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 …
Author Archives: Ernest Zanatta
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 …
Tipoldo
Tipoldo is about 16km south of Messina in the hills above the shoreline. As you can see, the view is amazing and I assume that is some ancient hill top fortress. I got there by riding the tram south from my hotel til the end of the line and then doing likewise with a bus. …
Call me ‘dottore’
Like most people I have a vain side, although I try not to indulge it too often. In Italy, people with university degrees frequently can lay claim to the title ‘dottore’, as it indicates that they are educated. So someone called me dottore yesterday, and despite having dropped out of my masters degree over 20 …
Norman Castle in Cosenza
This building on top of the highest hill in Cosenza is a Norman castle. I don’t normally take photos at night but I was at dinner with the group I’m with, and the castle was so well lit. Dinner was good fun with everyone quite rambunctious and I will be sad when this conference is …
