Central Italy

Sea Fever Journal

By Wendy Catlin

ITALY

September/October/November 2000

SOUTHERN ITALY

The volcanic fireworks of Stromboli were a highlight of our trip to the Aeolian Islands. After watching the spectacular volcanic activity for over two hours, we decided it was time to depart for southern Italy, crossing the Tyrrhenian Sea. The trip is an overnight sail and will take about sixteen hours. Our crossing was fairly uneventful, having to motor the whole way due to lack of wind. We did encounter some large ships crossing our course which were bound for the Messina Straits between Sicily and Italy

We arrive in the Bay of Policastro, a very wide and open bay on the southern coast of Italy. We tried to enter the harbour of the same name, almost going aground. The entrance was silted up and much shallower than the pilot book lead us to believe. Fortunately we did not get stuck and got out of there very quickly deciding to anchor out.

After a rest Rob and I put the dingy in the water to go ashore. At first, we find a normal sort of town with a commercial center, teenagers milling about and families out for a stroll (Sunday evening activity in Italy). Further up the street we find our selves passing through the old city walls, visually going back in time as we walked the streets of a living, medieval city! Potted flowering plants gave life to three and four story gray stone buildings along the narrow arched streets. The whole village was inside the walls, buildings clustered together around the church which stood in the middle of the community. This was our first such village; little did we know that we would be seeing many more.

We headed west to Scario, a charming waterfront town with a backdrop of beautiful wooded mountains. We enjoyed the charm of the town and its people. Paulo, a local who has spent every summer here since he was a kid, invited us to his parents home for a lovely afternoon tea. It felt really good to be in a house! Paulo is from Rome and has sailed the sea between Rome and Scario many times. He shared with us a lot of information regarding sea conditions and good harbours for our trip north.

This part of the southern coast of Italy is very beautiful, with high mountains and ridges diving into the sea. Looking from the sea, medieval watchtowers of stone are perched along the coast at strategic points. From Scario, Rob and I took a walk around a headland finding one of these towers on our way. It was an impressive size. Most of these towers are remote and date back centuries.

After a few days enjoying Scario, we poke along the coast exploring many small bays on our way to the port of Camerota.

Renting a car we explored the inland region of "El Parque Cilento e Vallo de Diano". This region is listed as a world heritage site and is spectacular with mountain ranges jutting out of the earth like muffins. Medieval villages and towns are perched on stony outcrops and mountain tops. Exploring these villages takes us back in time. One village's local band gathered for music and a march down to the main square. At higher altitudes we went through forests of chestnut trees glimpsing views of valleys below.

There are many churches in Italy. Every church has a patron saint and each one has a celebration on its Saint's Day. So on any given day, or night you will hear fire crackers and see spectacular fire works displays. From the deck of Sea Fever, we witnessed a fantastic fireworks display that lasted for an hour!

Just north of Camerota is Cape Palinuro. This cape is steep right into the water and we decided to anchor near an islet for lunch to explore the coastline. As we were sitting quietly on the deck this whirring noise was overhead. I look up and there is a flying dingy going by! Our curiosity got the best of us and Rob was fascinated at the prospect of a closer look. We got in our sea bound dingy and went to the shore where the flights were taking off. Rob took a ride for the sheer novelty (and joy) of it.

The weather continued to be calm, so Rob was able to take the dingy into a cave within the Cape. He went through a very small entrance, and once inside, found a large cavern that seemed to have its own translucent blue light coming from the bottom. When he returned to the boat he was quite awed by the experience. He had a really good day!

We continued north to the harbour of Agropoli which is at the base of a rocky promontory with a medieval village on the top. There is a modern town here too which gives us the best of both worlds.

We have come to this protected harbour in order to visit the Greek ruins of Paestum, said to be the finest Greek architecture in Italy. It was founded in the sixth century BC by Greek settlers from Sybaris (farther south). It was an abandoned and forgotten city from 877 AD until well into the eighteenth century.

Paestum has three main temples which are the world's best preserved monuments of the ancient Greek world. There is also an outstanding museum giving important insights to the life and culture of the ancient city.

Upon our return from Paestum, we see two yachts belonging to friends anchored in the bay. We have not seen them since Turkey. We originally met them in Indonesia! It is great to see friends again after being among strangers for so long! Needless to say we had dinner for a catch up on all the news and just being together. Sailing vessels Southern Cross and Max are from San Francisco and Alaska, Americans!!! They have been at sea for at seven years traveling the world and loving it.

Jeannie & Bob Lynne & Jack

S.V. MAX S.V. SOUTHERN CROSS

POMPEII

We had a "friend of a friend" contact in Salerno city for a free berth for a few days so off we went to take advantage of this great offer. We wanted to visit the city of Salerno and be in a good position to visit Pompeii.

We have all learned about Pompeii since we were children. This cultured city at the base of Mount Vesuvius was buried in ash in 79 AD. It was discovered in 1594 but serious excavations were not started until 1748 (for treasures) and again in 1860. Work is still going on as evidenced by workers with brushes, measuring devices and clip boards.

The clock stopped for this city. The experience of walking the rutted stone streets gives a rich insight to the daily life of the citizens who lived here. Rob and I spent at least five hours on our visit which gave us a good idea what the city was about, but it still was not enough time to see the whole city.

The weather turned sour once again, so we returned to Argostoli as there were no safe anchorages close by to the north. Max and Southern Cross were happy to see us again!

The poor weather provided me the opportunity to take the train to Naples for a day trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells as I walked the streets of this bustling Italian city.

ISLANDS OF ITALY

Off the coast west from Naples are the islands of Procida and Ischia. When the weather came into our favour, the three of us sailed north, passing the Almalfi Coast and the famous Island of Capri. We spent several days exploring Procida and Ischia, taking walks, visiting castles, chatting to locals. Ischia has a volcanic past which provides hot springs on certain parts of the island. I was happy to partake of the fine sport of soaking in hot pools for a good part of the day.

Max and Southern Cross headed to their winter port of Gaeta, and we continued north heading for Rome. On the way we visited the islands of Venotene and Ponza. Venotene was an island for exiles in Roman times and in more recent times, a penal colony. The harbour was hewn from the coastal stone in Roman times.

Ponza is a very pretty island. It is the very top of a crater and has some amazing rock formations. We spent about five days here in a very rolly harbour waiting for a storm to pass by. We did not get to see the coast by boat, but took some great walks exploring the island. There are spectacular calm weather anchorages here.

ROME

We soon had a weather window allowing us to continue north to Fiumicino, a port near Rome. Here we plan to moor in a canal which is really part of the River Tiber that flows through Rome. From here we can visit Rome, Florence and Tuscany. Once in the canal we met some friends we knew from Sicily. It is great coming into a new port and finding someone you know! They help us tie up and give us all the info we need about the new place we have just come to.

We feel Sea Fever is safe so Rob and I head off for Rome. It is only one hour away by train. I am a person who does not like big cities, but Rome! Rome is different. I just walked around in awe of it. Such character, beauty, spirit and history all in one place. I love it!

We went in to the city three times, each time concentrating on a different theme; once to see Piazzas and fountains, once to visit St. Peter's Square and other sites, another to visit the Vatican Museum. Needless to say, many more visits would be needed to see and enjoy this city to the maximum.

FLORENCE

Everything seems to be okay with our mooring in the river and our friends can watch for any problems. Rob and I head into Rome to take the train to Florence! The trains here are really good though sometimes very crowded. We got a last minute ticket, but there were no seats to be had, so we sat in the stairwell between the cars. It was okay, because the trip was less than two hours. We just learned that next time it would be good to get reserved seats!

We arrive in Florence. The tourist bureau at the train station helped us get a room for two nights. We had a nice place in a good location for walking around the city. Florence of course is beautiful. It has beautiful architecture, magnificent statues, mosaics, music, and art of the masters. All of which we completely enjoyed.

We were also fortunate to contact a friend who lives near Florence and had been with us on Sea Fever in the Whitsundays (Australia) three years ago. We had a very tasty lunch with Diamante at one of her favorite cafes in the Piazza Santo Spirito. It was wonderful to be with her once again and to feel her enthusiasm for life. She is very active as a volunteer for the Red Cross and a true adventure traveler. We caught Diamante just before she was leaving for a trip to Vietnam.

TUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE

Tuscany countryside is just as beautiful as the books describe. We explored the region by car for four days. The forests and vineyards were in their Fall dress colors set amongst rolling green hills or freshly ploughed wheat fields. We visited Chianti country and it seemed a good idea to learn about this famous wine and certainly to taste it, which we did, as well as some outstanding cuisine. We drove through this lovely countryside dotted with medieval villages, Etruscan towers, and stone cottages, castles and monasteries.

It was a great trip!

Everything is fine with Sea Fever on our return. We like it here in Fiumicino and are tempted to think about staying here for the winter. But we decide to head south and continue with our plans to winter in Malta.

WINTERING....

It is November and getting late in the year. The weather is becoming more unpredictable. The traveling weather windows are getting shorter and farther apart. It is time for us to hightail it south, especially if we are to make it to Malta by mid-November! We stay close to the coast and decide to stop in Gaeta (between Rome and Naples) due to heavy winds and also to say hi to Max and Southern Cross. We anchor out of the marina to take a rest and get some food in ourselves as we had just done an overnight trip coming from Rome. But soon Jack from Southern Cross is knocking on our hull, having come out in the dingy and says come on guys...come on in!!!. So we up anchor to get a berth in the marina.

We were also greeted by friends we had met in the Red Sea, Ross and Wei of SV Gemini. It was just great to see them once again...Ross with his sort of prophet voice and Wei with her endless smile and happy way!! We find about ten other cruising yachts from six different countries are here for the winter. There was a BBQ on Sunday to meet everyone. Each person has a fascinating story which makes for an interesting "live aboard" community. The marina is very accommodating to us as well.

Gaeta is a fine and relaxed town only two hours by train from Rome and about one hour to Naples. Friendly locals, good fresh produce, meat and fish available as well as outstanding cheeses, wine and fresh breads. There are plenty of opportunities to explore the region culturally, naturally and historically.

After much deliberation, Rob and I decide to spend the winter here instead of Malta. Once the decision was made, it felt very good to both of us. We have been here almost three weeks now and time is flying by very fast. I will be leaving for the USA very soon and Rob will be leaving for Australia, where I will meet him in February.

I plan to return to Sea Fever in early March, as I want to explore more of Italy in the Spring. Rob will return mid May after a visit with his daughter in Nepal. We plan to get underway in late May/early June. We will spend June/July in Italy, heading south to Malta in August. In the Fall, we plan to head to Balearics and the Spanish coast then south to the Canary Island. We plan to cross the Atlantic Ocean in December 2001 or January 2002 heading for the Caribbean.

It has been a great season in the Mediterranean Sea. Rob and I have learned a lot, seen unforgettably beautiful places, met wonderful people from all over the globe and shared our adventure with dear friends. We enjoy having people aboard with us sharing this sailing adventure and we welcome you to join us next spring, summer or fall. We will also want crew for the Atlantic trade winds crossing in January 2002; some of you may consider this. Please contact us by email if you are interested.