The majestic Greek Theatre in Tyndaris has been partially refurbished and hosts many musical and theatrical performance every summer Last night, there was a big party in Milazzo. After dinner, we went ashore to find out what people were celebrating. The entire town was on the beach promenade. Families with small babies. Couples dressed up elegantly. Elderly women in their Sunday gowns - their hubbies in shorts. Teenage girls and boys trying to impress each other. On stage, th

View over Messina from the Santa Maria di Montalto. The Sacrario di Cristo Re on the left, the Straits of Messina in the Middle, the Port with the St Salvador Fort to the Right It is change over day today. Crew 1 leaves and returns to Switzerland, London and New York. Crew 2 arrives from Geneva, Zurich and Singapore. As always, everybody has to clear the boat by 8 am to give the "My Lotty" team time to resupply and do a deep cleaning. We used our spare time to walk up to the

Sunrise over the Straits of Messina at 6.55 am At 5 am this morning, Captain Mario started the engine. We wanted to get to the Straits of Messina before the wind picked up. Today's plan was to visit Scilla Castle on the Calabrian side, then anchor for lunch at Capo Pelore, Sicily's most eastern point and to sail after lunch to Messina at 3 pm, right on time for our walk through town. We made good progress. By 9 am we reached the Straits, announced our position to traffic cont

Taormina's Clock Tower is a time less Symbol of the Towns 2'400 Years - with an equally time less Mount Etna at the back After a good night's sleep on the open waters south of Taormina, protected from swells by an invisible underwater ridge, we got up early this morning. The goal was to beat the Cruise Boat crowd. Coming from Messina and Catania, they arrive by coach at around 11 am. If we managed to get to Taormina by 9 am, we'd have the charming town for 2 hours to ourselve

The Neighbourhood between our Marina and Catania's Town Center was once wealthy but is now a bit run down Walking from Catania's Yacht Harbour to the town center is quite an experience. We passed through a decommissioned, old customs building, walked through an ugly car park, crossed under the battrered arches of Sicily's Ionian Railway Line and finally ended in a rough, but once wealthy neighbourhood. The contrast between the beauty of the buildings and how badly they a

Syracuse Yacht Harbour at 07.15 at Sunrise Clear blue sky but a rather windy morning. Driven by the Mistral, a northerly wind is blowing through the Straits of Messina. It blows at > 20 knots. Waves south of the Straits are now at 1.5 meters. At breakfast, we decide to delay the departure to after lunch. We would get terribly soaked if we leave now. In the afternoon, the wind is supposed to die down. We will use the spare morning for things we have to do anyway. Whilst we do

Latomie del Paradiso - Quarry of Paradise got its name from the lush Garden which is now growing inside - it was anything but a Paradise during Greek time Yesterday's decision to cross early from Malta to Sicily was perfect. We lifted anchor at 6 am. The sea was flat as if Poseidon had ironed it. It was a hazy day. The sun was barely visible at sunrise. On the way we crossed a few container ships. One was huge with 200'000 BRT and a width of 60 meters. We were crossing the in

The Cittadella in Victoria, Gozo's Capital, was modernized from 1599 - 1620 With less than 10% of Malta's population, Gozo, the northern island, was seldom at the heart of Malta's history. Its bays are narrow, the good harbours few, the sandy beaches in the north small. The island is better known for its high cliffs and hills. Though the limestone and sandy soil is not ideal for agriculture. In 1551, the island was raided by Turkish Corsairs who enslaved the entire population

A traditional Ferryboat crossing from La Valetta to Birgu, where "My Lotty" is anchored. At the back the impressive Fort Sant' Angelo, former Headquarter of the Knights of Saint-John After months of waiting and planning, J - Day has arrived. As I write, we are loading our luggage and get our cabins ready. So exciting to be finally on board of "My Lotty". Mario, our Italian Captain, Antonio, his Number 2, Martina, our host, and Jose, our Portugese Chef will look after us for

Greek Helmets excavated under the Temple of Athena in Velia (Elea). Geopolitics these days are interesting. With Russia’s unsuccessful war against the Ukraine, we witness the demise of one of the last empires. China’s rise to superpower is slowed down by unforgivable demographics, a lack of energy and an exorbitant debt burden. And the USA is trying to reverse its relative decline by “Make America Great Again”. Geopolitics are nothing new. More amazing though is seeing them b

The Ferrovia Tirrenia on the Coast of Calabria during bad Weather near Lamezia Terme When doing the contingency planing for sailing this summer, the.title of the book"The Importance of Being Idle" came to my mind. I read it a good 30 years ago. These days, most people are in a rush and always on the go. Stephen Robins, the book's author, makes the case that being idle allows you to contemplate everything a bit longer and focus on the essential. For him, being idle is a tool t

Ara Pacis Augustae - Alter of the Peace of Augustus to Honor the Return of Augustus from Campaigning in Spain in 9 BC Preparing for this year's sailing from Malta to Pozzuoli made me cover many ancient cultures and empires. Articles on Etruscans followed pieces about Carthage. Notes on the Greek by stories on the Phoenicians. Reviewing my blogs I noticed that I barely talked about Rome. And when I did, mostly about its Imperial Time. Made me wonder why I did so until I realiz

Hippocrates (Father of modern Medicin), Socrates (Philosopher), Leonidas (Spartan King who fought the Persians with his famous 300 at the Thermophylae) and Pericles (Leader of Athens who defeated the Persian Fleet at Salamis) all had Beards This summer, on our way from Malta to Pozzuoli, we will visit several ancient Greek and Roman sites. Thanks to EU funding, most of them now have their own on-site museum - though many suffer from the "Oggi Chiuso" syndrome. But occasionall

Some Calabrian Wine Estates are located spectacularly on the Mediterranean Coast Learning about wines is a bit time consuming but not too difficult. For most wines, knowing the location and type of grape gets you far. Until you arrive in Calabria. Here, every grape seems to be "Greco" - from Greece. Even though none are actually planted in Greece. The wine brochures are full of references to Magna Graecia, when Greek settlers came over in the 7th century BC and settled most o

The Bridge over the Messina Straits as approved by the Meloni Government on 6 Aug 2025 A good year ago, the Italian Government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved the latest iteration of the Messina Straits Bridge project. It is now before Italy's Audit Commission which will or will not approve the project. Wonder how Italy managed to give itself a political structure where a project approved by Government and Parliament can be challenged... But that is beside this p

Several Tons of Steel now provide Structural Integrity to the Protine Project One of the many things I learnt when refurbishing Protine in Tuscany is how comprehensive Italy's structural integrity requirements are. All new buildings or homes under refurbishment are subject to these laws. Geologists analyse the ground on which a house is built and perform stress analysis on how quake waves hit the building. The results are then forwarded to structural engineers. They identify

Misenium in Roman Time 2'000 Years ago - modern Miseno looks still bery much the same In 49 BC, Julius Caesar built a giant new naval base in Fréjus (Forum Julium). 23 years later, his adopted son Augustus moved the fleet to a new base in Misenium (Miseno) near Naples. What happened? What made Caesar's huge investment suddenly so irrelevant? After the fleet moved away, Frejus slowed down, silted and eventually decayed. This old Roman Port is now a good 1'000 meters inland fro

The Roman Theatre in Fréjus is partially restored & sits 1'000 people - 7'500 in Roman Time Since I was a student, I planned to visit - never got around it. Last time I tried was in 2023 but a 2-day Mistral forced us to skip Fréjus and shelter in Porquerolles - a good 70 miles to the west. But now it was time. Caesar's harbour fascinated me for the longest time. Why would Julius Caesar build his main naval base here in France? The answer is twofold: The upcoming civil war and

The Abbey de Saint - Honorat was established in 406 AD at the End of the Roman Empire Three years ago, almost to the day, we planned to visit Europe's oldest Abbey on the island of Saint-Honorat. The island is an oasis of peace. Difficult to imagine for a place only 15 min by shuttle boat from busy Cannes, Few holiday makers make it to the island though. There were only a dozen people on the first ferry - surgery enhanced Cannes visitors have different priorities. At least th

Every August, the shores of the Tyrrhenain and Adriatic sea are a place of joy and happiness. Whilst the country's biggest towns like Milan and Rome are largely shut down and taken over by international tourists, Italy's population moves to the sea and the mountains. Business comes to a stand still. An estimated 90% close for August. There are no workers on construction sites. The pace of industrial production slows to a trickle. With the exception of fashion and food, most s