Coming to the end of the holidays.
Dinner for all of us at our final group stay.
Dinner at the house
Capri Island
Its pretty touristy, but still an impressive island. Very hilly walking up. An impressive step count and flights climbed on my health app, with some nice views to go with this.
Ercolano
This town was the other side of Pompeii, and it was similarly covered in the eruption in 79AD. Similar to Pompeii, everyone in the town died pretty quickly from either boiling mud or the tsunami that followed.
It was first uncovered about 300 years ago, and the restoration work continues today. Much of the old city is now dozens of meters below the surface, preserved from Roman times.
Positrano
Spectacular town. Spectacular views as we approached by bus. Overwhelming nausea that took out half the group. No obvious way out.
Slow ferry trip to exit…
Sunset on the Amalfi coast
First night on the coast.
Staying in a fantastic place…
But not great internet connectivity.
The finest in underground dining
Warm, well lit, wonderful wine…
And inside a hill
Matera 2019
From being the national shame to the showcase of Italian cuture, Matera has been transformed, mostly by tourism , into what will be the cultural center of Italy in 2019.
Works are evident everywhere. The area looks nothing like what it did years ago when the 20000 traditional settlers were relocated. It now houses 2000 people in the old part (“casa grotto” or house cave) of town.
Matera
Dug out of a limestone cliff. Amazing town. Apparently used by squatters until the 1950’s when the government intervened out of concerns for the health of the children in particular.
Subsequent decision to rebuild this area and it became a significant tourist destination.
Chilling out in the plaza
Last evening in alberobello. Drinks on the plaza.
Alberobello
Alberobello is a fascinating town. Its uniqueness relates to the construction of many of its homes, with stone roofs. There are over a hundred of them here in town, and many are used by the locals as their residence. A moderate number have been converted to hotel rooms.
