My trip has been quite extraordinary. Magnificent weather has accompanied us as we traversed the picturesque country roads of central and southern Italy and Sicily. Distant mountains, rolling hills, lush vineyards, wheat fields, fruit trees, dramatic cliffs and breathtaking sea scapes were the order of the day.
Gastronomically speaking, Italian cuisine is abundant! Lots of bite-sized tasty morsels like bruschetta are served like machine gun fire as an aperitivo and/or antipasto. Just when you think you’ve had an elegant sufficiency then the primo/pasta course appears. Always very generous portions, featuring an array of pasta shapes and sizes and cooked al dente, of course! Tomatoes (salads & sauces), various cheeses, fresh basil and olive oil seem to be favourites here. Freshly baked bread serves to mop up the sauce.
When you are positively bursting at the seems the secundo (main course) appears. And then dolce (sweets)! All washed down with local table wines, a double espresso and a chilled limoncello.
And yet, I never saw an overweight Italian!
Architecturally, Italy is hard to beat. I have experienced 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Some, like Matera, have a prehistory dating back to the eighth millennium BC. Many of the dwellings were literally carved out of the mountainside. Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’ was filmed here.
Other structures, like the trulli dwellings, can be found in Alberobello, in the Bari province. These are typically round, drystone structures with conical roofs. They were intended to be temporary dwellings and were easily dismantled.
In stark contrast are the magnificent villas, in seemingly inaccessible locations, in Sorrento, Positano and on the beautiful isle of Capri.
At around the same time that the world’s largest-ever elliptical amphitheater was built (the Roman Colosseum, est. in AD 79), the bustling sea side town of Pompeii, in Naples, was completely destroyed by the unexpected and massive volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Volcanic ash (not molten lava) perfectly preserved the town as well as its inhabitants. Plaster casts of these unfortunate folk are on display, as well as the extensive excavations of Pompeii.
In stark contrast to dormant Mount Vesuvius, (an explosive stratovolcano) Mount Etna, in Catania, Sicily, is an effusive volcano and is the most active volcano in Europe. It usually has a plume of smoke rising above the summit and is constantly ‘letting off steam’ just like a pressure cooker valve. For this reason it is considered far less dangerous than its Neapolitan counterpart, which buried the town and inhabitants of Pompeii. I was surprised to see that people live high on the slopes of both volcanoes (despite their unpredictability). It seems as though, in these locations, real estate value trumps insurance risk, the higher the elevation!
Whilst on the subject of lives lost, a visit to the catacombs, outside the city walls of ancient Rome, is a must. In total there are about 100 km of tunnels carved underground. In some instances there are up to four levels of burial chambers, some for entire families. I was astounded at the scale and complexity of these tunnels and chambers. Not even the tallest individual would risk bumping his head (unlike the underground cities of Cappadocia or the Củ Chi tunnels in Vietnam).
Given its close proximity to Greece, Sicily has many cultural reminders of its past, dating back to the mid 8th century BC when many Greek colonies were established, sparking many city-state conflicts. The Taormina and Syracuse amphitheaters are fine examples of this ancient Greek heritage. So too, are the ancient structures of Juno, Concorde and Hercules in Agrigento’s ‘Valley of Temples’.
Musically, Italians are extremely accomplished, with some of the world’s most famous opera singers to their credit. A particular highlight for me was listening to ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ (duet by Andea Bocelli feat. Sarah Brightman) which was played as we slowly cruised into one of the many grottos of Capri. The acoustics in this unique coastal/marine environment amplified this beautiful duet, and sent chills down my spine!
At risk of waxing loquacious, it’s now time for me to say Arrivederci, Salve, Ciao!
