Paestum

Yesterday after stopping in the overcrowded yet scenic Amalfi coast towns, we reached Vietri sul Mare, a much quieter and more rustic town but still on the water. We had dinner and watched the locals walking their dogs and children in the square. The children played with sticks, the dogs looked happy, a black cat with a limp scavenged for food. I enjoyed the ornate Bethlehem/diorama scene arranged in town; they had these all over the place along the coast too. Today we had another highlight day. Our driver picked us up at 8 and took us to a family owned buffalo mozzarella farm (on arrival, Oliver said, “can you smell the dairy-air?” I laughed). We met the animals and learned about the cheese production. Next - we met our guide Mario at Paestum, Ancient Greek ruins dating to to 500 BC!! Mario was so informative and passionate, a scholar of archaeology and art history. He answered so many of our questions and we learned about death and burial rituals, the non-utilitarian nature of temples, his interpretation of the Divers Tomb (diving into the unknown of death, with a pomegranate tree to offer the suggestion of a new life, new worlds), Roman warriors, law, gladiators, and more. He even told us about the liberation of Italy during WWII. These temples are preserved in part bc General Clark was careful not to bomb the temples, even though the Nazis were hiding among them. Mario said the south is more “wild,” than north Italy, and we agree. After a luxurious and stimulating tour, artichokes, smoked mozzarella and pasta back at the dairy farm’s restaurant. Really good - felt kind of like a ritzy Sonoma place. Tonight, we’re eating at the hotel; will try to go to the beach tomorrow on our final day before we journey back to Florence, then Alameda.Read more