Garibaldi's Entrance into Naples on 7 September 1860 - the Bourbon King fled the same day This summer, we sail from Malta to Pozzuoli, following the coast of Sicily, Calabria and Campania. There is significant Mafia presence in these regions. Whilst the Mafia made few headlines lately, it is there. Influential, powerful, wealthy and silent. In 2020 we sailed along these coasts on our way from Malta to Athens. I talked about the Mafia’s sad usefulness in one of my blogs : how

Amalfi's medieval Townwall towards the East - Just beyond the Walls is the Village of Atrani, where Amalfi's Wealthy had their Villas and where its Doge was "crowned" Writing about the Amalfi coast – the former Duchy of Amalfi – is challenging. Everybody knows it, has been there or has it on the bucket list. About 5 million tourists visit Amalfi every year – a town of 4’600 inhabitants. The Amalfi coast was discovered by English nobility in the 19 th century. Without railway

Roman Nobles loved to dress in Silk. It was a Status Symbol like no other and astronomically expensive Amongst the precious goods Roman cargo ships brought from the Levant to the port of Pozzuoli was silk. Like today, silk was shipped in bales. 100 yards of a 45 inches wide fabric (1.15 meters) rolled up on a long stick. At a density of 8 momme (silk quality standard measure), one square yard of silk weights one ounce or 28.35 grams. Our 45 inches wide silk band thus weights

The 1.5 sqkm Island of Ventotene with the Villa Julia in the Foreground A good two hours by ferry from Gaeta lies the small island of Ventotene. The little spot in the Tyrrhenian has a surface of 1.54 square kilometers. During wintertime, 18 people live here. On a nice summer day, tourists bring the number to above 100. The island is just 1/14 the size of Saint Barth. No cars. A pedestrian paradise. Had Julia, Emperor Augustus’ only daughter, not lived here for five years, no

Coletura di Alci is a Spaghetti Dish made with a modern Descendant of Roman Garum Working on the menu for the upcoming three weeks of sailing in September is fun. We want to eat local food. What is the point of travelling around the world if we eat what we get at home? Time to dive into the cuisine of Campania. It reads like a history book. Food from Campania is a heritage of ancient Greek and  Roman dishes combined with Arab, Norman and Spanish influences. There is so much t

Roman Alter Dedicated to Hermes at the Mines in Munigua in Spain It is common knowledge that the Roman Empire did not collapse because of the invasion of German tribes. It was undone by inflation which ruined its economy and tax base. The Roman state spent too much. 70% of its expenditures were related to military spending. The budget shortfall prevented the Empire from paying the mercenaries it had hired. We tend to forget that since Constantine the Great, 60’000 Gothic sold

The well preserved Greek Temples in Paestum attract every summer Thousands of Tourists The piece I wrote two days ago showed a photo of the Castello Aragonese di Agropoli . A few kilometers north of it lies Paestum, a town founded by Greek colonists from Sybaris in 600 BC. Its original name was Poseidonia. Pictures of Paestum made me wonder why the town had such big temples. Three of them are well preserved and attract thousands of tourists every summer. They are almost as la

Castello Aragonese d'Ischia was first built by Hieron, the Ruler of Syracuse, in 474 BC When sailing around the Golf of Naples, you may notice the many Aragon (it merged in 1479 with Castile and became Spanish) castles sitting prominently on rocky outcrops high above the waves. Why are they there and what was their purpose? We will have the chance to visit many of them during our third week of sailing this September. More surprisingly is that many of them were modernized duri

Scuba Divers are allowed to explore the Submarine Archeology Park in Baiae Despite fumes, frequent tremors and occasional eruptions, Greeks loved to live in and around the Bay of Naples. Nea Polis (Naples), Kumai (Cumae), Pithekousai (Ischia), Dicaearchia (Pozzuoli) and Poseidonia (Paestum) are the best known ancient Greek settlements which still exist today. The Romans loved loved living there too as did the Etruscans (founders of Capua) and the Samnites (founders of Pompeii

View over Salerno towards the 32 km long Beach to the South of the town A good 50 km southeast of Naples lies the town of Salerno, once the Norman capital for their lands in Southern Italy  (11 th century). The town is known for the world’s first medical school established in the 9 th century and the landings of British and American forces on 9 th of September 1943 during Operation Avalanche. The day before, the Italian Government had announced its capitulation and declared

Villa Jovis behind Capri as seen from Monte Solaro, the Island's highest Elevation High above the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the island of Capri, stand the ruins of the Imperial Villa Jovis. For ten years (27 – 37 AD), the second Roman Emperor lived and ruled from here. Tiberius’ old palace towers 334 m or 1066 feet above sea level. It was placed on Capri’s second highest mountain. To our ears, Villa Jovis does not sound like anything special – just "Jupiter House". For the Romans th

The Isola Ferdinandea appeared in 1831 a few Miles northwest of Pantelleria Growing up in the Swiss mountains, my understanding of the sea was limited. For the longest time I believed tsunamis – as depicted in Japanese paintings – were a myth, or an exaggeration at best. It took the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in July 2006 killing thousands in Sri Lanka, Java and Thailand to make me understand that such rare events were real. Geology of the Marsili Sea Mount and the Aeolian I

There is no polished Amber on the Baltic Shores - it is a Fake Photo - but I still like it At times, I come across topics I have not heard about for decades. Happened to me a week ago when talking about the Etruscan trade with Northern Europe. The Etruscans exported high quality iron weapons and brought back amber from the Baltics. Not being entirely sure what amber was I looked it up on Google. Bernstein of course! German for amber. And back came the images of my geography c

The contemporary Umbrian Cuisine is more diversified than Etruscan Food who consisted mainly of Stews, Pot au Feu, Soups and all types of Porridges Putting menu plans and wine lists together for our summer sailing is one of my preferred activities. Fabulous Italian dishes come to my mind like Spaghetti Vongole, Parmigiano Melanzzane, Safran Risotto, Tomato Salade with Basil, Verdure Grigliate, Bruschetta, all sorts of sea food and delicious cold cuts. Italy’s mediterranean cu

Etna Eruption at Night - Catania in the Foreground  During the Holy Year in 2025, I had the chance to walk through all four Holy Doors in Rome. Was also invited to a private visit of the Sistine Chapel. For 20 minutes, we silently admired Michelangelo’s frescos where cardinals appoint their Popes. Having seen the ceiling during previous visits - sandwiched between dozens of other visitors - I focused on the artist’s “Last Judgement”. At the bottom, there are demons and devil

The Castle of Populonia stands on the Acropolis of Fufluna, the ancient Etruscan Port During years of sailing along ancient trade routes, we dropped anchor in many old Greek ports. There was usually a port basin for the ships, a rocky outcrop with an acropolis, somewhere temples for major deities and dual use buildings which lined the quays. Marseille, Knidos, Miletus and Rhodes are good examples. The Etruscan Federation at its Peak in the 7th Century When Greek explorers

Outcrop of Obsidian Glass on the Eastern Tip of Lipari, the largest Aeolian Island Over the last few years, obsidian made an interesting come-back. Once material for cutting edge tools for our neolithic ancestors, it now adorns the necks and ears of modern women. Obsidian, a volcanic glass, acts like a mirror when carefully polished. Look at an “Alhambra” ear ring and you look at yourself. An Obsidian Pendant from the Alhambra Collection (Van Cleef & Arpel

Pointed Arches in the Duomo di Sant Andrea, Amalfi We will visit Amalfi and its Duomo in Week 3 this summer A good year ago, Notre Dame in Paris opened its doors again. It was closed for five years for refurbishment after it burnt down in spring 2019. I vividly remember the TV pictures of the flames licking up the roof and how the spire collapsed. Next to the Duomo of Milan, Notre Dame is the world's most famous Gothic church. My favorite though is the smaller Cathedral o

Etruscan Buccheri (simple pottery) exported to Sardinia, now in the National Archeology Museum in Calgari At times, I stumble on fascinating facts which stare into my face for years without me noticing. Happened again last week when I wrote about Campi Flegrei , the large cauldron west of Naples. As I was searching for craters, I came across the Greek colony of Cumae, a settlement with acropolis, port and long town walls. In 474 BC, 6 years after the Athenians destroyed the P

View over the "Phlegarean Fields" east of Pozzuoli towards Sorrento (l.) and Capri (r.) The “Phlegarean Fields” or Campi Flegrei were in the news last week. During one single night, local Emergency Services received more than 800 reports of new gas vents opening up in the middle of villages, streets, parks and open fields. The “Campi Flegrei”, the often overlooked twin to the Vesuvius volcano, seem to be wakening up. Under upward pressure and volcanic steam one road i