Coastal Hop Along the Italian Sole

Saturday, May 12, 2018
Le Castella town wall
Calabria, Italy

Early morning start from our anchorage in Taormina.  Wow!

Didn't get to climb Etna but we'll be back on our way out of the Med.  It'll still be there...hopefully.

We are on a schedule - we need to get to Crotone, Italy, where we will leave the boat for a short trip to Norway.  Crotone is a city at the metatarsal of the boot.  The coast on the sole of the toe of the boot is one very long beach and, hence, there are few protected anchorages to stop along the way.  In opposition to the scads of tourists in Taormina, this part of Italy, cut off from the rest by a mountain range is not on the general tourist route.  Apparently, most of the international tourists who come are looking for Italian ancestors.  The very few tourists we have seen are Italian.

Milly all alone in the first stop, Roccella Ionica.  That beach extended for tens of miles!  Roccella was a sleepy town as all seem to be.  We keep thinking that we are walking through these towns during siesta but no matter when we explore most stores and homes seem shut.  We did have the "best pizza in Italy" at a pizzeria in the marina at 7:00 when it finally opened and it was fantastic.  It was laden with stuff in North American fashion instead of the simple traditional Italian fare.

From a ruined tower at Roccella Ionica on a dramatic hunk of rock to a slightly lower also ruined castle, both quite high above the town.  Made for a dramatic town skyline.

We like being off the beaten track and so have enjoyed being the only boat in the harbour but the unfortunate part for the area is that the souvenir shops, many bars and restaurants are empty.  The resort complexes, obviously recently built, are also large abandoned with little care of the property, at least at this time of year.  We were the only ones on the enormous beach where we walked yesterday. And yet this is an area with authentic towns, rugged green mountains and spectacular beaches for sunbathers and walkers.  We have been delighted by it.

Next stop:  Le Castella. It's namesake castle is huge, built on a tiny island to house the villagers during attacks from the so-called Barbarians.  

 A view of Milly in the fishing harbour.

Milly with her fishing neighbours on the town wall.  We have learned that many towns have free town walls available for docking.  We, luckily, had the only remaining spot on a weekend when the fishermen stay at dock.  Saturday a.m. it was a hive of activity - engines being repaired, diesel delivered, nets repaired and piled very neatly.  By afternoon, it was deserted - all the men had gone home for their all-important lunch, siesta and hard earned day of rest.  During the week, boats left at 4:45 a.m. - we heard them - and returned around 6 p.m.  Refrigerated vans hustled to the dock, fish, shrimp, squid, neatly arranged in styrofoam boxes were packed into the vans and then those tired fishermen tidied their boats and went home for a short night of rest.  They work hard!