seen was right the Dome but it was under reconstruction in that period. So, this time I was sure I'll climb the stairs.

It was possible and there was a ticket -6 euro. But if you pay 10 euro, you can go there with the lift. Normally, there are 2 lifts as I understood. But one of them did not work. I spent more time to look wherer that lift is situating because it was from the other side of the building and I could not find it.

Other Travel Destinations

Here are some photos of the terraces of the Dom:

Zoosafari of Fasano, Italy

Zoosafari of Fasano in Apulia waws the dream of my husband for years. But there was always a reason to set aside the travel. Last Monday, he has a day free and decided that we have to go there, finally. He says, we are not so young more, the life passes dedicated to the job and to duties only. And the dreams leave aside. So, he decided to fulfil his dreams.

It was a splendid experience, I have to say you. We saw persons that love animals. Than, there were many interesting scenes. I can't show you everything, it's clear but I want to share the feeling we had there.

We met a tiger for the entrance...



He was about 2 months old and loved his adoptive "mum" very much (he was week when he was born and his real mum did not want him).We were in the cage of the lions and of the tigers



We have seen many big herbivorous that were not so big as I thought watching them in TV.



Only some of them were so as I imagined them



The main part of Zoosafary was great experience that we loved very much.

Montecassino is a White Stone Miracle

Finally, we visited Montecassino, the place where the founder of the Benedictine Rule passed many years and created his monastery (Montecassino and Salerno Main Churches are Twins ). All the buildings were destroyed during the World War II but the love to the Saint is so great that all the monastery was created according to the numerous pictures and stories about it's origins.

The place is simply astonishing. It's unpossible to tell or explain. There is a feeling that you join something ... very special. Maybe it's a "place of power"? They say, the old churches, other places where people pray for centuries become marvelous. This monastery was founded in 529, so it has about 1500 years of very anguished history...

Italian Feast "Sagra"

If you plan to visit Italy, you probably want to taste local foods and to partecipate on local feasts and life. So, you have to look for announcements that you can see normally on the walls, on the poles and in special places that tell about the "Sagra". You can have them all year round. When residents of this or that village need money for their projects, they organize Sagras.

We have a period of mushrooms now and different villages offer sagras where they offer home made food with mushrooms. I do not eat mushrooms normally, but once a year I like to taste them, so we visited one of the sagras this Sunday, and I took photos for you.



All the sagras I ever visited in the time I live in Italy have the same "plan": you receive the menu, choose what you want to eat, pay it



Than you take your dishes in the other stall



...and choose the place where you want to eat them.



It looks like this



all the receipes were with porcinis this time



Residents of this village needed money for the pilgrimage to Lourdes.
What is good in these kind of feasts is that you can taste real local cuisine and pay 2-3 times less than you would pay in a restaurant in the same zone or village. We paid euro 10 for all what you see on the tray. And it was possible to buy a glass of local wine for 0,50 euro.

Challenge of the Tromboners

I've just told you about the medieval town of Cava dei Tirreni in province of Salerno not too far from Naples. The central and the most antique part of it, Borgo, has very interesting look, storically created by the mercants and their shops with the porticos.





The town organizes different medieval manifestations during the year and the most believed is the "Challenge of the Tromboners" that had just the 37 edition. Here is one of part of the feast that I liked more than others. Hope, they won the contest the day after I coud not visit.