Paestum, Italy

Some of the best Greek ruins are in Italy. Greek wealth and nobility would give the first son the site in Greece and the second son got the one in Italy. Southern Italy was a favorite place for the Greeks. It was easy to get to and there was plenty of land there. Paestum is in Campania, south of the Amalfi Coast and south of Salerno. It is between Salerno and Agropoli on the coast. This site was inflected with malaria and lay untouched by humans for a long time. It was for this reason it is so well-preserved.

Paestum today is a large outdoor museum. You buy tickets in a building across the street and then enter the site. Inside you can walk around this huge site with beautiful Greek ruins. The site is so well-preserved that it should be on everyone’s bucket list. If you are visiting the Amalfi Coast, this is a short drive to Paestum.

Come walk around these ruins at Paestum with us in our YouTube video below:

– George Febish

Agropoli, Italy

Agropoli is a large town in Campania, south of Naples, south of the Amalfi Coast and south of Salerno. From Salerno you drive south past the ancient Greek ruins at Paestum to Agropoli.

Paestum

Agropoli, like many Italian cities has a modern part and an old city. The old city is high on a hill overlooking the sea. It has a wonderful castle with a moat (without water) and a drawbridge (no longer functional). We enjoy walking around the old city. As you approach you find yourself on a street of interesting shops leading up the hill. The street soon turns into a set of stairs leading into the old section. There is a wonderful church at the top. Turn right and follow the signs to the castle and views of the beach and sea.

This is the beautiful and romantic land of Benvenuto al Sud! What a wonderful place for a passegiata. The beautiful mountain city of Castellabate is just a little farther south.

Come walk with us in the old city of Agropoli. Click on the video below …

– George

Castellabate, Italy

Castellabate is a wondrous place to visit. It is a mountain town south of Salerno and just south of Agropoli. It is not far from the Greek ruins at Paestum. It is in the Campania region south of the world-famous Amalfi Coast. Here you really step back in time. As you drive up narrow hairpin curves to this mountain town, the sea drops farther and farther below you. Once you arrive you have airplane type views of the sea and the sea town of Santa Maria Castellabate far below you. You have stepped back in time. As you park and walk into this city, your adventure begins.

Your first view is the vista far below you and the old castle. Then you enter a maze of streets that turn into steps and old buildings. Finally you emerge at the Piazzella, the center of this city. Here life is a celebration. You have restaurants, tourists and a bar. There are also views off the back side away from the sea. Sit at a restaurant and enjoy a meal al-fresco. Here you watch and enjoy life Italian style.

The Italian movie Benvenutu al Sud was filmed here. This is a very funny comedy about a postal worker that wants to work in Milan but is punished and sent to the south in Castellabate. The movie exaggerates the biases about how the north feels about the south and how the south feels about the north. This is good fun but also an education in the different Italian life styles.

Tavel well, be romantic and have fun!

-George

The Magnificent Views of Italy

It doesn’t matter where you are in Italy. There are views and eye-catching sights everywhere. You can be in a big city looking at a famous monument, on a small street, looking at a small city high up on a mountain, at the beach, climbing stairs or sitting at a small trattoria. Italy is all about its architecture. It has a personality all to itself. Here you stand on ancient roads, some dating pre-Roman. You feel and see its history. At the same time there is a modern culture all around you. iPhones, iPad and computers are everywhere. Most bars have free wi-fi service.

We come to Italy for the food, the people and these views. I love the feeling of being in an ancient place. Thinking about those ancient people and what they did, what they felt. Was their life that different from ours? These views can talk to you! Just listen and hear what they are saying. This is not a country to be rushed. Stop, relax and take in these views. Listen to them. Imaging yourself back in those times. Soon your modern problems give way to an appreciation of this great history.

My wish to all my readers is to be able to travel. experience another culture. Enjoy life more. There is so much to experience and learn. Pick a place you are passionate about and visit it. Put it on your bucket list. life is short but memories are forever.

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My passion is Italy, what is yours?

George

My Italian Bucket List

I have been very lucky in my travels to Italy. I did a lot of work there and got to see a lot of the country and have lived both in the north and now in the south. I love everything about Italy. In so many ways it has figured out how to live happily. It is no wonder so many people want to go there. There is so much to see.

I have enjoyed its big cities:

• Milan
• Verona
• Venice
• Bologna
• Florence
• Rome
• Naples

I have also enjoyed its diverse areas:

• The lakes in the north
• Tuscany
• The Adriatic Coast
• The Tyrrhenian Coast
• The Amalfi Coast

There are still some places I want to see so this is my current Bucket List:

• Cinque Terra (north) – These five small towns were once very remote and unseen by most tourists. Then the train came and brought many tourists to this region. There is a walking path connecting each of the five villages. You can also take a boat, Life here is simple and enjoyable.
• Portofino (north) – This Italian fishing community and high-end vacation resort is famous the world over. The cove here is very picturesque. When I think of Portofino I can hear Andrea Bocelli singing here.
• Lucca (Central) – A city in tuscany near the sea. It is famous for its intact Renaissance-era city walls.
• The Tulli Homes of Alberobello (south) – These unique homes are round with pointy roofs. This is a very unique architecture that is strongly enforced in this city.

• Matera – Italy’s cave town (south) – Originated in the Paleolithic Period. The cave dwellings here were once slums and have been transformed into luxury housing and rentals. This is one of the most un pique cities in Italy and maybe the world.

• Sicily (south) – This unique island has so much to offer. From the volcano to its magnificent towns to its Greek ruins. Sicily is easily reached by ferry, train or car. All three methods of travel cross to the island on the ferry.

What is your bucket list for Italy?

George

 

Some of Our Best Memories

We have assembled pictures of some of our best memories in Italy. Italy is always romantic and it is always memorable. There are so many special little moments. The architecture, the sites, the history, the people, the food, the wine, … and so much more.

Enjoy your trip to see relatives, sites, museums or to just be Italian for a short while.

Dolce far niente!

George & Jo

Ascea & Velia Pictorial

Just south of Marina di Casal Velina is another beautiful beach town called Ascea. As you enter the town from the north, you pass ancient Greek ruins of a large port city called Velia.

Ascea has a population of just under 6,000 people. It has public and private beaches similar to Marina di Casal Velino. It is in the Province of Salerno, Region of Campania. There is a train station here that you can take it from Salerno or Naples.

Velia was called Elia by the Greeks. It is now a wonderful outdoor museum. You can walk among the ruins and get a sense of life. It was founded between 538 and 525 BC by the early Greeks. It was a port town on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Beautiful shells on the beach

Tower at Velia

Ruins of Velia

Ruins of Velia

Ruins of Velia

Tower at Velia

Thursday is market day in Ascea

The beaches of Ascea

Lunch at the beach

View from our lunch table

The beach club

Lunch

Enjoy the beach with huge mountains in the background. Nature is exceptionally beautiful here. Days are slow here and the food is fantastic. Relax on the beach or take a tour of Velia. Life is to be enjoyed. Be romantic, slow down and enjoy what you have.

George & Jo Anne

 

Paestum Pictorial

From the Amalfi Coast Drive’s end point at Salerno you take the A3 Autostrada south to Battipaglia and exit into the SS18 south. Follow the signs to Paestum. It is in the Province of Salerno, Campania. It is also in the Client National forrest.This was founded about 600 BC but had a bad malaria out break that preserved the site. It is the best Greece ruins in Italy’s mainland. Sicily has great ruins as well.

Great restaurant on southern edge of ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Ruins

Many of the ruins are leveled

Temple of Hera I

Theater

Entrance to Theater

Temple of Neptune

You will need to purchase a pass to enter this historic site. They are sold at the museum outside the sacred grounds. These ruins are  not to be missed.

George & Jo Anne

 

Thinking of Italy

Italy is on everyone’s bucket list. It is a romantic and beautiful place. Italy was created by very violent actions of nature. It was originally under the sea. It is a fault line with many active volcanos. As they erupted and slipped, a new land mass was formed. It cam up out of the sea. It continued up to form very impressive mountains. It still has some earthquakes but they are usually small and remove the fault line stresses. It does have two major active volcanos. Mt Vesuvius near Naples and Mt. Etna in Sicily.

Have you longed for a trip to romantic Italy? The northern lakes with their beauty overlooking the Alps or maybe Tuscany with its wines and romantic scenery. The cities of Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples are great places to see Italians being themselves. They also are great for seeing living history. Look at the buildings the architecture and envision the people who built these great cities. There is no architecture in the world like Rome.

Maybe you are seeking an adventure to southern Italy with its Amalfi coast and Capri or farther south into the Cilento National Park. The ancient Greek town of Paestum.  Beauty unspoiled by man. What is stopping you? Exchange rates are in your favor.

If it’s being afraid of the big tours or doing it on your own, we offer an alternative for the selective traveler to see what they want to see and spend as much time as the want. If you find a great Italian spot, the last thing you want is to be taken away by a tour bus. It would be wonderful to change your plans and just stay in your new-found location.

Italy creates many wonderful memories and experiences but you have to touch it! Get away from the crowded tourists areas and meet real Italians. See places that will change you forever. If this interest you, write me at georgefebish@yahoo.com

Whatever you like, Italy has it. Explore, feed your romance, hunger and taste the wines of Italy.

George & Jo Anne

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Campania, Italy

(English version) Category:Maps of Campania Campania Campania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Campania, Italy is a beautiful area including Naples, Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi. It also includes so much more. You know how much we love this area of Italy. We bought a house there.

The Province of Campania includes the regions of:

1. Caserta
2. Benevento
3. Naples
4. Avellino
5. Salerno

Cilento is in the Salerno region.

It has some of the most beautiful mountains and some of the best beaches in all of Europe. Cilento is one of the largest national parks in Italy. It has a building code to prevent new building of condos, hotels, etc that will ruin the sea views and beaches. If this type of living interests you, visit Campania.

You can visit ancient Greek ruins in Paestum, large cities like Salerno and Agropoli and visit the famous Amalfi Coast. All of southern Italy is within a several hour drive. Sicily is just a ferry ride across the boot from mainland Italy.

 

There is a rainy season in November and December that can have rain almost every day or mild sunny days. The rain can be heavy and have strong thunder storms. This too is a beautiful side of nature but can ruin a trip if you are unaware. Choose your season and enjoy Italy. I would also avoid August as all of Europe is in vacation and beaches and towns are very crowded.

George & Jo Anne