[YEAR 7!] Quit our jobs, sold our home, gone riding...

[lightcycle]

Staying at a typical Italian neighbourhood, those are our clothes drying on the line!

Because of the costs of accommodations in Italy, we're finding that we need to be more diligent in researching and booking places in advance, instead of rolling into town and knocking on doors like we did in Latin America. We're refining this process and we're pleasantly surprised at how many private homes are opening their doors to travelers via AirBnB. Very good value for the money. HostelWorld remains a distant second because of the relative low value for what you pay for, and there seem to be plenty of RV campsites all over Italy, which is our cheap and easy fallback plan. The trick is finding one that doesn't have a volcano or spa attached to it that hikes up the price.

We opted to stay outside of Napoli, just a couple of kms away from Pompeii, which we visited the next day.

The ruins of Pompeii

There are places that we stumble upon as we're traveling that just pop up on our radar as we're planning our next day's ride. Pompeii was one of them. I had no idea it was this close to Napoli. We had planned to stop in the area to try some authentic pizza Napoletana and ended up visiting the ruins that had captivated my imagination when I was a kid.

Mount Vesuvius in the background

Walking through the streets of Pompeii, some sections were boarded off because excavation work is still underway

One of my favorite TV programs growing up was a sci-fi-documentary series called In Search Of... I remember being transfixed for a whole half-hour every week as Mr. Spock himself spun tales of pseudo-science explaining how the Mayans worshiped Ancient Astronauts and how Mount Vesuvius erupted blanketing Pompeii in a layer of thick hot ash, instantly preserving everything it covered. I remember vividly the plaster casts of the bodies caught in their last moment of anguish and how that both haunted and fascinated me at the same time.

Over 1,000 bodies were found preserved in the ashes of Pompeii

The biggest mystery was why Pompeii was the only city that had human bodies preserved in such detail that even the folds of their clothes can be seen in the plaster casts made from the hollows of the ashes. Other cities near Vesuvius showed no such preservation, only bones and teeth remained of their citizens as the pyroclastic surges of hot toxic gases and ash incinerated their bodies.

A recent documentary I watched explained that Pompeii was exactly the right distance away from Vesuvius that the surge of hot gases was just the right temperature to kill a person - boiling their brains in their skull - but not hot enough to destroy their flesh and clothing.

Some of the dead were little children, which was very sad

I spent a good long time staring at these bodies with both sadness and wonder. Like many other moments on this trip, this was a visit that brought back childhood memories and at times, it felt like I was 10 years old again with a Leonard Nimoy voiceover in my head. Pure Energy...

Greek-looking columns in Pompeii

I did some research and the columns here are more Greek-inspired than Roman. Pompeii is regarded as the crossroads between the Roman architecture of the north and the Greek influence of the southern Italy. I know nothing about architecture, but I love the names of the types of Greek columns: Doric, Ionic, Mixolydian, Pentatonic...

Water break amongst the ruins

"No Neda, this amphitheatre is not as pretty as Pula's..."

After this visit to the ruins of Pompeii, I have a new mission for our trip. I'm going to download all those old episodes of In Search Of... and then we're going to ride to every place covered in each episode. Next stop: The Lost City of Atlantis!

 

[Wainiha]

Red red wine. I like UB40.

That pizza pic is torture.

 

[lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/178.html

The Amalfi Coast is one of the world's top motorcycle destination roads, earning it's reputation by offering up twists and turns and amazing sea-side scenery. Situated just east of Napoli, the pretty part only covers 40 kms between Positano and Salerno, but there's much to see in such a small stretch of coastline.

Getting ready to hit the Amalfi Coast!

Worth getting up early for this!

We woke up bright and early because we wanted to really take our time on the Amalfi Coast, but since we were headed eastbound we had the sun in our eyes for most of the ride. The road is short enough that you could probably ride back and forth a few times in a single day, but we wanted to head further south so this was our only run.

Small towns and villages cling onto the Amalfi coastline and provide a pretty backdrop to our twisty ride

Such a scenic view from the road above looking into all the small villages in the bays below

The Amalfi Coast really lived up to its reputation. Our helmets were like bobbleheads taking in the 360 degree panorama of views around us, the coastline far below us to our right, the pretty towns that we rode through, dodging the local kamikaza scooters as they railed around the turns that they have memorized day in and day out. Neda and I both agreed that this was one of the top 5 roads that we've ever ridden in all of our travels. So glad we made it here!

Honeycomb pattern of villas and vacation rentals like kudzu on the cliffs of Amalfi

Local fruits and veggies

Thankfully we were blessed with incredible riding weather, blue sunny skies with only a few clouds lingering in the stratosphere, perfect temperature and not too much traffic on this early Saturday morning. After the last few days of rain, it would have been a shame having to ride this road in the wet.

40 kms turned into a 4-hour ride, we stopped at the side of the road to take many pictures

and when we saw the town of Amalfi, we decided to park the bikes and explore a bit

Amalfi is the main town on the Amalfi Coast, there are tons of other smaller villages that we passed through, but the opulence and the splendour of the buildings here begged us to stop and explore the place a bit more. Amalfi used to be a popular vacation spot for rich British people, perusing all the high-end stores and dining at the expensive restaurants in town. Now smelly, hobo bikers like us wander around and eat groceries from out of our topcase.

Round the Amalfi Coast with an Italian Supermodel?

Like most European beaches, Amalfi had a pebbly shore where we laid out our towels for a soak in the sun and surf

Neda said she prefers the pebbly beaches instead of the sandy ones because you don't get all dirty. Maybe it's because it's what she was used to growing up in Croatia, but to me, my childhood memories were of chasing tiny crabs as they popped up out of the sand after each wave came ashore on the beaches of Ipoh in Malaysia. To me, a beach has to have sand!

That, and pebbly beaches also leave weird pock-marks on your butt when you get up! Or maybe that's all the pasta I've been eating...

An octopus washed up on shore to become someone lucky sunbather's take-home dinner

Waving goodbye to Amalfi beach. Back on the road!

Pictures and words don't really do the ride around the Amalfi Coast justice, so here's a video instead

 

[Salty Dawg]

Great video !
I'm really getting to appreciate how nice it is to record a video while your riding especially like a ride you were on. There are so many dynamic pucker factors that pop up that you have to stay focused and vigilent or you could become a statistic real quick.
Having a video allows you to take the ride again in the comfort of your home where you end up seeing many things that were missed while out on the ride.

 

[lightcycle]

Having a video allows you to take the ride again in the comfort of your home where you end up seeing many things that were missed while out on the ride.

True, the only tough part is looking through all the footage you've taken to find the interest bits. VERY time-consuming!

 

[Wainiha]

Octopus. He'e in Hawaiian. Tasty tasty.

 

[lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/179.html

Italy has been such a beautiful place to visit so far. The western European culture here is so familiar and comfortable that I've taken over most of the trip planning again, even though my Italian is non-existent. This allows Neda to just enjoy the ride, since she did so much work while we were traveling through Latin America. So basically, this will be a nostalgia tour because we're going to visit every place that I've read about or seen in TV shows from when I was a kid!

We scored a pretty nice place for cheap in Capitello through AirBnB, on the western shore of the boot of Italy, right where the ankle meets the foot. Our place had a great view of the Gulf of Policastro and in the morning, we woke up early to catch the first rays of sunlight rise above the mountain range in the east. These mountains separate the Campagna region where we came from, and the Basilicata region, which we are headed through later in the day.

Nice thing about catching sunrises in the mountains is that you don't have to wake up too early.
This is about 45 minutes after the official sunrise for Capitello

View of the Gulf of Policastro from our place! Spectacular!

Neda looking out into the bay

Early morning fisherman against the many-layered mountains of Basilicata

The Basilicata region is the most mountainous region in Italy, almost half of its area is covered by mountains. These peaks fall and end abruptly at the shoreline, and we skirt the edge of the cliff-side road peering over the edge at more of the fantastic scenery that we had experienced the day before at Amalfi.

In some ways, the road further south of Amalfi was a better drive
because there was much less traffic and it offered the same view of the coastline

And we still got to ride through quaint little villages along the way. Not as crowded too!

We decided to stop at Maratea for lunch, since it was the only coastal town in the Basilicata region. As we got closer, we saw a small statue of Jesus high atop a cliff, which looked kind of cool. But the closer we got, the bigger Jesus grew - the statue was huge! It was so big, we had to investigate, so we rode up this very cool winding road that they had specially built to get to the top of the mountain.

That was fun!

Neda, the CIO (Chief Instagram Officer), gives the shareholders some updates

Cristo Redentore di Maratea stands over 21m high on the top of Monte San Biagio and is the 5th tallest statue of Christ in the entire world. The head itself is over 3m (10 feet) tall! It's made out of pure Carrara marble. Impressive! We spent a bit of time walking around the summit of the mountain, taking in the marvelous views of the town of Maratea as well as the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Just drinking in the scenery!

 

[lightcycle]

The Basilica of St. Blaise, also on top of Monte San Biagio opposite the statue

The road that they built to get up to the statue was a ton of fun, and we weren't the only ones enjoying as we passed cyclists and other motorcyclists. The mountain is so steep that they had to build a supported road with switchbacks away from the side of the slope. There were much better views going down, so here's a short video of our descent!

At about 0:09s you can see the statue as we are leaving it

Standing outside one of the numerous churches in Maratea

Maratea is a very picturesque village, but packed with lots of tourists. We had made plans to find a cheap restaurant to have lunch here, but all the places we stopped into had expensive menus and high copertos, so we carried our complaining stomachs further from the centre of town until we stumbled upon a small-hole-in-the-wall diner that was more kitchen than diner. There was no set menu, the Italian nonna who owned the place just continually made different pasta dishes throughout the day and sold whatever she had at the time. So glad that lasagna was what she happened to be cooking at the time. Both Neda and I agreed it was THE BEST lasagna we had ever eaten!

Neda is trying to trick this cat into thinking that there's food to be had!

More pretty Maratea

Back on the bikes after lunch and we're on our way further south. The coastal road takes us through deserted beach towns that probably would have been teeming with tourists from all over the country and Europe just a month ago. I can see and feel the sun and temperature warming up the path ahead of us, and what was an initial wet entry into Italy is turning out to be quite a nice tour! Yay!

Found a campsite right on the beach, as well as a cheap bottle of red wine from the "cellar" of the campground cafeteria

2014 was a good vintage year, wasn't it? Especially the month of September...

Sun sets, wine finished, back to the tent. Stumble, giggle, stumble. Pee a couple of times in the middle of the night...

The next morning, we ride down to the very tip of the boot to catch a ferry!

Saying goodbye to mainland Italy. We're heading to Sicily!

Funny thing is that we had not really planned to ride down this far. We were going to turn inland after the Amalfi Coast but after some research, I found that the ferry ticket was not that expensive and I was intrigued with Sicily even though I don't know much about it. So after some convincing to get Neda on-board, here we are!

 

[profdlp]

You not only stir my wanderlust with every new post, you make me hungry, too. :ylsmoke:

 

[Rugy]

Hope that your travels are going well in Sicily and that all is good.
Waiting with anticipation to read your latest update.
Lit our fireplace tonight for the first time this season, lots of cold weather in the forecast.
Take care !!!

 

[lightcycle]

Thanks for the encouragement, we've been taking a little break from riding and writing. Working on getting the blog up-to-date now!

 

[Sierra Valley]

What a tease!

 

[lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/180.html

We disembarked from the ferry out into the waiting arms of the port town of Messina. With the sun beating hot down upon us, we threaded our way through the congestion of this industrial city. Cars and scooters rushed past us on every side - budding in front of us, squeezing in between us, hanging onto our rear wheels... we quickly realized that the mythical crazy Italian drivers? They were all here in Sicily!

"Oh my god, they're crazy down here", I radioed to Neda. As if to underscore my point, a scooter zoomed past us, running the red light that we were stopped at. I looked behind me wondering if there was an impatient driver ready to yell at me, "Che cazzo fai?!? The light is red! Andiamo! Go, GO, GO!!!!"

Riding south, hugging the eastern coast of Sicily

It took us a good long while to make it out of the city centre. I decided that maybe we should bypass the Autostrada to save some money, but as the slow ride continued, the heat and the traffic were beginning to take their toll (no pun intended) on Neda. We passed several small towns on the coast and I remarked to her how ever since leaving Rome, the towns and buildings in Southern Italy had really begun to resemble Latin America - everything was a bit more unkempt and a bit less maintained than the north. Neda grunted her agreement. She was in no mood to converse.

Our route down the eastern shore took on a pattern: small unkempt sea-side towns, coastal road, sea-side-town, coastal road. After a couple of hours, we got the general idea. So we sucked it up and hopped on the Autostrada and headed towards Syracuse, or as they say in Italy: Siracusa. The toll turned out to be not that expensive. And even though the communicators remained silent after paying, I could hear Neda's voice in my head telepathically admonish me, "We should have taken the Autostrada"...

I think we may be overdoing it with the whole take-the-backroads-all-around-Europe thing. It may be a good idea to hop on the high-speed roads once in a while, and to pick up the pace a little bit too...

Ever wonder what's in that huge topcase behind me? Groceries!

We booked into a very luxurious apartment just outside of Siracusa and stocked up on yummy Italian groceries since we had a kitchen for the next couple of days. Our AirBnB host told us of some great places to visit in Sicily so we took some notes.

Our first stop, Ortigia!

Ortigia is a small island that's basically attached to the coastal city of Siracusa by a couple of very short bridges. It's the historical centre of town and is where all the touristy stuff is located, so we ride down to take in the sights. As usual, we do like the scooters do and park anywhere and don't pay a single cent!

The Fountain of Diana in Piazza Archimede

Did you know the famous Greek mathematician Archimedes was born in Siracusa? Although he was known for a whole bunch of mathematical stuff, the one fact that sticks out for me is that he was the first to exclaim, "Eureka!"

"Oh Don Juan, you charmer, you!"

Piazza del Duomo

The most famous sight in Ortigia is the Duomo di Siracusa. It's in the Piazza Duomo which dazzled us with its expansive white stone floor. In the bright Sicilian sunlit afternoon, you definitely need sunglasses to shield you from the glare!

The Duomo was actually originally an old 5th-century Greek temple (the Temple of Minerva) that was converted to a church. Carve an arch here and there, add a few columns and voila, instant church! Sacramental pita bread for the Holy Communion...

Here you can listen to some nice accordion music, and then drink from the Holy Grail...

We watched a photoshoot for a magazine on the boardwalk. No socks. Is that the fashion these days?

Someone forgot to tell the weatherman that RideDOT.com is in Sicily. The weather is beautiful down here!

The coastline of Ortigia

Writing on this tablet doesn't look very native to Sicily? Aramaic maybe?

 

[lightcycle]

Expensive restaurants in the historical tourist town of Ortigia. We have homemade pasta waiting for us tonight!

R1200GS sightings all over Syracuse

I noticed something very peculiar in this area of Sicily. There are tons of R1200GSs here! Not BMW motorcycles generally, but the R1200GS, and specifically the old air-cooled version like mine. These are just a few that I took some pictures of, but there were many, many others that were riding around that I didn't get a shot of. I know it's a popular motorcycle in Europe, but this was the highest concentration I've ever witnessed. So funny seeing my bike all over the place.

One thing I am really glad about in Europe is that our German motorcycles don't stand out all, not like in Latin America where our big bikes got a lot of (sometimes unwanted) attention. But here in Syracuse, not only did I not stand out, but I looked like a local! At least with my helmet on and the visor down...

Another one!

Even parked on the smaller streets

Before we headed into Syracuse, we gassed up outside our AirBnB apartment. The gas station attendant showed some interest in my bike, so I started explaining what it was and all the features. He smiled and shook his head. I had misunderstood his Italian. He wasn't telling me he was interested in the bike, he was trying to tell me that he OWNED the exact same bike.

Huh! R1200GS. The official motorcycle of Siracusa!

Opra dei Pupi

A popular attraction in Siracusa is the Opra dei Pupi, an elaborate puppet show with intricately detailed marionettes that enacted classic stories of Knights, Love and Honor in Medieval Europe. This is a modern Sicilian tradition from the 19th-century (but the roots date back to Medieval times) that is being kept alive in this town. Puppet builders and operators practice their craft to the delight of adults and children in daily showings.

We didn't attend the show. The official reason is that it was too expensive for our budget, but truthfully, life-like puppets and dolls kinda creep me out. Some people have an aversion to clowns, I dislike puppets and dolls. There's a scientific explanation for this mild phobia, you can Google "Uncanny Valley" if you're interested.

The ruins of the Greek Temple of Apollo, right in the heart of Ortigia. Too much work to turn this one into a church...

20 paces and Nikons at dawn! DRAW!

I have no idea who this guy is, but I'd like to think that somewhere on the Internet there's blog with this exact same picture of me doing the same thing.

Riding to the Necropolis!

The next day, we set off for the Necropolis of Pantalica which is about 25 kms outside of Siracusa. The road to get there is fabulous and twisty, goes up and down and around the mountainous terrain and thankfully is very well-marked. However every time I saw the sign for Pantalica, I couldn't help but think that would make a great name for a heavy metal band. Like if Pantera and Metallica ever decided to get together, this is what they would call themselves. And their first album would naturally be called Necropolis!

Neda: "We're going to find this place, because Nothing Else Matters!"

The Necropolis of Metallica is a cemetery made up of over 4,000 tombs carved into the limestone overlooking a large gorge, covering over an area over a km long and half a km wide. It's considered a prehistoric site, the tombs were all built during the Bronze Age!

Did they even have ladders that tall in 1200 BC?

As we got closer, it was quite a sight to see all those square holes cut into the rock like the regularly spaced windows of a large apartment building.

It didn't occur to me until later that I was suntanning in front of someone's tomb...

I read later on that the earlier tombs in the 12th century BC are elliptical in shape, but later on they had better tools, so the tombs built in the 6th century BC were more rectangular, and had little vestibules and porches. Neat!

Excavation was done in the early 1900s, but all the tombs had all been raided long before that.

We spent most of the morning hiking around the area before the sun got too hot. I really liked visiting the Necropolis of Pantalica and not just because of the cool-sounding heavy metal name.

Farewell Pantalica! What else is there to see in Sicily?

 

[Rugy]

Thanks for posting.
Always smiling when I see one of your new posts.
Take care and enjoy the sunshine.