Well we have been busy since the last post! We left off on the morning of Fynn's 4th birthday. Probably not what he was expecting on such a day but we tackled a gorge. His little legs managed the rocky steep stairs over a good hour's trek down to some stunning waterfalls and swimming pools to CAVA GRANDE! A little bit Grand Canyon-esque and well worth the hike, don't you think?
a big jump for the birthday boy
MT ETNA
MT ETNA
by bike to the station to catch the Circumetnea narrow gauge railway which circumnavigates the base of Mt Etna for 110km.
 |
| Mt Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, at 3323m altitude |
 |
| Fertile volcanic soils with plenty of orchards and vineyards |
 |
| Two sides of Mt Etna. Smoke lingering over the top and eternal ice can be seen. |
 |
| Randazzo, 15km from Mt Etna on the railway line. They had celebrations today. These fireworks went off at midday! |
 |
| The day after the train trip we drove up as far as we could and with lava underfoot we scrambled up the sides of two sites which previously have errupted. This one from 2001. |
Calabria, southern Italy, the toe of Italy's boot. After a dry Sicily it was pleasing to see so much green. We were lucky enough to see some of the stunning AMALFI COAST! Sheer rugged cliffs jammed with restaurants and stairways down to the beaches below. It required some concentration to manoeuvre the tight winding road. We came away with a 'nudge' from a truck on a corner on a bridge. Nothing that a bit of washing detergent and some elbow grease couldn't remove though.
Amongst other close calls we can add the last bridge we went under in Italy and the first without a sign stating its height. This one possibly should have read Height: 316m. With the van halfway through I was reluctant to keep encouraging Arno to move forward but he continued on being waved through happily by a helpful Italian fellow motorist .. the height of our campervan is 314cm.
.JPG) |
| Farm Stay "Canalicchio" With the GPS once again 'confused' we were sent this way and that but no campings to be found. Come 7pm we were happy to see some signs to an 'Agriturismo', or Farm Stay. This one looking like a castle and perched high in the mountains. The sign had a picture of a campervan but on arrival there were no large flat areas as required. Our host just shrugged his shoulders and motioned us to park in pretty much THE only place possible, directly in front of the restaurant's doors. True stumble distance home which was quite handy really knowing the usual flow of wine and food. |
wine cellar
meats and cheeses galore |
| We had just finished our brekky here the next morning when we were surprised with breads, jams, coffee and hot chocolates :) Fynn got his chubby cheeks squeezed and a big kiss on our departure. |
 liqours - grappa and limoncello From Mt Etna in Sicily .... to Mt Vesuvius, on mainlain Italy POMPEII |
 |
a whole city marvellously preserved since Mt Vesuvius errupted 2000 years ago. The town itself existed 1000 years before this event.
scene of sacrifice of a bull
Look closely - one of the people 'frozen' in time. From the spaces found in the ashes they have been able to recreate the people at the moment of Mt Vesuvius's erruption by filling the spaces with a liquid which then hardens.
modern day statues ;)
Old grinding mills. Donkeys were used to rotate these to grind the wheat for making bread. 
Horse carriage marks left in the old stones
bench where hot food would be served
THE oldest amphitheatre known to mankind anywhere, dating from 70 BC.
 |
Next stop MONTENEGRO !
No comments:
Post a Comment