MARI'S TRAVELS WITH HER CAMERA

Category: Europe – Mediterranean

Spain, Italy, P:ortugal & France

  • Sorrento – Pearl of the Neapolitan Coast

    Many years ago I visited Sorrento but wasn’t sure what to make of it.  I returned again this year and I am still not sure what it is that makes it tick, but tick it certainly does. 

    Sorrento has been a popular tourist destination for almost two centuries, having been an essential stop on the Grand Tour in the 19th century, the poet Lord Byron being one who sang the praises of the Sorrentino air.  Of course it does have the brooding volcano Vesuvius, but somehow this doesn’t make one uneasy as does say, Mt. Etna in Sicily.

    Cruise ships in Sorrento the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in Background

    The perfume in the air is one of the things that makes this town different from most other resorts.  Sorrento smells of citrus because the streets are lined with orange and lemon trees and there are at least 3 lemon plantations right in the town which can be visited and where you can sample their homemade Limoncello.  We popped in most days for a tasting as one was opposite our hotel, and it was hard to resist.

    Lemon Tree in Sorrento

    The town is perched picturesquely on a plateau above the sea and there are spectacular views over the Bay of Naples and towards Vesuvius from most of the terraces around.   Despite many of its old buildings having been demolished most of the historic town centre remains reasonably intact, the mellow old buildings giving the town an authenticity that many other towns lack.  Along with its sister towns, Sant’Agnello, Piano di Sorrento and Meta di Sorrento which spread over land that was once primarily agricultural, visitors will find here an experience second to none. 

    • The Best Gelato in Sorrento
    • El Duomo at Night – Sorrento
    • Interior of Church of S. Antonio
    • Best value in Sorrento, the tour with town train
    • Quiet side street
    • Niche plaques like these all over town
    • Long Winding Road down to Marina Piccola
    • Lemon Grove in Town

    However, it must be said that Sorrento caters overwhelmingly for the English-speaking market – although it has its fair share of visitors from other countries.  Menus are in English and everything seems to be geared towards English-speaking travellers.  Sometimes the crowds of cheerful tourists thronging the streets and sitting at the bars in the Piazzo Tasso made me feel as though I hadn’t left home.  But then along would come a couple of smiling Italian troubadours, the plaintive notes of “Come Back to Sorrento” or “O Sole Mio” plucked from a couple of mandolins would fill the air, and the Italian atmosphere would be restored. 

    Figures I coveted like I’ve never coveted anything before! Exquisite porcelain but many more thousands of Euros than I could afford.

    I got used to hearing these two tunes throughout my stay, they are in the DNA of the place.  As in Sicily where every other shop is playing Speak Softly Love the haunting tune from The Godfather trilogy, in Sorrento the shops offer accordions, mandolins and Neopolitan songs.  Music is everywhere.  Bars belt out arias from popular operas, the market stalls entertain with the latest Italian pop songs, and Neopolitan songs are everywhere because the Sorrentinos themselves are proud to have such a legacy of world renowned melodies and like listening to them, but it never gets too loud. 

    Statue to the poet Torquato Tasso after whom the Piazza is named

    The main square, Piazzo Tasso, is named after the poet Torquato Tasso and is the focal point for the evening passeggiata where the locals come to see and be seen.  This is when you know you are in Italy, when everyone is in their finest clothes and sauntering up and down streets – many paved with lava from Vesuvius – that radiate from Tasso into the old town and down to the Port. 

    Most popular bar in Sorrento – Cafe Fauno

    A smaller Piazza, S. Antonio, named after the Basilica of the same name which is in the square, is less crowded but a good place to sit and watch the Italians park their cars (a whole post could be written on this alone). 

    And just a few steps from here and you come to the road that leads down to one of Sorrento’s two ports, the Marina Piccolo.

    Marina Piccola from above

    There are two ports in Sorrento but no footpath between them so they each have to be approached from the town separately.  Marina Piccola is no great distance from Tasso and is a pleasant walk but as it has 130 steps leading down to the beach it may be advisable to think about getting the bus back – or down to it for those who find steps difficult. 

    Private Beach on Marina Piccolo
    Jetty for Ferries to Capri and Ischia

    Although Piccola means small, it is actually the bigger port (Italians love to confuse tourists), the port from where the ferries to Capri, Naples, Ischia and Amalfi depart and the port at which the cruise ships dock.  

    Marina Grande

    The more picturesque port of Marina Grande may be smaller but it has a village-like atmosphere and is where the majority of the seafood restaurants are to be found (one of them a fishermen’s co-operative where the fish is truly great).  Nestled into a cove on the Amalfi Coast it is one of the most popular seaside resorts in Italy, homes and shops rising above the curve of the rocks, creating a harmonious, rustic charm. Sheltered by the promontory which separates it from the town, the harbour community retains time-honoured customs and maintains its primary source of survival – fishing.

    • Steep Street in Marina Grande
    • House on top of Rocks (winding path to top)
    • Beach at Piccolo Grande

    The scene in the port at sunset when the day-trippers have gone and the fishermen clean their nets and drink wine at open-air tables by the sea is evocative of an age which has all but vanished.  The best way to visit this port is to take the bus down to the main square, walk along the seafront and then take the elevator back to the town when you are ready.

    Fishing off the wall
    What could be more Italian than the washing on the balcony
    Restaurant on the Beach

    There is not much sand in Sorrento unfortunately, and access to the sea is mostly from wooden boardwalks built out over the water.  Both ports have small private beaches where entrance fees are usually around €10 and there is a small public beach on Marine Piccola but this is always crowded.

    Best if all, Sorrento is well placed for visiting the surrounding areas, for trips to Pompii, Herculaneum and Naples, which are all accessible by train, bus or organized tour, or less taxing perhaps, Amalfi and Ravello, along the magnificent coastal drive.   

    Lifesize Ceramic Figure from Commedia dell’Arte

  • AMALFI – Italy’s Gem

    Amalfi, tiny and expensive is one of the easier coastal towns to walk around as it rises gently up the hillside from the waterfront rather than clinging vertically to it, like Positano for instance. 

    Centreville, Amalfi

    It is hard to believe that this very small town had a glorious history as a maritime republic on a par with Venice and Genoa, but Amalfi was a trade bridge between the Byzantine and western worlds for centuries with a population exceeding 70,000 (today, less than 5,000).   Unfortunately, there are very few historical buildings of note to see as most of the old city, and its inhabitants, slid into the sea during the 1343 earthquake.

    There is a delightful promenade along the waterfront and a marina full of colorful boats but the focal point of the historic center is the Piazza del Duomo with its striking cathedral dedicated to St. Andrew. There are sixty steps leading up to the Byzantine-style church with its Moorish-influenced arches and decoration and inside the church is a forest of columns and Arabesque arches and the hidden Cloister of Paradise, dating to 1266.  The Piazza is lined with bars, cafes, gelaterias, artisan and tourist shops, and is a perfect place for people watching – if you can bag a table.  It seems to be permanently busy. Don’t forget the water if you decide to walk up the steps, those 65 can feel like 100 when the sun is out.

    The Duomo

    Famous for the manufactire pf paper, the Paper Museum (Museo della Carta) is well worth a visit to see how the products were made by hand. There are still some family-owned paper mills that carry on the tradition of hand-made paper which can be bought in some of the high-end shops – good, if expensive buys, for that special present for someone who still likes to write letters. 

    How Many G & T’s could that Lemon serve?

    However, the primary product of the area is lemons, enormous in size, picked fresh to make limoncello liqueur and to be used in local dishes.  Lemon ice-cream features a lot in restaurants and gelaterias, the one by the town gate serving quite the biggest lemon sorbet I have every seen (or eaten). 

    Biggest Lemon Sorbet I’ve ever eaten

    If you don’t spend too much time over lunch or coffee, there will still be time to visit hilltop Ravello, full of historic, artistic, monumental and architectural treasures – another expensive town but exquisite in its layout, and its 13th century Villa Rufolo which has breathtaking views from gardens overlooking the sea.  Famous names you’ll hear mentioned a lot in Ravello are Richard Wagner who was inspired by the Villa to compose some verses of the Parsifal, Boccaccio who stayed here while writing the Decameron, D. H. Lawrence who supposedly got inspiration for Lady Chatterley’s Lover while holidaying in the town and Gore Vidal who came for a visit and stayed for 30 years! 

    Ravello

    Shopping is rather special in Ravello too, as there are many craft and high-end fashion stops where you will find one-off garments – at a price, of course. Even the ice-cream advertises as ‘gourmet’ gelato though what that is I have no idea. 

    Ideal spot for lunch in Ravello
    Interesting items for sale in Ravello- Wine and Drugs. I hope it doesn’t mean what it says!

    Restaurants bars and bistros abound, but walk around the interesting narrow backstreets of cobble-stones, peering in at dark interiors, looking over dry-stone walls fronting overgrown gardens and vegetable plots, if you want to see what this hill-top village is really like. Ravello is a great starting point for walks in the surrounding Lattari mountains along ancient paths.

    Amalfi’s trading importance may have declined but its maritime importance continues, as you can hop ferries and hydrofoils to Capri, Salerno, and Positano.   For me, the best way to view Amalfi is from the sea and the best way to do that is to take a boat trip around the bay, either in one of the 45-minute trips or by hiring a boat to take you to hidden coves to enjoy some private sun and surf.  You will see the homes of Gina Llolabrigida, Sofia Loren, George Clooney (before he moved to Como I presume) and other famous names, smaller than you’d imagine because of their position built into the rocks.  In the above slide show of scenes from the sea, the blue and white house set ino the hillside is that of Sofia Loren.

  • The Amalfi Drive

    The Amalfi Drive

    White Houses Clinging to the Rocky Hillside

    Known as The Amalfi Drive (formally Strada Statale 163) the coast road along the shoreline from Sorrento to Amalfi (and on to Salerno) is one of the most poular drives in Italy.  Originally built by the Romans, it is one of the most photographed coastal routes in the world, seen in countless films like Under the Tuscan Sun and the Humphrey Bogart classic Beat the Devil (1957) featuring a young Gina Lollobrigida. Gamers may recognize it as a setting for fictional tracks in Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo 4 games.  UNESCO actually named the Amalfi Coast an outstanding example of Mediterranean landscape and gave it a place on the World Heritage List.

    So far down the boats are hardly recognisable

    Carved out of the side of the coastal cliffs for the greater part of its route, the road gives vertiginous views down to the Tyrrhenian Sea and to the towering cliffs above. It passes through Positano, the village of the rich and famous where fabulous villas accessible only on foot from above, by helicopter from the air, or by yacht from the sea, are built into the sides of the mountain, making it a major tourist attraction.

    We originally took the guided tour by coach as this seemed the easiest way to experience the drive, and we were right, but we enjoyed the trip so much that we took the local bus a few days later and enjoyed it even more.  

    Positano

     We decided against stopping off at Positano however, having been warned against this by a fellow hotel guest who had been left standing for hours as the buses returning from Amalfi were all full when it reached Positano so no chance of getting on one.  Amalfi filled the day however, and we managed to fit in a trip to Ravello as well.

    I have no argument with those who say that the 50 Kilometre Amalfi Coast drive is probably the world’s most beautiful and thrilling, piece of tarmac-ed sightseeing in Europe.  If you can ignore the hairpin bends, the crazy Italian driving, the narrowness of the road that means your vehicle could possibly plunge into the churning sea below, the views are spectacular.  The road is built at a very steep angle, zigzagging backwards and forwards and from the window of your vehicle you can see craggy rocks thrusting through the foamy waters below.

    One of many Medieval Watchtowers on the Amalfi Drive

    Despite the heavy traffic, all fighting for space on hairpin bends, the Amalfi Drive is a fascinating trip with every corner revealing an even more stunning view protected by Unesco.  Pastel-coloured villages are terraced into the mountainside, medieval watchtowers guard the coast, and here and there huge colourful ceramic urns In yellow, blue, green and red, announce a “ceramic factory”.  Among the green slopes of the cliffs are scented lemon groves and a profusion of pink and white oleanders, and enticing restaurants locate on precipitous corners daring you to stop for a coffee. This white-knuckle ride is one of Italy’s greatest wonders but it is not for the faint of heart. It is 80 kl of narrow, S-curve roadway strung halfway up a cliff with the waves crashing below.

    At the end of the Drive you have Amalfi, tiny, expensive but one of the easier towns of those strung along the coast to walk around.  It rises gently up the hillside from the waterfront rather than clinging vertically to it like some of the other coastal towns, like Positano for instance.  Hard to believe that this very touristy town had a glorious history as a maritime republic on a par with the better known Pisa, Venice and Genoa. 

    Nevertheless, Amalfi was a trade bridge between the Byzantine and western worlds for centuries with a population exceeding 70,000 (today, less than 5,000).   Unfortunately, there are very few historical buildings of note as most of the old city, and its inhabitants, slid into the sea during the 1343 earthquake.

  • Rome: The Spanish Steps and The Trevi Fountain

    The Spanish Steps

    I’ve often wondered why people flock to the Spanish Steps, a stairway composed of 135 of the widest steps in Europe, but they are an institution in Rome so never one to miss out on an institution, I took myself off there.   I know the popularity of the steps has a lot to do with the William Wyler film A Roman Holiday which starred Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, just as The Trevi Fountain owes much of its popularity to Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and its stars Anita Eksburg and Marcello Mastroioni, but nevertheless, I struggle to see the attraction here when the nearby gardens of the Villa Borghese are almost empty.

    Built in the 18th century, this ultra-wide staircase was called the Spanish Steps because although designed by an Italian architect and financed by a French diplomat, it took the name from the Piazza di Spagna at their foot, in turn named after the nearby Spanish Embassy.  The steps were built to connect the Embassy with the Trinita dei Monti church which stands in the Piazza at the top of the steps.

    The English poet John Keats once lived in the building at the bottom of the steps in what is now the Keats & Shelley Museum to the left of which is Babington’s, the famous tea-house serving homesick Brits since 1893.

    The steps may seem the perfect place to tuck into a takeaway, a sandwich or an ice-cream but this is something you must not do. Roman regulations forbids consuming anything on these steps, part of an effort to keep them looking pristine. After the latest restoration this rule is being vigorously enforced.

    Rome city buses are too big to negotiate the narrow streets around the Spanish Steps so if you are not going to walk to it, take Linea A (red line) on the Metro and exit at Spagna. The station is right next to the Spanish Steps.

    The Trevi Fountain

    The Trevi Fountain in June, so crowded impossible to get near

    The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world having been featured in several notable films, including the above-mentioned Roman Holiday, Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, the eponymous Three Coins in the Fountain, and Sabrina Goes to Rome.  It is a non-stop photo opportunity from early morning until well after midnight, with a never-ending mass of people milling about, most of them with huge selfie-sticks and a disinclination to make room for others.  If you need peace and quiet plan to visit very early in the morning.

    The fountain is said to date back to ancient Roman days, to the 19th century BC in fact, when the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct that provided water to the Roman baths and the fountains of central Rome was constructed, at the junction of three roads (tre vie) which give the Trevi Fountain its name.

    It is is almost 50 metres across and heavily adorned with sculptures of Roman gods, tritons and horses, and is packed with visitors from morning till night. 

    The Trevi Fountain is alwlays crowded with people, difficult to get near.

    The Trevi Fountain

    Approximately €3,000 is thrown into the fountain every day as people follow the tradition of throwing in coins. Legend has it that a coin thrown into the fountain will ensure a return to Rome, a legend that dates back to the ancient Romans who threw coins in water to ensure the water gods would bring them safely home. 

    The coins are collected every night and given to the Italian charity Caritas which has a supermarket program giving rechargeable cards to Rome’s needy to help them get groceries.

    The streets around the area are lined with trattorias, gelaterias and restaurants, most serving food and drink at reasonable  prices, despite its touristic position. Many shops sell wooden toys of the sort we don’t see nowadays, including Pinocchios from miniature to life-size.   Nearby Via di San Vincenzo and Via della Dataria will lead you to the Quirinal Palace, as well as the Piazza del Quirinale with its obelisk and fountain of Castor and Pollux.

    Most of Rome’s famous sights are within walking distance of the centre but there is a hop-on hop-off bus that leaves from the left-hand side of Vittorio Emmanuel ll every 20 mintues or so and this is an excellent way of getting to know where things are. Vittorio Emmanuel ll and The Colosseum are quite near each other, so can be visited at the same time and the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain can be reached in about an hour from there, taking it at a leisurely pace.

    Bougainvillea, a bike, a pretty girl and a bottle of wine: Italy.
    Busy Trattorio
    Pinocchio
  • ROME – STILL ETERNAL

    ROME – STILL ETERNAL

    My trip to Rome coincided with the heat wave which, although welcome in that it meant I didn’t need to carry a shower-proof jacket (just in case), did mean I had to carry a paper umbrella bought from a street trader, He must have thought his birthday and Christmas had come along on the same time, so many were the customers queuing up to buy his parasols.

    Rome is wonderful in any weather but walking in 34ᵒ heat this time made sight-seeing a trifle difficult.  It did, however, allow for many more granitas and gelato stops, even as it cut down on the photography.

    Part of the Forum

    We stayed at the wonderful Forum Hotel, so named because it faces the Forum.  To wake up every morning and look out on the sprawl of ancient pillars and stones glowing from the rising sun, was magical.  We had the same view from the breakfast terrace on the rooftop, so although I usually forego breakfast, in this case it was a must. 

    Part of the Forum

    The Forum was ancient Rome’s showpiece centre, a site originally developed in the 7th century BC from a marshy burial ground which grew into the social, commercial and political hub of the Roman Empire.   It was a handsome district of temples, basilicas and bustling public spaces which, with a little imagination is easy to people with toga-clad inhabitants going about their business accompanied by their slaves.

    Forum by Night

    Part of the Forum is open for wandering around but to see it all one needs to pay.  However, I would say leave this until the end of your stay, because a) you can see some of it without charge and b) there is so much else to see in Rome and you can always return to it if you wish.

    The Colosseum by Night (Photo Solange Hando)

    It is but a short walk from the Forum to the Colosseum, the hugely impressive, troubling monument to Roman imperial power and cruelty.  Inside this emblem of Rome, behind the serried ranks of Tuscan, Iconic and Corinthian columns, and three storeys of superimposed arches, Romans for centuries cold-bloodedly killed thousands of people for amusement, and sent gladiators to their death as they fought wild animals like lions, tigers and leopards for the amusement of the rulers and the populace.

    Inside the Colosseum

    The Colosseum is now a mere shadow of its former self as only about one-third of the original building still stands, its glistening marble and stone having been carried away and used in the building of palaces and churches by Roman popes and aristocrats who coveted it. Nearby Palazzo Venezia and the Tiber’s river defences are just two examples of this.

    Looking down at the pits from which the animals would emerge

    Originally the largest amphitheatre in the Roman world, a pleasure palace built for the people by the emperor Vespasian (69-79) to a design worked out before the building began, it was capable of holding 50,000 spectators,  

    It is difficult not to quote sizes and quantities in such an undertaking, suffice to say that drains were built 8m beneath the structure to take away the streams that flow from the valleys and hills that surround Rome: the foundations under the outer walls and seating are 12-13m deep while under the inner part of the arena they are only 4m deep.  The spoil dug from the foundations was used to raise the surround level by over 6m. 

    Sometimes quoting facts and figures like these can take away from the brooding power of the Colosseum, but I never fail to be moved by an atmosphere still inside those walls. 

    The Victor Emmanuel Palace. 

    Vittorio Emmanuel ll Palace

     Also known as ‘Il Vittoriano’ and sometimes referred to as The Wedding Cake Palace by the locals, this monument to King Victor Emanuel II, is a bombastic monument of sparkling white marble decorated with numerous allegorical statues, reliefs and murals.  At the center of the monument is the colossal equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel, and on either side are fountains representing the seas that border Italy, the Adriatic Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea.  At the foot of the statue Guards of honor, selected from the marine, infantry and air divisions, guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier day and night.

    The Vittorio Emmanuel ll Palace

    Inside the monument is the Museo Centrale del Risorgimento, which charts the events that led to the unification of Italy, with a display of paintings, documents, photographs and memorabilia, the entrance to which is to the left of the monument, at the Via di San Pietro in Carcere.

    During the 1930’s, the Italian dictator, Mussolini, delivered his speeches to the populace from the terraces and balconies of this building.

    The Victor Emmanuel Monument cannot be considered one of Rome’s most beautiful buildings and its stark whiteness does not fit well into the soft ochre color of the surrounding buildings.  Nevertheless, it is well worth the visit if only for the great views from the top (which is also connected to the Capitoline Square which may also be on your list).

    A useful tip for visitors:  You will see lots of advertisements – everywhere – to buy tickets that “skip-the-queues” and indeed you do skip the line for tickets.  But unfortunately, after many years of this, the queue for the “skip-the-queue” line is much longer than the normal one to buy tickets at the office, so take my advice, ignore this (and ignore the touts who will offer you tickets for immediate entry), join the queue for tickets and you’ll be through in no time.

    Next post:  Piazza Navona, The Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

  • Spanish Basque Country: My Pyreneean Experience

    Spanish Basque Country: My Pyreneean Experience

    Just back from a trip to the Spanish Pyrenees, staying in a village high in the mountains where I endeavoured to improve my Spanish and conquer my fear of the subjunctive in the company of 5 other like-minded people!  My once good grasp of the language was getting rusty and when I read about a course in the Basque area (Navarre), I signed up.  The Pyrennean Experience promised mountain walks, good company, magnificent scenery and total immersion in the language and it delivered on all counts.

    View from the Terrace of the Farmhouse

    Our home for the period was in a farmhouse in the hamlet of Ameztia, 4km from the quintessentially Basque village of Ituren in the valley of Baztan nestled in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees. It was about an hour from the smart city of San Sebastian, approximately the same from Bilbao, and Biarritz on the French side was only 90 minutes away. 

    Landscape in the vicinity of our home from home

     Located on a hill encircled by white-washed villages and ringed by mountain ridges, there was nothing near the farmhouse to distract from the learning process or the bonding of the six mature students, two teachers, and the owner and organizer of the Pyrenean Experience, Georgina.

    A Bucolic Scene repeated everywhere one looked.

    What was a distraction was the constantly changing scenery, the glow of the bracken, the shadows on the beech and chestnut woods, and the intense green of the surrounding fields cropped to a velvety smoothness by flocks of sheep, the muffled sound of whose bells was the only sound to punctuate the silence of the valley.

    Clouds nestle in the valley early morning

    To describe the views from the house as stunning is an understatement.  From dawn till dusk the changing views from the terrace of my room were a constant delight.   In the early morning, clouds nestled in the valleys below the mountains as the rising sun edged the clouds pink and the warmth of the red tiled roof attracted the house cats to snooze there for most of the day.  In the evenings we watched the distant mountains darken and eagles wheeling in slow motion in the sky above.

    Those nights looking out on the mountains and watching the birds overhead made it all too possible to believe in the Basque myths, a belief that helps keep alive the tradition of appeasing witches. Most of the houses in the vicinity will have pinned to their door one of the symbols said to repel witches (see image below).

    Belief in witches in the villages of Navarre has existed for many years. Once socially functional, a means of explaining why strange things occurred, acting to discourage undesirable behaviour and used as a form of social control, it has a long history. Douglas Gifford in his book Witchcraft and the Problem of Evil in a Basque Village (1979) tells us that the phrase ‘bad neighbours‘ (malos vecinos) in the Basque region was synonymous with ‘bruja’, meaning ‘witch’, a belief that seems to have followed on from the witch hunts in the area during the Inquisition and from the 17th century influx of refugees from France who brought stories of the witches’ Sabbath and devil worship.

    Church with modern metal sculpture
    Buying fresh milk and yoghurt from a vending machine, bring your own bottle!

    Quiet street in a quiet village in Navarre

    Back to the mountains! Daily circular walks were guided by Georgina, sometimes accompanied by one of the teachers, but we spoke Spanish at all times – an essential part of the teaching.   The walks were graded from moderate to intermediate level, from lazy walks from village to village to high level ridge walks at over 1,000 metres.  To walk in this virtually unexplored medieval landscape of the Basque Pyrenees is humbling: it is both beautiful and awe-inspiring, the hospitality of the people is unbelievable, and the flora will have you reaching for your camera every few minutes.


    Ituren, the nearest inhabited spot, is a delightful village with a school, 2 bars, 3 restaurants, a village shop, a butcher, a chemist and a hairdresser.   Hand-made bracken stacks along the road are a feature of the area as are the dry-stone walls which enclose the fields.    

     There was a wine tasting one evening, courtesy of a Navarre wine producer, an informal musical evening by a professional guitarist, and lots of late night conversations over unlimited bottles of wine.

    One of our terraces at Georgina’s (and yes, it did rain – once).
    One of our terraces at Georgina’s

    Trips to other villages were made, visits to neighbouring farmhouses where we ate home-made cheese and drank home-made cider (the local tipple), and delightful lunches were laid on in outlying villages to coincide with walks and sight-seeing. 

    • Being Royally Entertained by a very Hospitable Basque Farming Family
    • Another Example of Basque Myths.

    Meals were taken together, breakfasts being a ‘help yourself to whatever you want from the kitchen when you get up’, and Begoña, our cook, produced meals that satisfied everyone and even let us help sometimes! 

    Making the Paella
    One of Begoña’s creations
    One of Begoña’s creations

    The Basque area has been side-lined for decades and starved of budgets to promote itself.  The dairy cattle industry has collapsed, as it has in a lot of other countries, and the farmers have now turned to sheep farming to survive.   Artisans, artists, millers, and Michelin-recommended restaurants struggle to make a living because the world is hardly aware of the existence of this region of peace and tranquility with scenery to rival anything that Europe has to offer.  Nearby San Sebastian hosts world-renowned restaurants, Bilbao has the Guggenheim Museum, and Biarritz has trendy shops so the area really offers everything. 

    What will take me back to that area again will be the sense of time-unchanging, the slow tempo of life, a dozen or more children coming together to play on the community Pelota Court, and above all, the silence of the mountains, the only sound the distant bells of the sheep in the fields or the horses coming home from the fields. 

    My Pyrenean Experience was a house-party like no other I’ve experienced, a room with a view to die for, and the chance to walk on paths only traversed by animals and a few intrepid humans.   What more is needed to heal the soul?

    Check out the website to get an idea of what’s on offer. The photographs tell the whole story. If you like walking in the mountains, you’ll love this. No need to learn Spanish, you can just go for the walking, the camaraderie and a Spanish experience you won’t forget. www.pyreneanexperience.com   Tel: 34 6507 13759

    What a surprise to find this metal sculpture on the edge of town

  • PROVENCE – Villages & Towns

    PROVENCE – Villages & Towns

    I have an urge to go to Provence again.  I think it’s because my lavender is thriving this year and that the rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano are flourishing as never before that makes me want to immerse myself in the pungent scent of wild herbs crushed underfoot and the juniper, golden broom, and cistus that cover the hills of Provence.

    I like the journey there too, on the Eurostar from London (less than 6 hours): with a change at Paris, there is enough time to enjoy a leisurely meal to get the trip off to a good start.   The views from Paris down to Avignon of tiny, half-deserted medieval villages perched on steep hillsides, red geraniums and lime-green ferns tumbling over balconies, fertile valleys of yellow corn and wheat, occasionally highlighted with a blaze of red poppies like a Van Gogh landscape, and the occasional field of wild irises and lavender, always make me happy that I’ve taken the train to this corner of France.

    Palais du Pape

    Avignon:  The best viewpoint is from the Gardens of Rocher des Doms above the Palais des Papes.  The gardens are not worth the trip for themselves, but there are benches on which to sit to take in the peacocks and the panoramic views over the entire city and the surrounding areas. 

    If you visit only one monument, make it the Papal Palace, the Palais des Papes, which includes the Popes’ private apartments with some fabulous frescoes, and is one of the musts of Avignon.  This emblem of the city, an awe-inspiring monument to the importance of Avignon in the Christian world of the Middle Ages was built in the 1300s by two popes – Benedict XII and his successor, Clement V.   Avignon 10It was to become the biggest gothic edifice in all of Europe and is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with the episcopal buildings and the Saint Bénézet Bridge.  Palais du Pape, Golden Madonna

    Next to the palace is the Notre-Dame des Doms Cathedral, built in 1150, with the statue of the Virgin Mary, entirely covered in gold, 6 metres high and weighing 4500 kilos, protecting the city from the bell tower.

    The historic centre radiates from the Place de l’Horloge, a popular square bordered by cafés and restaurants. Just like the Place du Palais higher up you could spend the day just watching the street performers.  Here is the City Hall built in the mid 19th century over a former cardinal’s palace.  Next to it is the 19th-century municipal theatre which houses the Avignon opera.

    Avignon street scene

    Avignon is a city full of ancient dwellings, museums, churches, chapels and art galleries and you can easily fill a week here without leaving the city but it also has a hippy, boho area.  In the Rue des Teinturiers, a delightful cobblestone street dating from the Middle Ages, the street is lined with wine bars and small restaurants, and artists and musicians mingle here in a village-like ambience.  Then there is bourgeois Avignon on one side of the main avenue, the Rue de la Repúblic, a chic designer clothing and luxury shops area.  The other side of Repúblicc leads to the Place Pie and the Halles, the famous covered market and meeting place for the people of Avignon.

    Sur le Pont de Avignon on a windy day.

    But most people come to Avignon to see the famous bridge, the St. Bénézet Bridge, built around 1180 (by a simple shepherd, or so goes the story) to link the city to Villeneuve-les-Avignon.  Over the years, war and flooding took their toll on the bridge and today, the 12th-century St. Nicholas chapel along with four arches of the bridge are all that remain of the original structure. 

    Avignon Bridge 2

    The historic region (Luberon) between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon is often cited as being the most beautiful in France, rolling hills streaked with lavender and medieval villages perched on craggy rocks.

    Gordes 3

    Villages like Gordes, a compact hilltop town at the foot of the Vaucluse Mountains which is one of the trendiest places to live in Provence.  The ancient Borie village, an impressive complex of stone houses which was once the homes of shepherds and agricultural workers before the industrial revolution, was lovingly restored in the 1970s by a team of archaeologists and locals.  There are 300 of these in Gordes.

    Rousillon with its distinctive ochre earth

    Roussillon:  This area has to be visited, if only for the startling ochre colour of the earth as it is located in the very heart of the biggest ochre deposits in the world.  These natural pigments are used throughout the village, the walls of the houses being washed with the traditional ochre rendering, the many different oxides in the ochre sands combining in countless shades.

    Rousillon cemetery (ochre tombs)
    Rousillon cemetery

    The hills are streaked with it, and an Ochre Trail has been laid out and marked.

    Ochres was mined by the Romans

    Rousillon, the village
    A Village in the Luberon

    during their settlement of Provence but only became a widespread, industrial product in the late 18th century when Jean-Etienne Astier had the idea of washing the ochre-laden sands to extract the pure pigment. Today, though natural ochre faces strong competition from synthetic pigments, it remains unrivalled for use in certain applications.

    Blue shutters on house in Arles

    Arles and Aix de Provence.  More like Spain or Italy with narrow streets and shady squares it is the gateway to the Camargue.   Arles has a Roman theatre ringed by cobbled, medieval streets and is one of the most interesting towns in France. Arles, street scene

    It was home to Van Gogh in the 1880’s and because of this the town now has a flourishing artistic centre.  Buy books on Van Gogh and postcards here which you won’t find anywhere else.  The elegant spa town of Aix is Cezanne’s own town where you can visit his workshop and take a guided tour of landmarks in the life of the painter and that of the writer, Emile Zola.

    After Arles, Van Gogh went to the pretty little town of St. Remy which nestles at the foot of the magnificent Massif des Alpilles, now classified as the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles. St. Remy, craft shop Stroll along the boulevards under the shade of century-old plane trees in the evening and raid the boutiques and art galleries for bargains (well, perhaps not, the Provencals are not as slow as Peter Mayle made them out to be and they strike a hard bargain).

    And then there is Baux de Provence, officially classified and labelled as “one of the most beautiful villages in France” (by the French).

    Les Baux de ProvenceAbout 15 Kl from Arles this is a village high up in the limestone-mountains of Les Alpilles, located on a 245m. rocky plateau from where magnificent views of Arles and the Camargue can be had.  It is rich in cultural treasures, with 22 architectural monuments classified as “Historic”, including the church, chateau, town-hall, hospital, chapels, houses, doorways and many items of furniture.

    Les Baux de Provence 3

    The village (pop. 400) has been painstakingly restored, beautiful Renaissance façades and ‘hôtels particuliers’today serving as art galleries and museums, visited by more than one-and-a-half-million tourists a year, even though the visits must be made on foot.

    Les Baux villageThe narrow streets leading up to the Citadelle des Baux are lined with bistros and restaurants with terraces hanging over the cliffs – all with views to die for.   Many of these restaurants have international reputations and offer high quality dining.

    I’ve probably missed off your favourite village: this is just a sample of what you can see comfortably within a week using local buses.  Many years ago we toured the area by car but I found the local transport both easy to understand and very efficient.

    Terrace cafe in Le Baux (sheer drop other side)
    View to die for but below this terrace is a sheer drop. Magnificent if you have a head for heights.

  • Plaza de España, Seville

    Plaza de España, Seville

    In Seville last week I had my camera stolen on the third day of my four-day break, a major blow as this time it was my zoom camera so the images I took were different to those I’d taken on my last visit and, I like to think, better.

    However, after an evening of crying into my Rioja, I just had to get on with things and determine to be more careful in future.  The loss was my own fault.  I had the camera on a table at the Casa de Las Teresas bar, probably the most famous bar in Seville, moved to look at some pencil drawings on the wall in front of me which left the opening for an opportunist to walk by and whip the camera away.  My travelling companion had been sitting there too but was looking out through the door at something happening in the street.  It was a daring move to grab the camera from under our eyes like that.

    We still had four glorious days in Seville which is a genuinely over-the-top city of bulls and flamenco, dark-eyed beauties and white-washed alleys, a blazing sun beating down from a dark blue sky and never-ending late nights.  It’s the place to go if you’ve fallen for the romance of Carmen, Hemingway’s Toreros, and the lure of castanets and cante hondo, and if you want to drink manzanilla in a white-washed bodega late at night, or ride through the dappled park in a horse and carriage.  Seville is Spain’s party town and I love it.  I was seduced by its magic a long time ago and have never recovered.

    We spent most of our time wandering the old streets of Santa Cruz, but we also managed to spend one afternoon at the Plaza de España, one of Seville’s show-offy bits, built for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929 (Expo 29) and located in Maria Luisa Park.  The following photographs were all taken 3-5 years ago.

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    This massive building is the city’s most impressive edifice – after the cathedral – for its sheer grandeur.  Some people hate it, thinking it overblown and ornate, a blot on the older Seville, but I love it.  What is certain is that no one should miss it on a trip to Andalucia’s capital, along with the many pavilions in and around the Parque Maria Luisa.

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    The Plaza de España is a lavish Renaissance/neo-Moorish semi-circular brick building with a tower at either end, major landmarks as they are tall enough to be visible throughout the city, and it is said to be the size of five football pitches.  In front of the building, following the curve of its façade, runs a 515-metre canal forming a moat on which hired boats can be gently rowed, a real pleasure when the heat is intense.

    18 10_0603 Elegantly curving over the moat are four bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain, Castille, Aragon, Navarre and Leon.  18 10_0604

    Their supports are made of brightly painted ceramic tiles, which add an extra zing to the architecture, and in the centre of it all is the Plaza itself.

    On top of the ground level portico there is a first-floor balustrade with balconies stretching along its length. Along the wall by the canal are 48 alcoves with tiled benches, one for each province of Spain, each with a relevant tableau and map designed on colourful azulejos, the painted ceramic tiles so popular in this part of Andalucia.

    Madrid Pavilion
    Pamplona Pavilion
    Malaga Pavilion
    Malaga Pavilion

    In fact, coloured ceramics feature heavily around Plaza de España –  the provincial alcoves, the walls, ornate bridges and balustrades being all covered in painted tiles.

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    The architect of this amazing building which swings around the plaza in a large semi-circle was Anibal Gonzalez who designed the Plaza to wow the Expo’s visitors and in order to showcase Seville’s talents in industry and crafts.  Only this semi-circular pavilion remains from Expo ’29, the others are now used as museums: the Pabellon de Bellas Artes is now the Archaeological Museum, and the Pabellon Mudejar now houses the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares.

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    For me, the best way to approach the Plaza de España is by horse and carriage.  Touristy, I know, but a ride through Maria Louisa Park to this lavish display of Spanishness, is very Sevillana and highly recommended. Pick a carriage up near the Cathedral, or the bull-ring, and fix your price.  It’s not too expensive (a 75 minute trip around the main sights of the city will only cost you €40 so you could do that and get off at the Plaza España: if there are two or three of you that makes it very reasonable).

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    And then it will be time for tapas again, a manzanilla or a fino.  Losing my camera didn’t make me stop going to La Casa de las Teresas because the tapas were wonderful, slivers of acorn-fed jamón serrano draped over morsels of bread, little coquinas (clams), skewers of garlicky prawns and pungent tomatoes in a garlicky sauce, washed down with Manzanillo, the delicate wine from Sanlucar de Barrameda.  I’ll be back.

    N.B.  The Plaza de España is situated inside Maria Luisa Park, near the Teatro Lope de Vega and the University.  It is also near the Torre del Oro, embarkation point for trips on the River Guadalquivir (also highly recommended) and the Hop on Hop Off bus.

  • Syracuse – The Other Bits

    Syracuse – The Other Bits

    After my earlier Post on the Greek and Roman theatres in Syracuse, I thought I’d like to show you a few of the more colourful parts of the city.   I hope you’ll enjoy the photographs that follow of the transparent seas around the island, Piazza Archimede and its magnificent fountain, the food market, a few more ruins – for how could one not include them as they are part of the street furniture.

    Just to recap.  In the 5th century, when Dionysus reigned, Syracuse was one of the biggest and most powerful cities in the Mediterranean, embellished by gardens, fountains, palaces and temples.   Plato called it “an ideal city”, one of enormous military power capable of withstanding the might of Athens and Carthage. 

    With your back to the sea, you can walk either straight ahead to the old town and the Duomo, or to the left through the Porto Marina and into the old town and Ortygia.  Either way, strolling around Syracuse at your leisure is sheer pleasure.

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    Although the image of the fishermen mending their nets is captioned, I hope you notice the massive cruise ship in the background, the old and the new side by side, the old struggling to make a living, the new a disaster, or a dividend to a city?  The jury is still out on that one in Sicily.

    As you leave the ruins of the 7th-century Temple of Apollo you will find yourself in the Corso Matteotti with its 14th-century Greek palace, and from here it is a short walk to the Piazza Archimede, opened in 1878 and dedicated to the Greek mathematics and physics genius, Archimedes (287-212 BC), and one of Syracuse’s most illustrious sons.   

    In the centre of the Piazza is the beautiful Artemis Fountain by Giulio Moschetti (1906) dedicated to Diana the goddess of the Hunt (Diana was the Roman name of the Goddess, Artemis the Greek).  Appalled by the erotic pursuit of Alpheus the river god, Arethusa had asked the Goddess Diana for help: Diana then transformed Arethusa into a fountain which emerged on the nearby island of Ortygia, the core and oldest part of the Sicilian city, where you will find the spring named after Arethusa.  In the fountain, Alpheus peers from behind the goddess while the nymph is about to slip into the water below where, as the tale goes, she will blend with the stream before re-emerging in Ortygia.  Charging horses, Tritons and nymphs splash in the waters of the fountain and a good hour can be spent just walking around the admiring the work.

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     If you choose to go through the Porta Marina you will find yourself surrounded by fading Baroque Villas and Palaces facing the sea and hidden in the narrow alleyways, secretive dwellings with shades of a once glorious past still clinging to them.  Along this long, narrow promenade you will pass the Church of the Holy Spirit which is worth a visit if time allows (but remember you have the Duomo and Santa Lucia alle Badia to explore as well).

    Despite the lack of beach facilities the area around here is popular with swimmers, and often you will see people diving off the rocks into the near transparent waters or sunbathing in what looks like dangerous places along this rocky foreshore.  

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    And now, my favourite part of the city, after a day spent among the relics of the past, the food market which runs along two streets in the town.  The market is full of noise and energy from the buyers and sellers of the dried fruits, the cheeses, the fish, the olives, the urns of capers of all sizes (an essential in Sicilian cooking), the many different varieties of tomatoes, the aubergines, the jewel-coloured peppers, and the huge hessian bags full of pistachios, walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, cobnuts, you name it, they have it here, all fresh and all ready to use.

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    The modern part of town is less interesting to those seeking signs of the past, but it has something worth seeing in the lovely Basilica Sanctuario Madonna delle Lacrime, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tears, located across the street from the archaeological museum.  It was originally built to house a mass-produced gypsum bas-relief of the Madonna that had miraculously wept for 3 days in 1953 in the home of a poor Siracusan family.  Although often described as resembling an upside-down ice-cream cone, the building is actually meant to represent a teardrop

    Inside, the building is quite spacious, and there is always a number of the faithful praying to the little Madonna who is credited with having performed several miracles, mostly of the healing the halt and lame and the curing the blind type.  There is a large shop attached to the Santuario (so, what’s new?) but it does have a marvellous collection of books and postcards. 

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    There is another church right by the Duomo, often missed by visitors because of the wonderful golden-coloured Duomo with its complex history which stands beside it, and this is the Santa Lucia alla Badia church which houses The Burial of Santa Lucia by Caravaggio, above the altar.  Caravaggio had arrived in Messina from Malta in December 1608 where he was commissioned to paint the Burial of Santa Lucia for the church of the same name: he completed this in less than a month.

    It is difficult to see this picture because the church is kept fairly dark – I presume to preserve the painting – and no photography is allowed.  

    Altar with Caravaggio Painting
    Marble Christening Font
    Street entertainers outside the church
    Mosaic Floor in Foyer
    Santa Lucia alla Badia

    And with all the sight-seeing, don’t forget to stop occasionally for a snack at one of the many good cafes and restaurants around (very much cheaper in the modern part of the city, by the way), and make sure to have an ice-cream and that Sicilian favourite, a Granita.

     

     

     

  • SYRACUSE, SICILY

    SYRACUSE, SICILY

    My recent trip to Syracuse gave me lots of material for posts but as I have written before about this Sicilian city I thought that this time I would hone in on the Archaeological Park of Neapolis which holds Syracuse’s most important Greek and Roman remains.  The Park covers approximately 240 square metres and the Greek and Roman periods are divided by a green, tranquil oasis in the midst of the ruins, called Viale Paradiso.

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    Between the two cultures, through the Viale Paradaiso.

    The Park came into being between 1952 and 1955 with the idea of bringing together all the monuments, pillars and stones which previously had been located on various private properties and were not accessible to the public.  The result has been an outstanding success.

    The Roman part dates back to the 3rd century AD and the Amphitheatre (seen below) is the largest in Sicily at 140 x 190 metres, and it is recorded that the first performance of Aeschylus’ Etnean Women was performed here in 476 BC.  To avoid this turning into a history lesson, I shall leave the images, with captions, to speak for themselves.

    Not only was the amphitheatre used for drama: political life was played out here too, especially the assemblies in which all citizens participated.