Lover of Wine – Travel along on our adventures – DAVID & JANEEN

Our next stop was the Island of Sicily more specifically, the port of Catania.  Catania is the second-largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population.  The city is located on Sicily’s east coast, facing the Ionian Sea at the base of the active volcano Mount Etna. 

Founded in the 8th century BCE by Chalcidian Greeks in Magna Graecia, the city has weathered multiple geologic catastrophes: it was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169. A major eruption and lava flow from nearby Mount Etna nearly swamped the city in 1669 and it suffered severe devastation from the 1693 Sicily earthquake.

During the 14th century, and into the Renaissance period, Catania was one of Italy’s most important cultural, artistic and political centers.  It was the site of Sicily’s first university, founded in 1434.  

The central “old town” of Catania features exuberant late-baroque architecture, prompted after the 1693 earthquake, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There were also elephants, sculpted in lava rock, on soccer shirts, and at one time indigenous to the island. 

 Our excursion today was a Chef Led Market tour and lunch.  Walking through the historic part of town, our guide gave us insights into how the city was reconstructed after the 1693 earthquake – where it was virtually obliterated, so the city started with a blank slate.  As a result, the city has wide avenues, straight lines and buildings no taller than 4 stories.

Paths through the vegetable and fish markets, however, remain cobblestoned and narrow. The group was unable to pass up sweet treats of pistachio, but were whisked through persimmons, lemons, zucchini, and sardines.

Towering higher than the buildings is the music of Bellini, musician of Operas born in Catania and in the early 19^th century beloved for his flowing melodies. He died in mysterious circumstances, alone and far from his Sicilian home.

Several stops along the way featured delicious treats (Sicilian arancini and cannoli) to sample.  After our break, we picked up the pace and headed to our lunch spot.  Ostier Vinoteca, where had lunch with wines complementing each course. Each course was authentic Sicilian dishes using only seasonal and local ingredients from the island.  We enjoyed the hospitality of the vinoteca’s friendly owner and its chef.

After finishing lunch, we headed back to the ship to relax get ready for our next adventure.

Chef Eva Mulligan – she did cooking classes on board the ship too.

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We had two ports of call in Greece – Corfu and Katakolon.  At our first stop, Corfu, we got off the ship and boarded a coach for a panoramic drive through the interior of Corfu toward the beach-blessed village of Paleokastritsa.  Along the way we saw the historic part of town and learned about its history.  

The Island is defined by rugged mountains and a resort-studded shoreline. Its cultural heritage reflects years spent under Venetian, French and British rule before it was united with Greece in 1864. Corfu Town, flanked by 2 imposing Venetian fortresses, features winding medieval lanes, a French-style arcade and the grand Palace of St. Michael and St. George.  However, we just motored through all of this on our way to our lunch spot, the Golden Fox.

The Golden Fox is located at the top of the mountain with really nice views back to the bay.  While sitting on the veranda of the family-owned restaurant we admired the views. The menu featured homemade dishes prepared from recipes that take full advantage of the local ingredients. The offerings included classics such as pastitsada, a slow-cooked beef stew that is served over pasta, some local mussels and an interesting salad mix.  They also provided some local wines (red and white) which were just OK, nothing great.

After lunch we headed out to visit a shop where various souvenirs were available.  On the whole this was not one of the better excursions we have had.

The next day, after sailing down the coast of Greece, we docked in Katakolon.  No excursions planned and Janeen stayed aboard while I wandered along the three streets of town.  Big purchase – an espresso and a couple of post cards.

The major take away for the last two days, besides the beautiful weather,  is that we can say we have been to Greece and that’s about it.

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We left Croatia and crossed over the Adriatic Sea to the coast of Italy – Bari.  Several years ago, we had driven along the Adriatic coast of Italy and about when we got to Bari, we turned right and headed to the other side.  Not sure if we actually made it to Bari or not, but no matter we weren’t going to go there anyway as our trip today was to the city of Matera.  Comprised of two districts – Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano is well known for the ancient cave dwellings which have been habited since the Paleolithic period.

To describe Sassi as “one of the most unique landscapes in Europe” would be an understatement.  The coach dropped us off in the more industrial section of the city and we began our walk passing by the more traditional shops and local markets.  However, once through the more modern section of town we came upon the spectacular view of the cave dwellings.

The Sassi originate from a prehistoric troglodyte settlement and are suspected to be among the first human settlements in Italy. There is evidence that people were living here as early as the year 7000 BCE.  These homes were dug into the calcarenitic rock (a type of limestone) itself. The streets in some parts of the Sassi often run on top of other houses. The ancient town grew up on one slope of the ravine created by the Gravina river. 

Beset by extreme poverty and riddled with malaria, the unhealthy living conditions were considered inhuman and an affront to the modern new Italian Republic.   In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city.  However, people continued to live in the Sassi, and Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago.

Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since many of these houses were, and in some cases still are, uninhabitable. The current local administration, however, has become more tourism-oriented, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi with the aid of the European Union, the government, and UNESCO. 

We visited one of the cave homes which is showcasing how the inhabitant’s lives would have been, complete with fixtures and fitting. The entire family (on average six members) including animals like donkeys, chicken, and pigs lived together in the cave and it has been furnished as it would have been in those days. 

Materans also worshipped in cave churches, many of which are adorned with frescoes painted directly on the rock.

The entire area is really quite amazing and certainly not at all what we had expected to see.  After our walking tour we reboarded our bus and headed back to the ship.

In the fall of 2017, we visited some Greek and Roman Ruins at Paestum on the western side of Italy.  Today we are visiting Salona, an ancient city and capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia along the Adriatic Sea in Croatia.  This too is a architectural site (now) of classic ruins from so long ago.  Salona was once the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and is now largest archaeological park in Croatia. Its size is evidenced by the imposing walls with towers and gates.

The forum with temples, the amphitheater, and the cemetery with the Salonitan martyrs.  This was a  city with over 60,000 inhabitants, and according to legend, the birthplace of Emperor Diocletian. 

Salona is first mentioned as an Illyrian city in 119 BCE and the city had already constructed walls by then. The Romans took this place in 78 BCE, and under Augustus’s rule expanded the walls and city. It became the administrative seat of the Dalmatian province of the empire. When the emperor Diocletian built his palace in Split at the end of the 3rd century CE, he was attracted by the proximity of Salona. This great history all broke down in the 7th century when the city was razed by the invading Avars and then the Slavs. The inhabitants fled to take refuge within Diocletian’s old palace walls and to the neighboring islands, leaving Salona to perish.

Wandering through this empire of ruins is an evocative journey into the age of emperors, gladiators and Christian martyrs. Although many ancient treasures in Salona are now on display in the Archaeological Museum in Split, there are a surprising amount still on site. Numerous sarcophagi are scattered throughout the area.

After our tour of the ruins, we reboarded the bus and headed for our walking tour of Split.

Split historically known as Spalato is the second-largest city of Croatia, after the capital Zagreb, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast. It lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and is spread over a central peninsula and its surroundings

The city was founded as the Greek colony of Aspálathos, named for the profusion of the flowering shrub known as “broom”. In the 3rd or 2nd century BCE and in 305 CE, it became the site of the Palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian. It became a prominent settlement around 650 when it succeeded the ancient capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, Salona. After the sack of Salona by the Avars and Slavs, the fortified Palace of Diocletian was settled by Roman refugees. 

Diocletian’s Palace was built at the end of the third century AD as a residence for the Roman emperor Diocletian, and today forms about half of the old town of Split, Croatia. While it is referred to as a “palace” because of its intended use as the retirement residence of Diocletian, the term can be misleading as the structure is massive and more closely resembles a large fortress: about half of it was for Diocletian’s personal use, and the rest housed the military garrison.

Split became a Byzantine city while later it drifted into the sphere of the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Croatia, with the Byzantines retaining nominal control. 

For much of the High and Late Middle Ages, Split enjoyed autonomy as a free city of the Dalmatian city-states, caught in the middle of a struggle between Venice and Croatia for control over the Dalmatian cities.  With various rulers taking control including Napoleon, Habsburg, Austrian Empire, Yugoslavia and finally as the independent country Croatia. 

The Temple of Jupiter is an ancient Roman temple located to the west from the Peristyle Square, the centerpiece of Diocletian’s Palace. Like the rest of the palace complex, it was built between 295 and 305. The ancient temple was afterwards converted into a Christian baptistery dedicated to St John the Baptist, which might have happened as early as the sixth century.

It really seems as if we are on a Games of Thrones tour as once again, we are visiting a city where they filmed a portion of the action.  A part of season four was filmed, in part, in the palace basements as they were used as the setting for where Daenerys keeps her dragons.  

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Today is another country – Montenegro.  Considered to be one of the most recently recognized countries, Montenegro separated from Serbia in 2006.

Its 25 municipalities have a total population of 633,000 people in an area of 5,333 sq mi. It is bordered by Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, Albania to the southeast, Croatia to the west, and has a coastline along the Adriatic Sea to the southwest.  The capital and largest city is Podgorica, while Cetinje is the Old Royal Capital and cultural center.  Our visit was to Kotor and the village of Lastva.

After taking a shore boat to the pier, we climbed aboard a coach for the ride to Lastva.   

This quaint village has managed to preserve its authentic rural charm but has also evolved into a favorite getaway location.  Virtually all the resident have moved to the Kotor (or its surrounding area) making Lastva a living museum.  The residents continue to take pride in their village while living somewhere else.  With narrow and rustic roads lined with stones and extremely archaic architecture, Lastva serves as a living reminder of traditional Montenegrin culture.

The village has about 20 stone houses, all of which are very simply built. In the majority of the village yards, you can see the trellises of grape, interior gardens, stone benches and some water cistern. The village church, Saint Maria Church, is dedicated to the Birth of the Holy mother of God and was built in baroque style.  While services are not held on a regular basis, it is open for visits.  Special services are held through the year to celebrate various key dates within the community.  

Adjacent to the church is an old olive oil mill and press.  This press was a community operation with crews dedicated to the working of the system until as late as the 1980s.  The mill and press were all hand operated and required a LOT of work.  

While no longer in operation, it could be restarted with little difficult just a major cleaning would be required.

After visiting the mill, we went to the community center and had some traditional snacks including red and white wines plus a grappa.  While we had our snack, we were entertained by a couple of locals playing.   

Also, in the community center, were some paintings from some of the local artists along with information about the overall history of the community.

Once our snack was completed, we returned to the bus for the ride down to the historic old center of town, Kotor. 

The old Mediterranean port of Kotor and its fortifications were built during the Venetian period between 16th and 17th centuries. Together with the overhanging limestone cliffs, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive landscape.  

Characterized by winding streets and squares, its medieval old town has several Romanesque churches, including Kotor Cathedral. It’s also home to the Maritime Museum, which explores local seafaring history.

Since the early 2000s Kotor has seen an increase in tourists, many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted to the natural environment of the Bay of Kotor and, of course, the old town of Kotor. Kotor is a World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Cultural-Historical Region of Kotor.

After our bus adventure, we entered the old town through the Sea Gate.  Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic.  Once through the gate, we were immediately in the town square with its medieval architecture very apparent.  The ancient walls which stretch for 2.8 miles circle the city.  Our guide walked us through the streets past the Duke’s Palace, the Arsenal and the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon.  

It also seemed like there was a restaurant, jewelry store, souvenir shops at every turn.    

Of course, Kotor also played a role in the Game of Thrones where its beautiful scenery of the Bay of Kotor is featured along with shots of the old town and the historic fortifications.  (I guess I really am going to need to watch this series after seeing all the places where it was filmed).