No one in Australia drinks Fosters Lager. That is mostly due to a marketing decision made about 30 years ago to gradually withdraw it from the Victorian market (back when we still had our beer allegiance on a state by state basis). So finding it overseas like this at Hamerica – a restaurant with an …
Author Archives: Ernest Zanatta
An afternoon stroll through Bologna
I occasionally have what I call ‘wow’ moments – when I see something that causes my jaw to drop. My first trip to Italy was like that when I saw Venice as my plane prepared to land. I think I had a few moments like that in Bologna this afternoon, when I saw some of …
Whatever happened to the torpedo punt?
https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/tayla-harris-pays-tribute-to-danny-frawley-after-blowing-afl-stars-out-of-the-water/news-story/ab8d4d0e46c84d2ac16c7e4bb654a824 I’m sitting in Bologna reading up on my AFL news, as you do. Reading that Tayla Harris came third in a contest on grand final morning sinking a torp is great, but also goes to illustrate that the torpedo punt, that most beautiful and spectacular, and riskiest, of kicks, is next to extinct, saved …
Salerno – everything Naples is not
I must say, Salerno is everything Naples is not. Clean, civic minded, friendly, and with a great sense of joy of life. Compare that to the squalor, passive aggressiveness, and general apathy on the slopes of Vesuvius. I walked down the Via Vittorio Emmanuele as it got progressively narrower and narrower til I found myself …
It’s not everyday you can see a Castle outside your lodgings… except perhaps in Italy
When I left my B&B in Salerno this morning to head to the station I happened to have a closer look at the hill overlooking the town and noticed a castle ruin on it. You don’t see that sort of thing in Australia, that’s for sure.
In Salerno, a picture does not need to say a thousand words….
This is the view from my accommodation in Salerno. Obviously they feel great love for their neighbour Naples, although I hope it is more than just soccer rivalry.
Glimpses of home….
Reggio is the province my mother migrated from, so I suppose it is one of my places of origin, but for me home is Australia. So imagine how pleased I was to see lots of Norfolk Island pines and Moreton bay figs lining the seaside esplanade in Reggio.
The Aragonese Castle In Reggio
I must say, Reggio Di Calabria is much nicer than I expected it to be. I visited the Castle, which is believed to date to the 6th century and built on an earlier fortress site, and enjoyed the views of the city. Due to earthquakes, there is little else of this 3000 year old city …
Reggio Calabria – the cathedral
A couple of photos of the cathedral in Reggio. Note the Greek inscription over the entry – it’s not too long since they used to speak Greek in this part of the world. Prior to emigrating in the late 50s, my mother still had an uncle from a Greek speaking village slightly inland from her …
A charming anecdote
To borrow from Dostoyevsky, and then turn it around 180 degrees, I have a charming little anecdote about my visit to Messina. Yesterday on the bus back from Tipoldi, I got to talking with a very ancient old man sitting next to me. Before he got off the bus he gave me as a memento …
Lost For Words! 