Castello di Fiuzzi with the Isola di Dino on the Tyrrhenian Shores of Calabria Calabria is known for many things. The beautiful beaches. The pictoresque villages. The steep mountains. The high frequency of earthquakes (see later blog). Its upcoming and promising wines (also covered in a later blog). And the Ndrangheta, its Mafia. View from the Castello Longobardo Normanno di Malvito towards Calabria's Mountains According to Wikipedia, the Ndrangheta is today a highly sophist

The Seicento (Fiat 600) was Italy's answer to the VW Beetle and the Renault 2CV. From 1957 to 1960, 2.7 million Seicento were produced in Turin. It was an Italian Pop Item Anybody who once spent a winter in Milan knows the longing for sun, warm air and blue skies. Milan, actually most of the Po Valley, are from October to March covered by a layer of dense fog. The days are short, grey, wet and cold. Nearly 20 million people live in the Provinces of Piedmont, Lombardia and Ven

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

Looking out to the island of Ischia, located right between scenic Pozzuoli and vibrant Naples, there is a big empty plot of deserted industrial land - the old Ivla Steel Mill of Bagnoli. Closed in 2020, after decades of failed rescue attempts, the mill was closed, the workers sent home and most of the buildings dismantled. From the air, the space looks like a big dental gap - and probably is. The mill that employed once thousands is now guarded by a few security guards. The f

Stone Pine Trees dominate the Italian Peninsula - I planted 20 of them in my Garden This year’s journey from Malta to Pozzuoli will take us along mountainous coasts, many covered by large forest. Some are ancient. Others planted during reforestations over the last 100 years. During summer time, there are often forest fires attracting international media attention. Was it always like this? Were forests in Roman time also frequently on fire? Were they actually the same forests?

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

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

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

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

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

Segmented Plate Armor (Lorica Segmentata) weighted about 15 kilograms per Legionnaire Global trade is made possible by maritime transport. These days, there are a good 107’000 merchant ships plowing the waves. Oil tankers account for about 12’000 ships, bulk carriers (ore, coal, grain) make up 13’000. There are 21’000 large cargo and 6’000 container vessels. The other 50% are smaller, primarily coastal merchant ships. A Roman Grain Freighter leaving a Port - possibly Leptis M

The Roman Naval Base of Misenum 200 AD - the Italian Port of Miseno in 2022 AD Over the last ten years, we visited many ancient ports. Some were silted like Miletus , Kaunos , Andriake or Patara . Others lost their purpose and were abandoned - Knidos , Fréjus , Kelenderis or Caesarea come to my mind. A few are still in use – such as Piraeus, Messina, Pozzuoli and Miseno. All these ports were part of Rome’s far-flung network that comprised 200 major and 3’000 minor

Our Boat, the MYRA, this morning at Sunrise at 06.59 am (in Rhodes it was 06.25 am) This morning, after breakfast, it was time to say...

Turkish Sailors surrender to the Greek Privateer Katsionis - Painting from his Crimean Villa Greek folklore is full of tales of heroic...

Fresco of a young, dancing Minoan Noble Woman from Knossos Seven miles north of Heraklion lies the island of Dia. Four of its bays...