Under the Weather,…. and Capri

Friday 24-May-2019 (Assisi)

Karilyn was less unwell to day – so we took a shuttle from the campsite up to the parking area below the La Basilica di San Francesco (you can translate that into English).  This time we bought a book on the Basilica – and worked through the frescos as we went.  It was nice to see members of the order wandering around the streets too. So a few more images from Assisi…

A not atypical street scape in Assis

Another view of the Roman Minerva Temple (now a church) - and apparently a very well preserved building from the days of the Roman Empire.

They start them young here – thinking about fashion and the need for suitable attire when being seen in public.

A school outing to Assis - and a stop at the ice gelato on a stick shop (well that is what we think these were) - lots of colour and parental fashion on display!

In all the major public spaces we have visited - we have seen security personal "on guard".

We saw lots of priests and nuns during this visit - which underpinned the reality that this is not just a tourist destination - but a working part of the Church.  This does make a difference - I.e. the building is not the "Church". 

Assisi in evening light - on our last day (do click on it to see the detail at higher resolution)

But this “cold” was hanging on still… and I was starting to think that maybe I had been a little too “smug” with my anticipation of it bypassing me.

You meet some lovely people on camp sites… and as Fiat has a (German) Ravesnburg (RV) number plate and a steering wheel on the “wrong side” – for the observant this leads to some questions!  One Dutch couple we met at Green Camping Village in Assisi where really keen to learn of our plans – and asked us to visit them in the Netherlands – should we be passing by. 

Saturday 25-May-2019 (Assisi to Balsena)

With both feeling unwell now, and the weather turning back to rain – we decided we needed a place to stop and recoup. Largo di Bolsena was the choice -just north of Rome, another ACSI approved site (we have found these to be really good – and as we are “ACSI Members” – it also provides good discounts when out of season (i.e. not July or August in most cases). The Umbrian country side is a beautiful drive.  While we thought (and still think), Assisi and Urbino are “beautiful” to the eye – there seems to be something quite harmonious about their location with respect to the topography, their overall “shape”, and the warm coloured stone from which they are built. But in reality there are a lot of towns built on the tops of hills – and they all seem to look impressive.  Today we travelled quieter roads which was pleasant.

Lake Bolsena is much like a small Taupo (and at 140m deep, of similar depth), being the caldera of a volcano, almost circular, and with two islands – one of which was quite similar in appearance and shape to that of the island off Motutere. It looked like rain – but there was the promise (tomorrow) of a bike ride around the lake from  our campsite (Lido Camping Village) to the old (walled) town of Balsena…

The old town of Balsena - but this is as close as we got to it...

We do note that the “bathrooms” at Lido Camping Village could inform Motutere as to redevelopment of their facilities… - just a little marble to go around… but the loos still didn’t have toilet seats or loo paper!

The "entry" to the showers, toilets and laundry at Lido Camping  Village - all marble and columns!

The campsite at Lido Camping Village - good tree cover - but clearly the "season" has not yet begun - with many caravans still sitting in drab winter attire - including cling wrap in some cases... 

So being parked within 50m of the Lake’s edge… and with some free time to spare… Fiat got a sponge bath – to try and remove some of the grime from 2000+ km of travel. It went from grey to white… up to the waist line – too tall to do the rest. It looked much improved… especially after cleaning the alloy wheels! We went to bed hopeful for the next day… but it rained all night… then on into Sunday –but that is tomorrow’s story.

Sunday 26-May-2019 (Balsena)

It rained all night… and all of today… and we were still under the weather… An indoor project was needed. 

 In Ulm (way back then) we bought some material from IKEA to stop anything from sliding around in the draws and cupboards – but hadn’t quite made the time to cut, fit and install.. We have now. Nothing much more to add to this day.

Monday 27-May-2017 (Balsena to Sorrento)

Considering the date – nearly the end of May, one month from starting out, and our location – less than hallway to Palermo (Sicily) we decided to make some decisions about what we were not going to visit.  Rome was the first off the list – we visited here in 2006 with Lydia. With our current feeling of “well-being” we just didn’t have the time and stamina to stand in long queues in the rain, or to deal with the crowds – so decided to press on to the South… and the hope of better weather. So a day of cruise-control driving would not be a problem.  Upon consulting the ACSI App,  Camping Santa Fortunata Village in Sorrento seemed like a good destination, at just on 400 km away. In 2006 we didn’t make it to Sorrento when driving along the Amalfi Coast – because as you may recall me commenting (probably ad nauseum)– that driving along that road was the first time I lost confidence in my ability to avoid a collision… Every Italian driver was treating its 1 and ½ lanes of width as both a race track, and one way – their way!  So it seemed reasonable to finally make it to Sorrento end of that “drive”  Most of the day would be on Autostradas so set Fiat’s Cruise Control to 100 km/h, and focused on passing trucks. It was also a day of near silent travel – at the cost of about €20.  The Sunday project had had a large impact on the noise emanating from our “tiny-home”, and the mostly smooth surface of the Autostrada meant almost no noise from the dash… it was beautifully quite, peaceful travel.

I’m not sure about Italian drivers though.  There is every evidence that indicators must only be available if you checked that option in the catalogue when you ordered the car.  And few people seem to have done so!  And this is a land of many roundabouts!  Also, even on the Autostrada – with the exception of the left most lane - the lane markings often seem to provide little guidance as to where you should drive, and at what speed. Of course, once you get onto streets – it is a racetrack for scooters and motor cycles – who clearly left their starting point to late, in order to get to their destination on time by following the traffic rules – all passing operations are fair game, and every other vehicle must be passed! And every driver asserts their right to interrupt the flow of traffic by parking where ever they choose to stop, or to park by pointing the front of the car in the general direction of the curb, regardless of whether the rear is interrupting traffic or not.  Clearly, the part the driver can see out the front is “parked”!

On the road from Naples to Sorrento - after emerging from one of the many tunnels enroute.  Looking toward Sorrento - evening light.

Italian Bus drivers are however altogether different… they understand lanes, have indicators and the places they can squeeze through are truly amazing! We shall report more on that later – when we talk about Capri.

The last part of the travel, from the outskirts of Naples to Sorrento – was quite “slow” and “interesting” in places – but we made it.

Tuesday 28-May-2019 (Sorrento)

The campsite here is in an olive grove that cascades down the hill towards a “beach”.  We were offered a couple of options for vehicle placement here… we could use our ACSI benefits (=discount) and park in a somewhat non-descript hollow at the end of a somewhat windy descent, far away from most of the facilities… or eschew those benefits, pay the normal rate (“only” 50% more ) and have a site where it would be easy to park Fiat – (who is 7.6m long, recall), close to the “services”, and almost with a view!

Fiat among the Olive Trees at Camping Santa Fortuna...

And when looking in the opposite direction to that above... a view toward Sorrento...

The locals are saying that the weather this May, has been the worst in 60 years (in Florence they were reporting the “worst in 40 years”). Our plan was to at least visit Capri while in Sorrento – but there was little point in doing that while it was raining.

Camping Santa Fortunata Village is a “big” operation. I have no idea how many people they could accommodate between tents, motorhomes, cabins, “safari tents” etc. – but I suspect it would be in the high hundreds.  Actually, if you look at the photo of the Sorrento area from yesterday, and look to the last populated headland in the distance – this is where Santa Fortunata is situated.

As the weather was still “patchy”… and there was a long gap in shuttle services into Sorrento (and return) between 11am and 5pm – we used the morning and early afternoon time to explore the campsite some more… and  visit the “beach”.  I am happy to report that the beach contained no irritating fine aggregate material (others call it sand), and the “gravel” was of substantial dimensions! 

The "beach" at Camping Santa Fortunata...

The water was warm enough for some of the English visitors to enjoy a refreshing swim in their normal bathing attire – but I believe the locals are still wearing wet suits.

In the afternoon we made a very pleasant visit to Sorrento – where as might be expected, the primary focus of business seems to be on tourists (just like us). By now the sun was shining, and it was warm (not hot) – and the atmosphere very pleasant – just what we needed.

Typical of the streets (lanes?) between the more "major" thoroughfares in Sorrento.

On the edge of the Grand Harbour - sunbathing anyone?  Apparently not today!

As we were strolling down Corsa Italia – past all the shops selling visits to here and there – we looked into one offering Capri visits, and signed up (at “just”€50 per person, and €5 cheaper than was being offered at Santa Fortunata)… with the pickup being at 8am in the morning, returning around “6pm”. We hoped for improving weather.

Wednesday 29-May-2019 (Sorrento/Capri)

The day dawned fine and sunny. And the pickup bus arrived exactly on time. The first part of the drive was to the port of Navaro (on the southern side of the peninsula)… a great experience seeing how the bus drivers deal with the challenges of narrow roads.  Arriving at Navaro – we were clearly in good company…

Superyacht "Icon" at the port of Navaro

Well maybe not – as the small yacht anchored in the harbour, Icon, is owned by ?? – as even Google seems not to be very helpful.

And so on to Capri. Apparently, the seas are normally calm at this time of year, and the weather is hot and sunny etc.  Today (as it has been for the week), the seas are not calm, but foretunately the weather is just warm… and it is sunny.  The trip was delightful – made more so by the “almost Kiwi-like” banter / information sharing from  the guides on the boat – who advised against buying anything there – and suggested that we visit the more interesting sites and views… and they could help make that happen for just €22 per person. This seemed like a good offer – as it avoided all the hassle of multiple buses etc.  As it turns out – we have evidence that it was a very good decision!

The Grand Harbour on Capri

A view from "our" bus, while passing a delivery truck on a typical "two" lane Capri road.

A few points of interest… There are no beaches on Capri, the cost of housing is just €25,000 / square m (putting Auckland prices into context) – apparently because no new building is allowed, there are 2 million visitors to Capri each year, with 15,000 per day during the height of Summer, and basically there are two “towns” on Capri, the eponymously named “Capri” just above the Grand Harbour, and Anacapri – at the Northern end of the island, and at 350m elevation – and only reachable by bus, or via the Greek Steps – all 921 of them… and the only to reach Anacapri until the road was completed in 1944. It must be said that the built infrastructure on Capri is not particularly “pleasing” to the eye (unlike the villages and towns we have talked about above)… actually in many cases it looks quite rumpty-dumpty! 

Being driven around the Island was almost entertainment enough! Passing is tortuous – but done with flare and absence of drama… and cm’s (mm’s?) of clearance it would seem on many occasions!

So, sometimes, you just don't fit... but no matter... tomorrow may be the same,,, and one of the ever present pidgins.

Looking towards Marina Piccolo from the Gardens of Augustus in Capri

My beautiful wife - in the Gardens of Augustus (Capri) - Correct she has not vetted this Post before it was "published"...

Ceramics are everywhere to be seen here too.. along with sculptures that are "easy" to understand...

"Downtown" Capri - a place to empty your bank account of matters of vain glory... Its pretty though (so just to be clear - not all buildings are less than pleasant to the eye).

Although the overall sense of the built infrastructure is less than ideal – the physical setting is beautiful, as are some of the public spaces – so it is not all “ugly”… 

From Mt Solano - looking toward the Faraglioni rocks (Capri (town) on the left centre)

Looking down on Marina Piccolo - from Mt Solano

At this distance (from near the top of the Greek Steps at Anacapri) - a view of the town of Capri and the Grand Harbour - doesn't look so bad, right?

And another view of the traffic, and passing manoeuvres enroute from Anacapri back to Grand Harbour… Here the “stretched limos” appear to be open-top lengthened fiats (note, little “f”, not to be confused with Fiat)… I wonder what the glitterati use, when on island?

Two lane road, simple passing manoeuvre - everybody, move right!

Reflections from the waters in Grand Harbour.... and colour of the water makes it look very enticing.

Back at Pier 1, we re-joined the boat that had brought us over from Navaro – for a circular tour of the Island… something that was made still more enjoyable by the guide – who had of course taken to calling all the women “darling” by now, and the assemblage of tourists “family”… and he could sing well as well.  A time to just let it all roll by one and enjoy the ride (which was quite up and down (and very enjoyable) - for about 50% of the circumnavigation!). Janet – we did not get to visit the “Blue Grotto”… it was not possible to visit – as the swell and tide made entry impossible. Finally we joined the procession got to pass through the hole in the Faraglioni rock…

Passing through the "hole in the Faraglioni" rock...

We got back to the Camp at 6.15pm… just 15 minutes later than the “plan”… excellent timing, and a day that we really enjoyed, sunburn included… Tomorrow we will move on