Going 'Yellow'

 

This was the first week since last year when the pandemic situation allowed us to leave our region for non-emergency reasons. Basilicata was declared "giallo" and we could go to other regions without a self-authorization.

We took advantage of the freedom and drove down from the mountains to Vietri Sul Mare near the Amalfi Coast to visit one of our favorite restaurants, Sesta Stazione. They have tables in a small piazza and serve only local products and fresh seafood - always a great meal. Then we went down along the beaches and put our toes in the water.

This was the first time in 6 months we had left our region and eaten outdoors at a restaurant. Fortunately on a weekday there were few people out on a warm and sunny day. Good food, walk in the sand and gelato!

52 Things to See and Do in Basilicata

 The First Complete Guide on Basilicata in English

We have lived in Basilicata for ten years and visited the far reaches of this unique region. Drawing on our experiences and after extensive research my wife Valerie has published the only completely comprehensive guidebook on this region. 

It digs into the history, cuisine, culture and the people to show you 52 things, and more, to see and do in the land called Lucania.

The book is available in paperback and e-book format at your favorite on-line source:

Amazon     -    Apple    -    Barnes & Noble    -    Smashwords

Your Journey



My Bella Basilicata

Our move to Basilicata began as a journey to discover the history of Valerie’s family in Anzi and Lauranzana.

Since we moved to Basilicata in 2010 we have had the pleasure of helping other people with their journey to this region. Some people have just wanted to find some of the missing branches in their family tree. Some have needed documents for obtaining their Italian citizenship. Some find their roots here and want to visit Lucania, the land their ancestors called “home”.

 

Historical record book

We have also helped people who have no family connection to the region but appreciate the unique beauty of this area.

If you are looking to trace your heritage in Basilicata, need a guide who speaks Italian and knows the area, or want help in planning an adventure to southern Italy then we are able to help. Come and visit our site at My Bella Basilicata, and let’s make Your Journey a satisfying one.


Clients exploring the town of their ancestors

MyBellaBasilicata.com    MyBellaVacanza.com

New Mexico or Southern Italy?

 

Look at this bell tower, sure looks like some that I remember from New Mexico. Perhaps a Santa Fe or Taos style with the stucco and soft curves. However, we found this on the chiesa madre in Rocca Imperiale, Calabria.

The chiesa madre
 

The church and lower tower of this hill town are typical stone but this unique top makes for an interesting contrast.

Rocca Imperiale

Ionian Gem

The closest sea to us is the Ionian which is at the bottom of the Italian “boot”. We have not seen all of the coast but for the most part we have been unimpressed with the Taranto Gulf area. The Adriatic and Tyrrehnian coasts have some unique beaches and areas where the mountains appear to dip into the water. Around the Taranto Gulf it is mostly low plains that meet the sea where the water is relatively shallow and usually not the deep blue you will find in other areas.

This past weekend we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and drove along the coast a little into Calabria and found a pleasant surprise at Roseto Capo Spulico. Here the water is a clear deep blue with some rock outcrops. The most impressive part is the castello that is perched on an outcrop of stone overlooking the beach. The castello is privately owned with an upscale restaurant that also offers banquet facilities. This would be a unique location in the summer to enjoy the sun, the deep blue waters and have the castello as a picture perfect backdrop.

Unfortunately it would be a bit far for us to be making any day trips to this beach next summer.

Enjoying the Sun

Fish in Amalfi

Amalfi

 

Valerie found some “2 for 1” deals on hotels in Amalfi recently so we planned to relax a bit and spend a week-end there. Fortunately the weather just after Easter improved and we took the ferry from Salerno into Amalfi. The hotel in the center of town we had booked has a B&B located farther up the valley and they offered us a larger room at that location. Once we saw the views we opted for this alternative.



View from B&B balcony

We took the bus to Ravello and enjoyed some of the local wine and views looking down onto the coast.

We ate fish.

We strolled around Amalfi and happened to bump into Laura from “Ciao Amalfi” on the lungamare. Sometimes Italy can be a small world.

The next day we walked to nearby Atrani and enjoyed what Amalfi probably looked like before tourism became the number one activity. There is an easy walk through a connecting tunnel or take the scenic route amongst the houses above the highway. We did some exploring of the narrow side streets of Amalfi and had a big lunch at one of the restaurants on the beach.



Atrani

We ate fish.

On Sunday we got up and had very expensive caffe’ and cappuccino in the piazza facing the Duomo. Table service with no pastries or cookies for 7 euro – ouch!

 

We took the bus back to Salerno.  The bus ride is interesting as the driver maneuvers the tight curves, but may not be for those prone to motion sickness .I have driven the coast road more than once and my recommendation is to take the ferry. It takes about 35 minutes and you get great view as you go along the coast.

It has been a few years since we have been able to get away by ourselves, usually we are showing clients or guests what Italy has to offer.  This was a nice diversion.

Carnevale 2013

Carnevale in Ascoli Piceno

Unfortunately Carnevale isn’t much of an event in the Potenza area.Friends in Ascoli Piceno invited us up to spend last week-end with them to partake in the festivities there. We remember fondly our time in Ascoli and Carnevale was always a fun time in town with the piazze packed with people of all ages in costumes.

Venice may be the most famous city in Italy for this holiday but there are cities up and down the peninsula that have events just as interesting, and probably easier to attend. Ascoli Piceno’s events focus on the children in their costumes during the day and the citizens dressing up at night to perform some elaborate skits that generally mock the local politicians. Men in drag is a recurring theme – I have yet to get a reasonable explanation from an Italian for this practice.

We had a great time revisiting the city and with our friends. As always, we ate well and were able to pick-up a few souvenirs to bring back to Trivigno with us.

Beware of Falling Rocks

We like to visit small towns, just to see what Italy has to offer off the beaten path. One thing you need to be careful of is where you park your car. We found this in the public parking area of a small town in southern Campania. Notice the lamp post...that could be our Panda!

Musical Barista

Bar Oscar, Ascoli Piceno

When we lived in Ascoli Piceno one of our regular bars for caffé in the morning and also stuzziccini in the evening was Bar Oscar on Corso Mazzini. Oscar and his wife, Anna Laura, run this establishment and they became our good friends who always took the time to chat with us.

Oscar makes a very good caffé and cappuccino. He also has a hidden musical talent that he expresses on his coffee equipment: he enjoys tapping out a tune that always ends with a big smile. We visited Ascoli Piceno recently for our House Hunters International shoot and Oscar serenaded us with this tune...

Nothing like a little entertainment to go with your caffé in the morning.

A double jolt to start your day.

Narrowest Street in Italy?!

Which one is it?

In our travels around Italy we have found four towns that lay claim to the narrowest street in Italy. Okay to be fair each town calls it something different: a vicoletto in Accettura, a vicolo in Ripatransone, a ruetta in Civatella del Tronto or a via in Città della Pieve.

Vicolo in Ripatransone

Ruetta in Civitella del Tronto

Vicoletto in Accettura

Nevertheless they are all claiming to have the narrowest public way or thoroughfare in a city or town. Who is right!?

We visited the Via Baciadonna in Città della Pieve several years ago and I do not recall the width. We visited Vicoletto Pozzo in Accettura a few weeks ago and it comes in a close second in width. The ruetta in Civatella del Tronto does not appear to have an actual name, signs just point to “La Ruetta”, but its width varies over the length of the ruetta. Of these thoroughfares that claim to be the narrowest I believe that the vicolo in Ripatransone is the one that can rightfully lay claim to the title of the Narrowest Street in Italy.

But there is still a lot of Italy we haven’t seen, perhaps there are more contenders?!

Italia 2010 Calendar

Do you love Italy and want to share the beauty of the country with your friends and family this Christmas season? Then be sure to check out this calendar of some of our favorite places in Italy.

Italia 2010 Calendar

Signs...or no signs!?

Which way do we go?

Road signs in Italy can sometimes be a source of frustration and amusement. Anyone who has driven here has had the experience of zipping down a road to come to an intersection where there are several signs pointing to different towns. Many times these require you to stop to read through them all to figure out which is the town you are looking for. I have driven around a roundabout more than once on several occasions trying to read all the signs to figure out where to exit.

Then there are the “tutti le direzioni” signs, “all directions”, visible many times when leaving a town. This generally means the way to go to get out of town and hopefully there will be signs farther along with specific locations listed.

One of my favorites is when there are signs pointing in multiple directions for the same location. In Italy there is usually more than one way to get to any one place; however, all routes are not equal. We all know the phrase…All roads lead to Rome.



Then there are the times when you can’t find a sign anywhere. On numerous occasions we have followed a sign at one intersection to come upon another intersection devoid of any signs. I think I have a good sense of direction but this can sometimes present a bit of frustration in finding your way around Italy.

A good map is always helpful when traveling in Italy to help in choosing the best route to your destination.

Touring Basilicata

Lucania

We spent almost four weeks in Basilicata, the region where Valerie’s Italian family has roots. Before we have to return to the USA we wanted to spend some time exploring more and just enjoying the great hospitality we always receive from the Lucanians.

We love Ascoli Piceno where we lived for more than two and a half years but we feel a special draw to Basilicata. Perhaps after living in New Mexico for twenty years we see many similarities with the Lucanian landscape. The calanchi between Pisticci and the Agri Valley remind us of the landscape north of Santa Fe, the mountains that rise in the central and northern section of the region are reminiscent of the mountains that cover a good portion of New Mexico and the low rolling hills between Melfi and Matera mimic the eastern highlands of the Land of Enchantment.


As New Mexico is sparsely populated in many areas you will also find vast stretches of windy roads in Lucania where there is nothing but endless vistas unobstructed by industry or dense populations. If not for the nearby seas and abundance of charming historic hill towns I might think we were in our adopted home state.

We were able to explore areas that were settled by Greeks and Romans, controlled by Templar and Malta Knights and strongholds of the Briganti who resisted the Savoia invasion. In the time we were there spring began to arrive as the landscape was a lush green and the trees in the high mountains were just beginning to bud.


As always we enjoyed the great food Lucania has to offer, the wonderful hospitality of the locals and made some new discoveries of places to return to again in the future. We will return…di sicuro!


We have returned to Ascoli Piceno for one more week to say goodbye to all the friends and acquaintances we made living here before returning to Rome to prepare for our departure to the United States.

Baptists in Miglionico

While we were staying at Matera we visited the nearby town of Miglionico on a Friday morning during their weekly mercato and after making our way through the array of booths we stumbled upon a church in the centro storico that was being used by a Baptist congregation. Though the building was closed we noted the service hours before we headed out of town.

The following Sunday we returned just as the service was starting, a small former Catholic church painted with various scriptures on the walls. Having attended several Baptist services in the US we had an understanding of the flow of the service and when the part came to welcome visitors the small group was surprised by i turisti americani in attendance. This was probably one of the shortest Baptist services we have attended. Once the service was over we were warmly greeted by the majority of those present and plied with the usual questions of why we were in Italy and where were we from in the US.

With all of the difficulties we have had finding a good church service in southern Marche we stumble upon a simple Baptist church here deep in the heart of southern Italy.

Exploring more of Lucania

Trivigno

The rainy weather in Italy continues. We were in Matera for a little less than two weeks and it seemed like half the time it was raining, the locals commented on how they too have been experiencing the wettest winter and spring that they can recall. Despite the wet weather we took the opportunity to see a good portion of central Puglia and the area around Matera.

We are now staying at an apartment near Trivigno in the mountains near Potenza with spectacular views of the Dolomiti Lucane, Bosento Valley and some of the surrounding hill towns. With all of the rain everything is green, especially the vast expanses of wheat fields around Matera. We plan to be here for about two weeks and then spend some time in Ascoli Piceno before heading to Rome before we depart for the US.

With our current location we are limited to the same poor cell connection for internet we had when we first arrived in Italy, which is frequently worse than a dial-up connection. I have some posts I saved before which I will be adding later but more photos of our recent travels will be forthcoming when our internet improves.

First time awe

Lawheads in Italy

My sister Diane and her husband Brian where in Italy for about 10 days and we used the opportunity to show them some of the best life in Italy has to offer. They had not traveled outside of North America before so this was there first exposure to Europe and the beauty of Italy and her people.


It was fun for us to see someone else have many of the same first time reactions to Italy that we had on our first visit. We started out in southern Marche basing ourselves at an apartment rental overlooking the Adriatic. While seeing what the Piceno area has to offer they were able to meet some of the people we know in that area, taste gelato, drink from a public fountain, stroll a weekly mercato, buy Sunday pastries, picnic along the road overlooking a medieval town, take part in la passeggiata, enjoy great food and wine and even buy some of their own sfuso from a winery. Diane quickly acquired a taste for caffé while after some prodding Brian tried it once but was not convinced.

We them headed off to Rome and all that she has to offer. From our rental apartment overlooking Piazza Barberini we had good access to the major sights of the Eternal City. From our apartment window we could watch the flow of life in the piazza below and Diane and Brian were able to experience Rome both during the day and night. They saw the major sites like Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, St Peters, Sistine Chapel, Mouth of Truth, Coliseum, Forums, Villa Borghese and Brian and I even got caught up in the huge labor union demonstrations on Saturday.

Our time in Rome corresponded with Palm Sunday so the city was full of pilgrims and school groups making their spring trips, certainly more crowded that we had seen in awhile. We saw and heard a lot of Americans; perhaps the economic crisis has not impacted those wanting to travel abroad?!

It was fun to show them around and allow them to experience many things they would never know being with some large group. They took home with them a lot of photos, some wine and hopefully some memories that will last a lifetime.

Matera...di nuovo

Settling in

We have arrived in Matera after a couple weeks of being on the go with my sister and her husband then making a quick trip to France to visit Valerie’s cousin. I’ll write more later on those events.

After driving six hours from Rome we arrived in Matera on Tuesday afternoon to a sunny day, the Sassi are always a beautiful site on a day like that. We got settled into the apartment we have rented in the Sassi but are a little disappointed in the accommodations as they are not exactly what we were lead to believe based on the owner’s website. The owner has also rented the apartment to someone else for a couple of the days at the end of our stay, offering us their taverna instead. Not the arrangements we anticipated or hoped for after several weeks of being on the go.

Despite those issues we are settling in, though Valerie is fighting a cold, probably the one I had for a few days while my sister was visiting. We are enjoying being “in town” again where we can walk to everything we need, including our morning caffé. We will use this location to see more of Matera and explore other areas of this province and parts of Puglia.

What now?

Last few weeks in Italy...

We left the Cilento area to meet my sister and her husband who were in Italy for almost two weeks. We spent part of the time touring around southern Marche and the last few days in Rome before they departed on Monday.


Later this week we will catch a flight to Barcelona and drive up to southern France to visit Valerie’s cousin. Her cousin and partner have a house there where we will spend the Easter weekend. We have tried to connect with them in France when they have been over from the US several times but there has always been something that interfered with our plans. We are looking forward to seeing them and southern France for at least a few days.

When we return from France we will drive to Basilicata where we have arranged for rental apartments in Matera and central Basilicata for about five weeks. We will use that time to explore more of Lucania, an area we always find a connection with. Friendly people, great history, beautiful scenery and great food have always been our experience in Basilicata and that is where we want to be before we have to return to the United States.

We will then return to Rome to spend some time with our friends, Giorgio and Francesca, for a few days before we catch our flight back to Cleveland around Memorial Day weekend. Our vehicle and furniture are at Valerie’s sister’s house in Cleveland so we will use that as our base as we explore our options and determine our next steps once we are back in America.

Sarni

Area servizi

Popular topics for many people who visit Italy for the first time are the Autogrills, the area servizi on the autostrada (service plazas on the toll road). Autogrill is a specific company but is used as a generic term for area servizi and the services that are offered can vary from one to the next. You can always purchase fuel at these locations and there will be at least a shop that offers caffe’ and snacks. Bigger area servizi will offer full service restaurants and stores with a wide variety of products, some even have shower facilities. Two of the largest are on the outskirts of Rome and are suspended over the roadway like a bridge.

In the US you will expect to find rest areas along the highway where you can stop and find a bathroom and possibly some picnic tables. In Italy you will be pressed to find more than a small place to pull your vehicle out of the speeding traffic; picnic areas with trees and shade on the autostrada are as common as a speed-trap.

People talk about Autogrill when talking about area servizi but along the southern Adriatic Coast on the A14 I find that those operated by Sarni have better food and service as well as a good selection of local products for sale. I believe Sarni is a Pugliese company so they may not be available in all regions though I have seen them around Rome and Naples.

For those who like Illy caffé there is also PitStop who I find do make a good caffé. Actually you are hard pressed not to get a good caffé at any of the area servizi in Italy…just another one of those small pleasures of life in Italy.

Where is your favorite area servizio in Italy?

Costa di Cilento

Southern charm and hospitality

We have spent the last two months in the area called La Costa di Cilento which designates a rough area bordered on the north by Agropoli, the south by Sapri and inland to encompass the hills and mountains that rise from the sea as far as the border with Basilicata. Included in this protected area, known for its historical as well as naturalistic treasures, is the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano.

The coastal area is spotted by charming seaside villages that bulge with tourists in the summer months and small mountain towns that enjoy cool breezes when the beaches begin to swelter. Along the curvy cliff top roads, between the coastal towns, there is some rather dramatic coastline.

There was a lot of rain when we first arrived but when clear days arrived we took advantage to explore as much of the area as possible. We were rewarded with our ventures by scenic drives above the rocky coast, hill towns crowned by medieval castles, Greek and Roman era ruins, unique structures like stone windmills and narrow medieval bridges.

The locals appear to be more accustomed to stranieri than in Ascoli Piceno but are still as friendly, though not as inquisitive as to why we are here. Seafood and pizza are the two most popular foods given the seaside location and proximity to Napoli, the birthplace of pizza. We have enjoyed the local wines, many based on ancient Greek varietals, the mozzarella di bufalo and the caffé.

The locals tell us the fall months are the best time to enjoy the Cilento area considering the weather and drop in crowds, this area attracts many visitors from Naples as well as other countries. In a few weeks the local businesses will begin to gear up for the summer season, including a water taxi service that visits most of the coastal towns from Sapri to Napoli.

If you are looking for an area to visit in Italy then La Costa di Cilento is certainly one to consider.