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Renault Roaming

October 2018 - June 2024
Italy -- Croatia - ?
All in my little Red Renault Trafic Read more
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  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 64

    Amalfi

    December 30, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Heading South to my next job, I followed the coast road South from Rome, avoiding the hills where one is obliged to carry snow chains after Nov 11th, and expecting a beautiful and picturesque drive.
    The sea washes virtually to the feet of the snow covered mountains running parallel to the coast, with cheap concrete houses cascading down their sides like a boulder slope to the road and railway line. Thin beaches, often volcanic black, abut the train escarpment, with shattered bamboo scattered over over them in an unattractive mosaic. The odd stray dog can be found chewing on discarded plastic bottles.
    Once the Normans ran the place and their castles can be seen (but not visited in Winter,) incorporated into the towns. Many (closed) pizza restaurants and abandoned beach cafes.
    Once Amalfi was famous for it's paper exports. Now they let the waves carry their paper away to the rest of Europe.
    What can I say? In Winter; wet, cloudy, cold and closed. In Summer the narrow roads are impassable, the beaches covered in greasy bodies with a thin film of Ambre Solaire or Coppertone scumming the water dampening down the waves.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 67

    Calabria

    January 2, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Still going South I hurry through bandit country. Well, that's what everybody told me but I had no problems with the Calabrese who were friendly, hospitable and waiting to join their relos in Melbourne. As a young guy and his sister told me, there is nothing for them in this part of Italy.
    Perhaps it is Stromboli always lurking on the horizon that casts a shadow: what's the point of doing anything if we are just going to be blown up? In fact, it is dormant, unlike Vesuvious which could go at any minute.
    But it is impossible to escape the incredible filth. Check out the dead cat.
    People blame the 'Ndràngheta, one of the largest criminal organisations in the world, for the corruption and incompetent politicians. Undoubtedly they have had a detrimental effect, skimming public contracts and buying politicians, not to mention "owning" the container port ( see all the cranes.)
    But it seems to me that the people themselves are also to blame: they could start by putting their waste in a bag instead of chucking it out of their car window.
    They also blame the Arbëreshë, an Albanian ethnolinguistic group scattered in the mountains. They descend from Tosk Albanian refugees, who fled from Albania between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries in consequence of the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans. But they have always been too isolated to cause a problem. I'll have to find them on my way to Bari in the Spring!
    I took a shot of Reggio Calabria from Sicily, and this is as close as one would want to go.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    1
    Day 67

    Another ferry

    January 2, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    After an interesting couple of hours in the ports commercial parking area, where a steady stream of cars with single people inside cruised past inquisitively but only one wound down her window to offer me take-aways or something, (my Italian is not too fluent,) I found a pleasant spot in a quiet lane beside the hospital to spend the night before catching a ferry from Villa San Giovanni Caronte to Messina. 60 Euros for an half hour crossing makes it nearly 4 times more expensive than crossing the channel!
    Crossing the terrain would be like sitting on a merry-go-round horse were it not for the many viaducts built everywhere.
    My hopes for warm temperatures were raised by the latitude, about the same as Andalucia, and by the smouldering Mount Etna which had been farting for a few days (and still is). Alas, no sooner did I arrive at my destination, Caltagirone, than it snowed heavily. Watching the cars in town sliding around in nearly 50 cm of white stuff was mildly amusing but luckily it all melted within 24 hrs.
    Incidentally, Stromboli has just erupted unexpectedly but since it is not linked to Etna, that doesn't signify much to me, though I suppose the people evacuated from their homes were not too happy.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 82

    Caltagirone, Sicily

    January 17, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Caltagirone, a UNESCO world heritage site, is one of the eight towns of south-eastern Sicily known as the baroque towns of the Val di Noto, which were almost entirely destroyed and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 in which about 100 thousand people died.
    Its main claim to fame is for ceramic production; a millenium old tradition making the town one of the most important ceramic production centers of Sicily, renowned in the entire Mediterranean so they say.
    Nobody wants to live in the old part of town and it is gradually spilling down into the new developments. Can't say I blame them. Access to most buildings is by foot or donkey; no damp proof courses; small, dark rooms; and UNESCO inspired legislation which makes any alteration to the fabric of the houses difficult if not impossible.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 82

    Caltagirone views

    January 17, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Another taste of town
    + The Taking of the Bell of Altavilla to Caltagirone, (Polychrome maiolica mosaic in the square of Santa Maria del Monte.)
    + The bank and the church, not quite joined at the hip
    + Ceramics everywhere
    + Little piazza with no name
    + Horse. "Good government and liberty. 1283" Haven't found the explanation yet!
    + Unexpected interior of the former Theater Garibaldi, today known as Sturzo Gallery    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 82

    A subtle warning to all husbands!

    January 17, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    The Moors dominated Sicily around the year 1100.
    At that time, there lived in the Kalsa district of Palermo 'a beautiful girl with pink skin comparable to peach blossoms at the height of flowering and a nice pair of eyes that seemed to reflect the beautiful Gulf of Palermo '. The young girl was almost always at home.
    One day a young Moor passing by saw the gorgeous damsel taking care of the plants on her balcony. In an instant he was smitten and, filled with desire, he knew he must have her at any cost. Without a second's delay he entered the girl's house and immediately declared his love. The girl, struck by the passion with which he declared his ardour, returned his love in full; and they lived together as happy as happy can be.
    Alas, some time later, the Moor came to tell her that he must leave Sicily and return home to the East, where a wife with two sons awaited him.
    Surprised, hurt and above all furious as only a betrayed Sicilian can be, she plotted to make him stay with her.
    That night, she cooked him a nice dinner and later as soon as he fell asleep she struck off his head and made it into a flower pot. The she planted some basil in it and stuck the vase on the balcony for all to see. Thus the Moor would never be able to leave and would remain with her - forever.
    Meanwhile, the basil grew lush and aroused the envy of all the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, who, not to be outdone, made imitations of the Moor's head in terracotta.
    And to this day on Sicilian balconies you can admire the "Heads of Moro", sometimes called "Turk's heads", although now they exist in different versions, representing three of the subsequent empires which ruled over Sicily, the Byzantines, the Arabs and Normans.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 82

    Logos or mythos?

    January 17, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    The Triseklion is the symbol of the Isle of Man as we all know, but Sicily has its own logo, a female version called the Trinacria.

    Apparently, 3 nymphs danced around the world gathering the best fruit, stones and soil, which they then threw into the sea to create Sicily. That is why the island has three corners.

    Alternatively, it represents a head of a Gorgon, whose hair is entwined serpents with ears of wheat, and from which three bent legs branch off with its feet pointing in the same direction. There were three sisters: Medusa (the most important one and guardian of the underworld), and the two daughters of the sea gods Forco and Ceto, Euryale and Steno. They represented perversion in its three forms: Medusa was the intellectual, Euryale the sexual and Steno the moral perversion.
    The ears of wheat, introduced by the Romans, symbolize the land abundance and fertility and the rank of “breadbasket” of the Roman Empire.
    The position of the three legs, feet pointing in the same direction, suggests a rotational motion. Hence it has been suggested that the Triscele represented the sun (or the weather god Baal) or the moon with scythes instead of legs. In Sicily, this symbol represents the three promontories of the island: Capo Peloro (Punta del Faro, Messina: North-East), Capo Passero (Siracusa: South), Capo Lilibeo (or Capo Boeo, Marsala: West). This particular reference is found in the greek word triskeles and connects to the geographic meaning: treis (three) and akra (promontory). In Latin too, triquetra (three vertices).

    Or, there was a boy who could swim underwater for long periods of time and was put to the test by King Frederick II. Eventually, the boy discovered that Sicily was held up by three columns and one was about to break. The boy, Colapesce, then decided to hold the broken column on his own. Every time there is an earthquake, it is attributed to the boy being so tired from holding up the island.

    Obviously it really came from a Manxman in the employ of the Normans but who am I to spoil a good story or three.

    The flag of the Region of Sicily has incorporated the Triscele at it's centre since April 3, 1282 during the time of the Sicilian Vespers. It symbolises the unity of Sicily in expelling the Angevins / Charles I. The colour red is the color of the Municipality of Palermo and yellow the one of Corleone, at that time, the largest agricultural capital of Sicily.

    PS The Spartan warriors used to carve a white bent leg in their shields as a symbol of strength!    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 82

    Flight of fancy

    January 17, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    What raises the blood pressure of the Caltagirone people is this big staircase, the Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte, which rises from Piazza Municipio to the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Monte, at the top of the town.
    Originally there were several flights of steps separated by small squares built in 1606 to connect the old town on top of the with newer developments on the flatter base.
    These tiers were eventually unified in the 1880s to create the 142-step flight that stands today.

    The Erei mountains, on which Caltagirone perches, separate the plains of Gela and Catania and are fractured by many cracks filled with a very fine clay. Since the paleolithic era, local potters have been capitalising on this abundance aided by a plentiful nearby wood supply for firing their pots. The local ceramic technique was influenced and perfected by the Cretans, who introduced the wheel during the Greek colonization of Sicily in the 8th century BC, then by the Arabs, who introduced the glazing technique, which rendered the ceramic objects impermeable to water, in the 9th century. Under the Arab rule the town took the name of Qal ‘at al Gharùn or qal’at-al-ghiran meaning “Castle (or fortress) of vases” with reference to the processing of clay.

    So in 1956, hand-painted majolica tiles were added to the riser of the steps to celebrate the town's ceramic heritage. The motives alternate between a row of tiles with a floral or organic pattern, a row of geometric patterns and a row of figurative decorative patterns..
    In case you can't wait to see them, the best times are:
    * in May, when it becomes “flowered” in honor of the Madonna, (the Scala Infiorata in honor of the Madonna di Conadomini;
    * at the the end of July when it is illuminated by 4000 coloured oil lamps (coppi) on the occasion of the feast of the Holy Patron, Saint Giacomo;
    * during the mid-August nights when it is lit up again;
    * at Christmas the stairs are decorated with cyclamen and Christmas stars.    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 85

    Noto bene

    January 20, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    This hillside town was called Neas, founded by the Sicans.
    Conquered by the Syracuseans, it absorbed Hellenic customs and rites, before falling to the Romans when it became a federated city. Later its status was elevated to Latin municipium, which brought many priviledges including the right to govern itself with its own laws.
    Next the Arabs took over a renamed it Noto, (which it remains to this day,) and managed to cling on until 1090.
    In 1693, it was destroyed by the earthquake that struck the whole of south-western Sicily and rebuilt in the baroque style as we see today. (At least, we see the parts that are open at lunchtime when I passed through.)
    + The main entrance to the city is through the Arco di Trionfo. At the top you can see the sculpture of a dog, symbolising loyalty and a pelican for sacrifice. Like the rest of the town it is built using a golden yellow limestone. The stone is unique apparently for its flexibility but maybe they meant versatility (my Italian is not that good!)
    + The corso Vittorio Emanuele is the main axis through the town.
    + The Cathedral, which stands on top of a monumental staircase, was begun a few months after the earthquake but was only completed in 1770. It took more than 10 years, using both modern engineering techniques together with those of the 1700’s to craft original materials into yet another UNESCO world heritage site.
    + Every side road leads to yet another church.
    + Through the gates of the Vittorio Emanuele III theatre, across piazza XVI Maggio is the Church of San Domenico    Read more

  • TravelerRenault Roaming
    Day 85

    Something fishy

    January 20, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Marzamemi started and continues as a tuna fishing village. No Greek roots here! It was settled first by by the Arabs and originally called Marsa' al Hamen (which translates as "harbour of the turtle doves"). Why I have no idea.

    + Looking into the central plaza
    + The cathedral on one side of the plaza
    + Fishermans' houses on another side of the plaza, looking more Moroccan or Arab than Italian
    + The old dock area
    + Flower arranging (by Mr Gumby?)
    + Every lane leads to the sea    Read more

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