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

One of the many beautiful Baroque Fountains in Noto at the Piazza San Francesco Whether you walk through Syracuse, Catania, Noto, Modica or Ragusa, you are surrounded by churches and palaces in Spanish Baroque Sicilian Style or simply Sicilian Baroque. What distinguishes these buildings from their European cousins is the exuberance, the lavish use of decorations and local materials. In Sicily's south, they are made from honey-coloured tufa. Further north, in Catania, dark sto

Conca di Marini - Half Way between Amalfi and Positano Between June and September, around 5 million tourists visit the Amalfi. More than three quarter come from abroad. Visitors from the United States lead the pack followed by English and German people. The Amalfi coast has become the ultimate bucket list destination. The dramatic scenery with steep cliffs, turquois waters and idyllic villages is the perfect back-ground for the mandatory instagram selfie. Half of the 5.6 mill

Exactly eight weeks ago, I talked about food in Campania. Time to honor my promise to come back after I run out of time and space. With approximately 500 km of Tyrrhenian Sea coast line, seafood is prominently present on Campania's menus. Since there are so many Campania dishes, am going to focus on "mare". I will cover "terra" in another blog. Fishermen sell their Catch of the Day every morning on the Piers - we will be happy Buyers! People in Campania are very proud of thei

Pallagrello Nero from Caserta Province is rich in Tannins, deeply colored and ages well When planning this blog a few weeks ago I wondered how much research I had to do. I knew so little about wines from Campania. Turns out that one of my old favorites is from here. Always believed that Greco di Tufo was from Puglia. As a student, I loved it. Not only for its golden, sunny color but for its attractive value. Greco di Tufo is a dry, quite bold wine with nice fruity notes. You

Rhodes Pavillon in the Mostra d'Oltramare - Remember the Deer from Rhodes Harbour? When you ask young Italians about Italy’s colonial past or which African countries Italy ruled, you get a blank stare. Whilst the British Empire made it into common knowhow, the Italian Empire never got that far. Italy’s colonial ambitions started with Eritrea in 1882, followed by Somalia in 1889, Libya in 1911, the Dodecanese in 1912, the brutal conquest of Ethiopia in 1935 and finally the ann

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

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

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

Koroni - View from the East on the Venetian Bastions and the Modern Town Our choice of Porto Kagio for last night was excellent. Whilst...

Riding out 2-Meter-Waves today was actually quite enjoyable We are lucky having sailed to Crete yesterday. Now on the way to Agios...

Can't believe it - am getting to the end of my long list of blog topics before setting sail on the 19th of July. In two weeks time we...

The old Venetian Port of Candia (Heraklion) is now full of Leisure Sail Boats When you ask Greeks living on Crete what they think of the...

Summer Salad with Oranges, Goat Cheese & Olives My fever over the last three days disrupted my blogging. Being sick is always boring....

Porto Lago (today Lakki), the Italian Naval Base, was built entirely in Art Deco Style Arriving by ferry in Kos, Kalimnos, Leros, Nisiros...

Whenever I write a sailing plan for summer, I make a mental note to talk about local cuisine. The food pieces in my blogs helped me to...

Turkish Archeology Divers lifting Artefacts from a Roman 4th Century Ship in Yassiada Visited Bodrum's Museum for Underwater Archeology...

Sunrise a good two Hours east of Bodrum at 6.30 am in the Morning It is our last full day of sailing. We are heading towards Bodrum where...

At 9 am this morning we left Loryma Bay to continue our journey west. Tomorrow or after tomorrow we plan to arrive in Knidos, another...

A Goat looking for Olives in the Old Theatre of Kaunos where now three Olive Trees grow Yesterday was our last day on Lycian territory....