Monday, July 31, 2023

Civitavecchia, Heading for the hills! Again.

 It was going to be another really hot day in Italy today, but it is all of Europe that seems to be experiencing this current heatwave.

It was a lovely drive through picturesque Tuscany as we drove to our first village for the day Sovana.



A simple one-street town, but with a lot of character.  Once around the block and you have seen the whole village.  Starting in the main square, every doorway is picture-perfect.

Considering the weather has been so hot.. the flowers were lovely




Buying my favorite picci pasta...

Walk up one side of the block and it will lead you to the Sovana Cathedral.





Follow the path back and take in the beautiful vistas of the countryside.

Back in the square we visited the smaller, simpler Church of Santa Maria filled with lovely frescos.





Moving on from Sovana we visited the walled city of Pitigliano, a larger but still curious hilltop village.  After entering the gates we explored this lovely town of crumbling buildings, lovely small shops, and interesting medieval laneways.

Entrance into Pitigliano

Had to buy more pasta at this store as it was so cheap....

Amazing aquaduct as you walk into town

  If we weren’t photographing these alleys, we were photographing many more interesting doors.








more lovely churches at this village






After exploring and helping the economy in Pitigliano, our driver took us to a lovely family restaurant for lunch.  The food was delicious and plentiful and a great representation of the produce all sourced from the area. 






Capped off with a tasting of their delicious liqueurs, including Limoncello.

Full and content it was time for that quiet drive back to the ship, ZZzzzzzzzz.

Update... I was asked by someone for the details of this tour...  here is a link

Pitigliano and Maremma - Excursion from Civitavecchia | DGT (discoveryguidedtours.com)

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Sunset at the Amalfi……

Our fantastic sail away from Salerno was topped off with a brilliant sunset behind  Capri….




Friday, July 28, 2023

Salerno, you left us with a happy ending!

This was our second visit to Salerno, but the first time docking at the new modern terminal… Note to self for future cruises.  This is also where you can buy tickets and catch the smaller ferries up the coast towards Positano and Almafi.

Beautiful view of Salerno from the back of the Ship
The New Terminal

The roof on the new terminal remind me of the scales of a fish....

The smalll ferries that will take you up along the coast.  Tickets can be bought inside the terminal.

Today's tour took us to the Archaeological Site of Paestum, home to three of the world's best-preserved ancient Greek Temples.

Paestum was a major ancient Greek city. Founded by the Greeks, it was conquered by the Lucanians and later by the Romans, who gave its current name.

The Temples of Neptune, Hera, and Athena, dominate the landscape.  Within the site, you will also find a Roman Forum, a small Roman Amphitheatre, and Baths.

Temple of Neptune




The Doric Columns are huge.

Temple of Hera


the remaining footings of homes and stores within the ancient city

remains of the Roman Baths


Temple of Athina

As Europe seems to be in the midst of a heatwave, it was particularly hot this morning, we weren’t concerned that our first drinks of the day were beers and Aperol spritzes.  But at least it was not on an empty stomach as they gave us a lovely plate of nibbles to go with it.

Our next stop was a Buffalo Mozzarella farm, very proud of their sustainability, I did walk away with a few mixed feelings

The animals seemed happy enough under their shelter,  they looked healthy and have regular medical checks… Where I felt sad was when I heard that their babies are taken away from the mothers several weeks after birth so they do not form a bond and the poor little things are put into these small cages and fed until they are old enough to be out on their own….  The mother in me felt really sad!

we needed to put on our booties before walking into the Buffalo shed

Explaining their sustainablility







It was these last 2 photos that made a little sad......

But alas I do love Buffalo Mozzarella, and there is nothing like biting into those large spongy balls with the juices running down your arm….

We enjoyed lunch in the café, where everything is made and produced from the farm. It was a bit of a shame that they don't show you part of the production of the cheese process.  Apparently this is done during the night.

Some of the By products from the Buffalos

Different Cheeses

Delicious  Mozzarella
Back in Salerno, Carry and I decided to have a quick walk around town, but as it was a Sunday and around siesta time, there was not a lot open. 





But Salerno you outdid yourself.  The marina just in front of us was buzzing as all the pleasure crafts lined up to come back into port after an enjoyable Sunday afternoon of drinking and swimming no doubt.

As our lines were dropped music started blaring from their speakers and a crowd started to gather to send us off…

But when Andrea Botticelli and Sarah Brightman belted out “Time to Say Goodbye” the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end and  the tears welled up as all your emotions came to the surface.  What a wonderful and memorable send-off, certainly one we will never forget.