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 …
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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 …
Acroneo – Ancient Wine Making in Acri….
I’m in Cosenza for a few days at a cultural conference. Yesterday we went on a bus trip into the hills outside Cosenza. There we visited a very unique wine making project outside Acri, an ancient hill town which predates Greek settlement. A local archeologist, with the sponsorship of a university, has recently embarked on …
Cosenza Cathedral
Just to show that I am actually seeing some interesting sights rather than following news from Australia on my smart phone, here is a shot of the 800 year old cathedral in Cosenza. There are some other buildings in the same street which are even older. It’s tricky to fathom all this, given the terms …
The GWS bandwagon
Right now I am in Cosenza in Calabria for a few days, but I can’t escape AFL and nor would I want to! GWS is into its first grand final after giving Collingwood supporters more pain than the federal government’s refusal to increase Newstart allowances and quite frankly, I am happy. One of the sweetest …
If the Ancient Romans could drive on the left, why don’t the Italians?
There is abundant archeological and recorded evidence that the ancient Romans used to drive and walk on the left side of the road. It comes from keeping your shield on your left and your sword arm quick to draw, in case of ambush. Driving on the left is what made the Romans great, and probably …
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Off to Consenza!
This train is a Frecciaargento ETR485. It has a maximum speed of 280 kmh. It will take me most of the way to Paola. Why don’t we have trains like this in Australia?
Lost For Words! 