PUGLIA

Leaving Meta we followed the Amalfi coast road which has a size limit for motorhomes that we were well inside and enjoyed a surprisingly empty road with stunning views and tortuous curves. At a layby we stopped for photos and were tempted in to buying oranges, figs and dried tomatoes from an old rogue selling from the boot of his car but at deli prices. At Positano we parked up on a narrow street and walked down many steps to reach the village which lay across two sides of a gorge and cove. It was a lovely spot with a church almost on the beach and a path around to a secluded bay from where we climbed back out to the van. 

The village operates a one way system so we had to descend down a series of tight bends before climbing out to reach the coast road and again I was very grateful for the modest dimensions of the van as Italian double parking was at its best. There was no parking for vans of any size in Amalfi itself and a few miles further on the the reason for the quieter roads became clear - stormy weather had damaged a bridge on the way to Salerno so we headed inland through the mountains to a P4N that turned out not to be open all year. However five minutes further on the La Divina spot run by Ninfo and his family provided a great place to stay. We parked alongside a Dutch van and on Ninfo's recommendation walked down to a nearby restaurant where the pizzas were huge, very reasonably priced and easily washed down with a bottle of wine. A huge rain storm was easing off as we started the walk back and the staff kindly offered us a lift which we declined as it wasn't too bad. Heading over the tops we had a panoramic view across to Naples and Vesuvius before we dropped down to Angri and headed east to Matera where a quirky park up on an old go karting circuit put us  within easy reach of the Sassi houses, churches and other buildings that line the edge of a wide gorge. They are carved in to and out of the local tuffa stone and cascade down from the highest point where a rock church overlooks the maze of lanes, alleys and staircases. Gianfranco who speaks numerous languages runs the park up and provides a shuttle service up to the old town so we piled in to his people carrier with a variety of other Europeans for the ten minute journey and spent the day exploring the place, entering a couple of the troglodyte houses restored to their original layouts and had lunch in the sun. The enormous village cistern was well worth descending in to and Gianfranco picked us all up at dusk and we spent a quiet night in the van after a fascinating day. He delivered fresh bread as we were leaving and we had bought oranges from a local guy who visited the site.

At Alberobello we parked in the official aire which has all facilities, is secured by a barrier and is only ten minutes walk from the cluster of remarkable stone Trulli houses with conical roofs that line a number of streets. Many are boutique holiday rentals, others are shops or cafes and a few remain to be restored but the whole area was thoroughly absorbing and with few people about we took our time looking around. We returned again the following morning before dealing with the van domestics and paying a very reasonable €16 as we had had power as well.

A look round Ostuni rewarded us with beautiful churches, extensive city walls and as the rain came in lunch in a bar that had a covered terrace with superb views. I continued my dalliance with octopus whilst Mandy had a more conventional choice of meatballs in a rich tomato sauce. We spoke to an Italian cycle tourist who was returning to the north after time in Greece and managed to lose our bearings trying to find the van as the heavens opened. We banged on the Eber to get warmed up and dried out as we drove to a farm stay I had used almost exactly a year previously. Clearly the woman running it was struggling to keep on top of things but it was still an enchanting spot and we only required a place to park for a couple of nights so didn't add to her burden.

We walked in to the nearby town of San Vito dei Normanni, named unexpectedly to reflect the Norman occupation of the area long ago and bought some cabbages and Roman cauliflowers from an old guy, again selling from his car boot. In complete contrast to our Amalfi acquaintance he only wanted a ludicrous 20 cents and when I insisted on giving him more he merely doubled the quantities in our bag and then gave me five euros change for a five euro note which I quickly corrected. Back at the smallholding we had a couple of hours in the sun and a very quiet night. Bypassing Brindisi we arrived in a large free car park on the outskirts of Lecce and parked along an empty edge.  We walked in to the old town centre which boasts dozens of churches, palaces and other buildings all constructed out of the mellow local stone in the ornate Baroque style. It was easy to wander freely round the maze of streets which are largely traffic free and we passed a very pleasant afternoon.

Later as we had seen signs for the circus on our way in we decided to go as something different and bought two front row seat tickets. A dazzling display of acrobatics, juggling, clowns and other acts all took place on a stage above a huge pool of water with powerful jets and colourful lighting adding to the spectacle. I noticed water coming down one of the big top's supporting structures and when we left there had clearly been a torrential downpour as there were huge pools of water where they shouldn't have been. Fortunately we got back to the van in time to avoid further rain and a thunderstorm that had all cleared away by Sunday morning giving us the chance to revisit the centre and enjoy the Zagor Street Band who were dressed in costumes from comic characters and gave a number of rousing and well received performances. We noticed a lot of the children out with their families were also dressed either similarly or in their Sunday best. It all added up to a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere and we were glad we had gone back in.

Heading south and along the Adriatic Coast we soon reached Otranto and decided to use the Oasey campsite on the edge of town which was well laid out and had views out to the coast. Vincento told us about a shortcut from the site that had us in the old town by the huge castle within ten minutes and on a sunny Sunday evening we walked right round the bay to the lighthouse from where we could also see the flash of a lighthouse on the Albanian mainland about 50 mikes away. Otranto was unexpectedly nice with a good promenade along the seafront, plenty of cafes and an old town that provided more corners to explore. As the sun set and the lights came on it transformed yet again and it was late before we returned to base. A walk out to the marina on Monday morning took us past a rusting ship that had been involved in a migrant disaster 30 years previously concerning Albanians and was now on display as a rather sombre memorial.

Back at the site we got talking to a couple from London we had seen at Matera who have a large almost new German expedition truck and some ambitious plans but were due to fly home shortly as they have elderly parents to consider. He had SORNed his vehicle so they could stay away for the first three years before an initial MOT but I think they were running a risk of not actually being insured which aside from personal liability issues seemed iffy with such a high value vehicle. Our German neighbour was very intrigued by our compact set up as he had a fairly large motorhome which like the UK couple would not have been allowed on the Amalfi coast road. Driving through the congested streets of the Italian towns would be rather stressful in such vehicles as many have surprisingly narrow streets more suited to the ubiquitous Fiat 500s and Pandas.

Anyway we said goodbye to Vincento and headed south stopping at Castro for a walk down to the harbour and then Santa Cesarea Terme which is a spa and therapy centre in the season. A huge and ornate new build reminded us of a similarly unfinished outfit back in Morocco at Azrou. Continuing south to Leuca which marks the point where the Tyrenian and Adriatic seas converge, an empty and unmanned campsite seemed open so we parked up, plugged in and walked down to the fishing port before ascending the several hundred steps alongside an artificial water feature up to the lighthouse, the second most important in Italy after Genoa. Alongside lay a beautiful basilica that has received two papal visits and commemorates the passage of St Peter through Italy. The town also marks the end of the Puglian Aquaduct built over a hundred years ago to supply this arid (??!!) region with water from further north and a marble column donated by Mussolini still marks the feature at the base of the usually dry waterfall. We spoke to three young backpackers who had walked from Lecce over several days and watched the sun set before returning to the van where the owner turned up eventually for payment.

On a bright sunny morning we walked down to the leisure boating marina, admired a few grand yachts and then enjoyed a coffee as the owner of the cafe assisted a plumber to identify the cause of a blocked downpipe, watched materials being lifted high up to the workmen working on the camponile and then headed off to Gallipoli our final destination in Puglia. A car park opposite the local police station was ideally located to give us a walk through the new town, across the old bridge and out in to the original well fortified town located on a large island. We followed the coast round to the port admiring a lighthouse located offshore and then after a quick beer returned to the van.

This morning we woke to numerous vehicles dropping kids off at the adjacent school and then drove up to Lecce for a final look round before pitching up here in Brindisi for our ferry tomorrow lunchtime. I had stayed in the same place a year ago but not ventured in to the town but this time we walked in and were hugely impressed by a stylish and vibrant centre, fascinating waterfront, busy fishermen's zone and severe looking naval quarter. The duomo looked stunning after sunset and the large marble columns marking the end of the Via Appia, a 400 mile long strategically important route from Rome, were suitably impressive.

So tomorrow we have a nine hour sailing to Igoumenitsa in Greece and will then see about getting the required oil and filter change done on the van before starting several weeks passing through Northern Greece to reach Turkey and after that the 'Turkish Riviera' beyond which in late March we will go our separate ways for a few months.

Our return to Italy has been a great success and hugely enjoyable, largely due to the low number of visitors at this time of year and we hope to do the toe of the boot next time whilst also incorporating Sicily.

Rest of the pics...click

The Roma Return

 Gino's garden at Ciampino is a fifteen minute walk from the Casa Bianca Station and as I still had the TrenItalia app on my phone which had retained all my details we were able to check the timetables and book tickets in to the Rome Terminii central station. Here we found our way through the shopping area down to the Underground Line A which took us to the outskirts of the Vatican City in no time at all and just required a tap of a bank card to pay the fare. Emerging in to warm sunshine we walked towards St Peter's Basilica and were approached by a friendly Bangladeshi woman, one of the many runners offering tours. She said we could get on an English language tour that was just about to leave so took us to a small office where we paid €80 each to cover the tour of the Vatican City including the Sistine Chapel and avoiding the queues. No doubt we could have saved by sorting it out ourselves but our guide was excellent, we avoided the queues and were soon inside the City complex with ear pieces giving us access to his commentary. Some 4000 people a day enter the State to work, most countries of the world have Embassies there and the complex includes many acres of lovingly tended gardens and suites of rooms, chapels and galleries linked by many corridors. Several museums display an astonishing array of paintings, tapestries and sculptures and it would take many days to do them all justice. Along the walls of one long gallery were mediaeval maps of the world and in another there were intricate tapestries covering scenes from the Old and New Testament.

Eventually we reached the Sistine Chapel which was indeed remarkable given that it was the work of one man, working at great height and apparently having to mix and apply his own plaster base for the paintings. Whilst hugely impressive we both felt that we had seen equally amazing work in other churches and cathedrals on our travels.

Our guide left us to enjoy the Basilica at our leisure so we decided to pay to ascend the main dome via several hundred steps that wound their way inside the curved walls before emerging high above St Peter's Square with extensive 360° views across the city.

Half way down after grabbing a drink and snack in the small and reasonably priced cafe we stopped to walk around the inside gallery of the dome which gave us a real idea of the size of the structure as we peered down at people on the ground floor. Mandy had a particular desire to see the Pietra which is now housed behind a protective screen after a hammer attack many years ago. There were many remarkable paintings, decorated crypts, papal tombs and richly gilded altars which we enjoyed before exiting after a full day as the sun set with the colourful Swiss Guard watching over the main entrance to the Pope's private quarters.

The few homeless people in a small tent city just off the square contrasted rudely with the excess and affluence we had been experiencing and gave us cause for thought as we found the station again and returned to Terminii. We knew our train would be at the end of a long walk to platform 18 but jogged a bit as it was due to leave. In fact having settled in our seats on the upper deck we learned that there was a delay due to a problem down the line which caused a group of British guys to panic as they had clearly cut it a bit fine for catching the evening flight to Manchester so disembarked and ran off to get a taxi. After twenty minutes we were on our way and I suspect given the traffic the British group might have been better staying on the train. Walking back to Gino's we were tempted by the Baffalona Steak House which had a meat counter with a remarkable range of steaks available from Waygu to buffalo and in a choice of weights. The friendly staff took our orders, produced the wine and subsequently served two delicious fillets accompanied by roasted vegetables and potatoes. We noticed other groups tucking in to great slabs of meat with little else but were glad we had ordered less, if only 'cos it left room for pud....

After a quiet night we were back on the train again with time for a quick coffee in a bar before reaching the centre once more and catching the same metro but getting off at the Spanish Steps we had missed last year. The rest of the day was spent walking at leisure and with no specific itinerary but we returned to the Trevi Fountain, found a square with 3 fountains and eventually reached the Coliseum that appeared as impressive as ever. A coffee in a smart cafe overlooking the structure revived us as we dipped in to the metro once more for our train home. Having trekked out to Platform 18 we found out that all trains on our line were disrupted so returned to the main concourse to find out more and after half an hour a train going our way was indicated so we trailed up to 18 again, sat down somewhat exhausted and before long were on our way.

On the Saturday we serviced the domestic side of the van and settled up with Gino (€25/night) and then drove out the few miles to Ostia Antica which had once been the port for Roman Rome. The Tiber estuary had silted up leading to the place being abandoned but the extensive remains of a variety of buildings and the street plan including fortifications and gateways were well worth exploring on a sunny day. The museum had a collection of statues and busts that had been discovered as well as various artefacts and was well presented. The cafe behind sported the all too common surly and indifferent staff who were more engaged with their phones than their customers so no tips were forthcoming.

I rang a number for a sosta an hour or so away and the lively Florinda said we would be welcome to stay. On arrival down a track we were redirected from one house to another large property set in substantial but unkempt grounds where Florinda greeted us and introduced us to her two friendly dogs. She was multilingual having run a group of three hostels in Rome for many years but was now retired and living in the family home having sadly lost her parents and husband during COVID. She was an endearing and intriguing character and we enjoyed a quiet night at her home before saying our goodbyes and heading along the coast.

We stopped at the War Cemetery in Anzio where Operation Shingle had seen many American lives lost and walked down to the port area where fishermen were mending their nets and numerous smart eateries lined the harbour side. We walked out to the end of the breakwater and then chose a street food outlet for a delicious burger in the sun.

Near Sabaudia we arrived at a farm stay on a large horticultural enterprise occupying many hectares of the sandy land along the coastline. There was no one around but I rang the owner who was out to lunch and said just to settle in as required. We followed signs past huge polytunnels to a hedged off grassy area with power and water points and just one young Italian family in a small caravan.

A walk along the lanes passing the usual appalling fly tipping brought us out on to the long sandy beach which was our return leg home as the sun set. The next day we met the owner who showed us inside the huge polytunnel and gave us a handful of the small courgettes (zucchini) that was the current crop. The yellow flowers are a local delicacy dipped in batter and fried briefly. Heading up a very twisty road we reached Cap de Creus with its stunning views across the Bay of Naples and walked out towards the radio masts before descending via another series of hairpins and picking up the road south towards Naples. A deviation in to the hills brought us to an aire outside Sessa Aurunca, a walled mediaeval town which also had an impressive Roman amphitheatre on the outskirts. The aire was a bit unkempt but provided power, water and a park up for no charge...remarkable. So far we have been paying for stops, mainly for the security aspect, but Sessa felt fine and there was a full time dweller in a caravan with a large awning who we thought would deter unwanted visitors. We walked through a large gate tower in to the town's maze of narrow streets spotting an elderly upholsterer hard at his trade and eventually reaching the town's impressive cathedral lit brilliantly internally as the evening mass was underway. A smartly decorated cafe provided a friendly and warm space for coffee, the indifferent service and attitude seems largely confined to the employees in the public sector, business owners are generally more welcoming and engaged. After a quiet night on the aire we returned to the town for coffee in the square and a look inside the now quiet church before giving the owner of our planned stop in Pompeii a ring. Giuliana was again multilingual and was at pains to point out that her place was the one below the road....

After a supermarket stock up and crawling through the narrow traffic choked streets of Poggiomarino where we saw the Italian driving style at its best (particularly the reversing blind out in to traffic) we reached Giuliana's camper stop (English and Russian spoken) where one other large German van was parked up : his driving experience would have been awful and as always I was grateful for the modest dimensions of the battle bus. The site was well kept and her son Flavio soon had us parked up with a shot of limoncello in my hand, and a map to show us where things were in town. After lunch we walked down to the station to check out train times and ticketing arrangements as there is a local line, the Circumvesuvia that operates the most useful service. Out at the entrance to the Pompeii site it all seemed rather quiet but we familiarised ourselves with the set up and then enjoyed a drink on the main square adjacent to the huge church

Torrential overnight rain had cleared as we set off early hoping to beat the crowds (daily access is limited to 20,000 visitors) but on arrival there was almost no one around. After a basic security check we paid 25 euros each to include access to the two 'suburban villas'. We enjoyed the amphitheatre with the place to ourselves and then started exploring the vast grid of cobbled streets, many showing the grooves of carts and chariots, lined with the remains of shops, taverns, bakeries, food outlets, houses, villas and temples. We spent a thoroughly absorbing day dipping in and out of covered displays when the heavens opened and getting warmed up in the small cafe. The suburban villas lay outside the main complex and housed some stunning mosaics and frescoes and were well worth the visit. We returned via the large Forum once more with temples and civic buildings around the outside and were grateful to have experienced the place more or less on our own.

On the Thursday we caught the train out to Ercolano, a twenty minute run for a couple of quid on a rather squalid and graffiti covered local EMU and just outside the station signed up for the two o'clock bus up to the start of the crater walk of Vesuvius. This gave us time to explore Herculaneum which had also been covered by up to 75m of volcanic debris which had also pushed the shore line out by a few kilometres. A good app provided information on another remarkable layout of streets in a rectangular grid, the ruins of the houses, shops, taverns and villas, temples and gardens that were now available to explore. Being considerably smaller than Pompeii it was perhaps also more manageable and we left in time to catch the 2 o'clock bus that climbed steeply up the twisting road on the slopes of Vesuvius with superb views out across the sprawl of Naples. There is a cheaper local bus, the 808, but as our bus had included the entrance ticket and been hassle free we felt, like at the Vatican and some border crossings, that paying a little more was a good investment.

With the higher altitude it was decidedly chilly as we set off up the cinder path to the Main Crater. Some workers were filling in channels eroded by the previous day's heavy rain and we were soon at the crater edge looking in to the enormous void where steam and gasses were escaping from numerous fissures and holes. The path continued round the rim and to our delight the sun emerged as we looked out across to Pompeii and back in to the inner depths of the crater itself. The return bus journey left us a little queasy and the evening train was fairly packed so were glad of the walk home after an enthralling day.

Yesterday we settled up with Giuliana who moved to Italy from Russia 25 years ago and was interested to hear about my plans and amused by the half dozen Russian phrases that I have mastered. An hour's drive brought us to Camping I Pini at Meta on the Amalfi coast where after an hour in the sun we walked down to the station to check out trains to Sorrento and then descended many steps to reach the small harbour and beach. Waves crashing over the rocks and walkway made for an exciting stroll round to a smart bar for a drink before we returned via the small town stopping at a couple of shops for some basics.

After the 7 minute train journey to Sorrento we walked through the town and came across a large area of lemon trees with a visitor centre and adjacent public park detailing the history of the Sorrento lemon, a PDO product. Heading through the main centre we waited respectfully as a funeral cortege left the cathedral with the deceased clearly an important figure as police officers stood to attention and the hearse was a modified Maserati estate car. A long series of steps brought us down to the Marina Grande where we watched local fishermen bringing in the catch, mending their nets and repairing their boats....in a back street we looked in to the workshop of a boat builder before heading in to a restaurant for an excellent sea food lunch. Back up at town we took another set of stairs down to the Marina Piccolo (ironically actually larger) from where ships departed for Capri and Naples but a heavy downpour had us heading back up to the main square for coffee and cheesecake before the short walk to the station and even shorter journey home. I had had a text to say that my Digi SIM needed topping up to roll over unused data and I overcame my spare phone's inability to operate the app by installing it on the newer phone and soon had another 100Gb for about £8 which should see us through Italy and across Greece.

This onward progress will be reported next time.....

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