Mosaics of Ravenna

Here are some pictures of beautiful mosaics in Ravenna. The first two are in Chiesa San Vitale. The last one (I can't remember where) is of Christ being baptized by John. He is up to his waist in the waters of the River Jordan. Zoom in on these if you can, to get a better idea of how exquisite the works are. This building is very very high!

Massa Lubrense photos

Footpath from town centre to the port, Massa Lubrense.
Porto Piccolo, Massa Lubrense. You like? That would be Vesuvius 'way in the back ground.
Overhead nets (over the pathways, between groves) catch the olives as they fall off the trees. The olive groves have massive systems of nets, above the ground, to capture the falling fruit, and then they funnel down hill to larger collection points. The olives never touch the ground, and they aren't picked by hand or machine. As far as I can tell, at least!
Private laneway to olive/lemon grove. Pretty!

Sorrento,Capri, Pompeii, Massa Lubrense

Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri and Massa Lubrense

I ended up staying two additional nights in Sorrento, making it a total of five. The place that I booked through HostelBookers.com was by far the best place so far, and it will be hard to equal. What I thought I had booked was a dorm room with 3 beds for 10 euros a night, which is pretty cheap for anywhere in Italy, never mind Sorrento. What I got was a private bungalow with a double bed, private bathroom, patio, breakfast, AND reliable wifi. I was a little concerned, thinking that when I went to settle my bill I would be charged something rather more than the agreed upon 10 euros/night. At the very least I expected to be charged more for the additional nights beyond what I booked on-line. NOT SO!!!! I paid 10 euros per night, and I was GLAD!! (In Rome I paid 30 euros per night.) This place is special, situated up a steep hill (as is everything around this area), part of an active lemon and olive plantation. If you go to Sorrento, you should stay at Casale Antoniette. The staff are super friendly and the owner, Marco, who speaks very respectable English, is always helpful. So it was hard to leave, but after being part of the Amalfi/Sorrento/Capri/Pompeii tourist scene for that number of days, I felt it was time to get back to my original agenda and head north towards Venice.

Meantime, my time in Sorrento and environs was lovely. I remember how smitten my mother was with Pompeii when she and my father visited some 50 years ago. She mentioned it over the years, and I thought I would like to see it, and imagine how she saw it 5 decades earlier. I believe that it hasn’t changed that much! You know, those Romans built things to last, regardless of volcanoes or whatever! It has probably changed from the perspective of the tourism industry though. There are a lot of people there, wandering about in awe, as I was. Likely, many, many more people than when Mom and Dad strolled those ruins, but still it was amazing and I was glad to have been able to “share” that with them..

Another Canadian was staying at Casale Antoniette. From Victoria BC, he was on a self drive tour of some European countries, so he had a car. We got together to drive the Amalfi Coast and do a couple of short hikes along the way. Hikes here always involve elevation gain and loss, and we agreed that had we been alone we probably would not have made the effort to venture forth. One such walk took us through olive and lemon groves, with smatterings of pomegranates, persimmons, figs and apples as well as veggie patches. Of course lemons are very prevalent here and one of the many lemon products is Lemoncello. (Did I ever tell you my secret recipe for a martini extraordinaire? Let’s just say that it involves Lemoncello… Where was I? Oh yes, the Amalfi Coast. Rugged. Beautiful. Azure sea. Vertical. Not sandy. Vertical. Up. Rocky. Vertical. Crazy winding narrow roads up vertical rocky terrain rising above beautiful azure sea. Do I make myself clear? And lemons. Everywhere. Terraces for lemon groves. What? Do these people not think that there are enough lemons, already? Apparently not.

Capri: Lemons. Everywhere. Terraces for lemon groves. Where the stupidly wealthy are not living, that is. Rocky, vertical, azure sea, vertical, the craziest winding narrow roads, vertical. Every home, rich or not so rich, has an unobstructed view due to the steepness of the landscape. And the roads - surely they are only wide enough for one small bus! But no! Wait! Here comes another bus towards us. It’s impossible! There can’t be enough room to pass! NO WAY! That is UNBELIEVABLE! Those bus drivers are so skilled at knowing exactly where their bus is, they pass each other with literally an inch to spare between them, and between the houses or walls on the other side. Sometimes they have to slow down, though. I AM NOT exaggerating! Ask anyone who has been there. Campbell? Jane? Am I right? All the cars are dented and scratched on their side panels. And we are talking small cars here, folks. Not like in N.A. We have no idea how small, small cars really are. Yet. Ever see a Fiat 500?

Another thing about Capri is the Haute Couture. Ferragamo, Armani, Valentino, et cetera. And jewellers. Tres tres chic. Personally, I did a lot of walking around in my frumpy thrift store scores and Salomon sneakers, and wasn’t seduced a bit by the Italian movie stars doing a film shoot! The local ragazzi were though, by the shapely, full figured starlets. Ahem…

My fourth excursion was to the nearby town of Massa Lubrense. It is a short bus trip up the coast from Sorrento. A lovely spot, again with verticality as the overwhelming feature of the landscape, dictating so much of everything else. It was another day of hiking down down down, and then back up up up. There are many old paved trails and footpaths that have been used for centuries. Paved for centuries too, I suppose. Those Romans, again. In fact one of the things that I was actually going to be grateful for, on the long train trip north, was the chance to give my knees a break. All that pavement really takes a toll. So far, I have found no unpaved walking or driving surfaces. At all. None. Anyway, Massa Lubrense would be another lovely spot to consider as an alternative to Sorrento or Portofino, for a few days of relaxing, and perhaps it being less costly. My little secret investment tip: buy real estate there, now!

FOOD: Aside from the omnipresence of pizza one can find other things to eat. It’s just a matter of how much you are willing to pay. The Canadian guy and I went to a restaurant down the road from where we were staying, at the recommendation of Marco, our host. Ron ordered the Raviolli alla Crema Basilico, which I was going to order, so I went for the risotto al funghi. Our waiter, whom at first seemed to be gruff and a tad unfriendly, recommended a local wine, which we went along with, especially considering it was very affordable. Insalate pomodori was perfect with green tomatoes (ripe but green) and then came the piatti secondi. WOW!!! The risotto was excellent, but the ravioli was TO DIE FOR. I decided that I needed to come back again for my own helping of this most fantastic of pasta dishes, which I did a couple of nights later. It turned out that the aforementioned waiter was super friendly and a lovely man. Again I went with his recommendation of a half bottle of local vintage rather than a glass of house wine. It was an awfully nice wine, the perfect choice. De Angelis 2006 della Peninsula Sorrentino DOC. Anyway, you know how you want to see if you can figure out how something is made? Well, I was luxuriating over this pasta and sauce, and trying for the life of me to break it down into its component parts. I failed. The secret would not be revealed. I will have to do my research on the internet I suppose. The gorgeous jade green sauce was so velvety smooth and so pleasing to the palate that it almost defies description. I’m thinking it may have been a blend of finely pulverized basil, and panna (aka: artery clogger), but perhaps panna is too rich. Hmm. Mmmm. Together with the Isalata Misto and the wine, I was in culinary heaven. My most memorable meal so far, and it wasn’t even stupidly expensive. Once in a while I eat at a real restaurant. Otherwise, I try to keep my costs down by shopping at grocery stores, when possible. All that pizza leaves a gal wanting just a plain old carrot! Not so noteworthy, but it’s about Canada’s food guide. And scurvy. That’s where a bottle of lemoncello comes in. Si?

***LAUNDRY TIP: Excuse me - it costs 8 Euros for one load of wash at the lavanderia. That’s over C$13!!! Just for the wash, never mind the dryer. Sorry - it ain’t gonna happen. I’ll wash by hand. But bathroom sinks can be awfully small, with significant splash factor, so it’s just not practical. Hmm, what to do? What’s this? A bidet. Ah ha! FINALLY, I have found a use for the bidet (so what‘s wrong with a shower?). I’m sure I’m not the first traveller to figure this out, but maybe I’m one of the first to let the cat out of the bag. Works like a charm. Big basin, limited splash factor, more than one piece at a time. And hey, it’s not a toilet! File under “B” for brilliant!

Photos of Capri

Capri Island
A steep and winding paved pathway heading down almost to the sea. Via Krupp, Capri.





















Another view from Via Krupp.













A lovely street in Capri.

Trains, Ravenna, Pizza, Euros and Special Tips!

Getting to Ravenna, et cetera.

Another testament to Italian Organization - the Trenitalia web-site offers little assistance when trying to find out train routes, schedules and fares. It was pretty much a case of just “go and see” for myself. I knew the schedule to get to Napoli, but after that, I had no idea. I didn’t even know precisely where I was going!

When I got to Napoli I bought a 2nd class ticket to Ravenna, changing trains in Bologna. From Ravenna I decided that I would shoot for Bagnacavallo, since it is a short distance from Ravenna and accommodation is more affordable by half. (Does that make sense?)

It took me a while to figure out the whole train ticket thing, but after a few relocations on the Napoli-Bologna train, I managed to finally get myself in the correct seat. What 55 euros (C$93) gets you is a non-reclining seat in a compartment with 5 others, no leg room, and an unusable WC. I mean REALLY unusable. Luckily I managed to find the WC in the station in Napoli (C$1.35, please) before boarding for Bologna, in the nick of time before departure! It was a boring 6 hours haul. At least the Bologna to Ravenna train was clean and smooth and cheap. And I was lucky enough to sit across from a local who spoke pretty good English, and he gave me lots of tips and info about Ravenna. It turns out that Bagnacavallo is 3 stops before Ravenna so that worked out well for me.

I didn’t have a reservation for any accommodation that night, because I didn’t actually know where I was going to end up, due to the lack of information about trains schedules. I had the address to the Ostello in Bagnacavallo though, and I knew that it is within walking distance from the station. Again, Italians to the rescue - I was pointed in the right direction and found that there was still room at the Inn. A three bed dorm to myself.

It is a former convent. The room is about 20’X 22’ with a 20’ ceiling. Rather spacious. No internet, though. In fact the whole town of Bagnacavallo is pretty much lacking internet access. I found the library, and in an effort to make hostel reservations for Venice, the best I could do was to check out 2 possibilities in the space of ONE HOUR, such was the speed of the connection. And then the library closed. After all, it was 12:30 on Saturday afternoon! The Internet Point/Copy Centre in the town’s main piazza was also closed. Saturday is just not a day to try to get anything done here, apparently. I was able to convince the receptionist at the hostel to let me use the computer to make my booking. Their modem has capacity for only one computer, so I couldn’t just plug in my own and go to it.

Meanwhile, I spent a rainy, wet and cold day in Ravenna, a very small city famous for its mosaics. Indeed the mosaics are a sight to behold and they can be viewed in various churches and baptisteries throughout the town centre. True to the Italian reputation for being poorly organized, I found that the tourist map I was using was completely useless. This is a prevalent problem regarding Italian tourist information - basically the maps are PATHETIC. Which can also be said for the signage, so in fact you get a complimentary arrangement which creates havoc for poor tourists, like me! Anyway, after finally stumbling into a tourist information office, I was given a better map and some directions to get started with my exploring of Ravenna. The weather was only getting worse (a good descriptive would be: atrocious), and it put a real damper on my enthusiasm, however I soldiered on. By noon my shoes were completely soaked, squish-squish with each step. Ugh. And of course the umbrella I bought off the street vendor quickly turned itself inside out and started to come apart within an hour of purchase.

I’m quite certain that Ravenna is a beautiful city when the sun is shining, or at least when it is not subjected to constant, all day rain. However, my day there was not a good picture taking day, and it was spent constantly on the move, seeking shelter in cold, dank, dark churches with unbelievably beautiful mosaic depictions of important Christian events and figures (Jesus, for example). These mosaics are of such fine quality that they in fact look like paintings, such is the attention to minute detail in their renderings.

IN ITALY THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE. Just about every thing, I mean. For example, if you want to use the toilet before getting on a train at the train station - that will cost you about C$1.35. A package of Halls throat lozenges will set you back as much as about C$3.30. If you want to sit down in a restaurant or café to have a cuppa, well you better think twice, ‘cause a pot of tea will ring in at over C$8.00. So, as far as food and beverages go, you don’t sit down to relax for a bite, because table service can double your bill. So, by the end of a day of marching around and never getting a chance to really take a load off your feet, well, lets just say a nice glass of wine or two in the hostel room sounds pretty fine!

PIZZA: It is omnipresent and rules supreme. As mentioned already, it is really hard to avoid, but it can be done. Actually, in the north it isn’t quite as dominant as in central Italy - they have some slightly different variations on the theme, using a different type of dough, and so on. But when you get right down to it, it is still dough with stuff on it or in it. Having said that, however, I discovered out of sheer desperation for some supper the night that I arrived in Bagnacavallo, “Jolly Pizza”, just a stones throw from where I’m staying. “Jolly Pizza” - I figured, “oh, oh. Please God...” It’s fair to say that is the BEST pizza that I have had in Italy so far. It is not thin crust pizza, gals! Not Chicago style, either. Thin sauce, thin cheese and thin toppings - like radicchio. AND it turns out that Leonardo, the pizza maestro, is an AVID mushroom picker, having photos of some of his exploits on his shop walls. So we got to talking, mostly with the assistance of his wife who is Ukrainian, but speaks a good bit of English. They offered me to come back on Sunday to taste mushrooms and pasta - an offer I can’t refuse! Also offered me the chance to go picking with him on Tuesday, but alas I will be gone from Bagnacavallo by then. Nice, nice folks.

With the help of one of the staffers at the Ostello I have been able to use the internet to check the train schedules for Venice. I will leave in the morning and thereby get myself to my gateway to Eastern Europe - Venice, the most expensive city in Italy.

One more of Rome

Dome of the Pantheon, 44 metres across, 9 metre wide "oculus" open to the sky, poured in concrete in 120 A.D.