On the Sunday that I woke up in Torre Vado, it was cold and overcast. Great running weather (no pictures this time) but terrible beach weather. So we drove to the east coast instead. I don't know why that was so amusing to me, but I really got a kick out of that. I was on the beach on the west coast....and the weather was bad so I drove to the east coast. In 45 minutes. This was just the heel of the boot, but for my upcoming trip to Naples (East coast port to West coast port), it will take about 3 hours. That's like driving to Austin! I love how accessible everything is here. It's definitely a little easier than California to Carolina.
On the way there, Nicola asked me if I preferred a sandy beach or a rocky beach. Um, is that a real question? Sandy, of course! Then he laughed at me and called me "such an American." Apparently they all preferred rocky beaches because the sea here is so clear that you can see down into the depths for "many meters" and dive in. Ok, yeah I can see the beauty in that. But I still stand by my sandy beaches. They would understand too if they could see Destin or the outer banks of North Carolina.
Anyways, we drove to Castro, Italy as our starting point and then followed the coast north. Castro had that historic beauty that I guess is so common in Italy...but it still fascinated me. I figured we would get out of the car so I never took any pictures of Castro but we were already in Santa Cesarea Terma by the time I realized I hadn't captured anything. Santa Cesarea Terma had a beautiful lookout point that we got out at and is famous for having great caves for scuba divers to explore. I was told that the Greek Islands of Erickoussa and Otoni are only 40 miles off the coast and on a clear day they can be seen on the horizon....so go figure that it was overcast. Despite the gray skies, it was easy to see how beautiful this coast was and why the native Italians prefered this drive over the Amalfi Coast. They said it was more "wild" than the Amalfi drive, which I think they meant it was less developed. (I'm going to the Amalfi Coast in a couple weeks, despite their warnings of how touristy it is. I am a tourist though so I will do some touristy things. I'll keep you posted on my opinion, even though I'm "such an American"). Also when we stopped for lunch in the next town of Otronto, my new friend Guisseppe spent a good 10 minutes trying to help me pronounce Santa Cesarea Terma correctly. He had no luck, but at least I'm trying and at least I have good teachers!
On the way there, Nicola asked me if I preferred a sandy beach or a rocky beach. Um, is that a real question? Sandy, of course! Then he laughed at me and called me "such an American." Apparently they all preferred rocky beaches because the sea here is so clear that you can see down into the depths for "many meters" and dive in. Ok, yeah I can see the beauty in that. But I still stand by my sandy beaches. They would understand too if they could see Destin or the outer banks of North Carolina.
Anyways, we drove to Castro, Italy as our starting point and then followed the coast north. Castro had that historic beauty that I guess is so common in Italy...but it still fascinated me. I figured we would get out of the car so I never took any pictures of Castro but we were already in Santa Cesarea Terma by the time I realized I hadn't captured anything. Santa Cesarea Terma had a beautiful lookout point that we got out at and is famous for having great caves for scuba divers to explore. I was told that the Greek Islands of Erickoussa and Otoni are only 40 miles off the coast and on a clear day they can be seen on the horizon....so go figure that it was overcast. Despite the gray skies, it was easy to see how beautiful this coast was and why the native Italians prefered this drive over the Amalfi Coast. They said it was more "wild" than the Amalfi drive, which I think they meant it was less developed. (I'm going to the Amalfi Coast in a couple weeks, despite their warnings of how touristy it is. I am a tourist though so I will do some touristy things. I'll keep you posted on my opinion, even though I'm "such an American"). Also when we stopped for lunch in the next town of Otronto, my new friend Guisseppe spent a good 10 minutes trying to help me pronounce Santa Cesarea Terma correctly. He had no luck, but at least I'm trying and at least I have good teachers!
Otronto was another gorgeous ancient city. I was told that it is the Eastern-most point in Italy and the gateway to the orient. The old town sits on a harbor, where a jet ski competition was happening as we walked around. The focal point of the city was a beautiful cathedral with a mosaic tiled floor. It was build around the year 1100...which is crazy to really think about. I was told that it was the place where Orthodox Catholicism and Christianity met. Also there was something about Byzantine roots. I wish I would have known we were going to Otronto before we left so I could have done my research and known something about the beautiful relics while I was walking around in them. Plus, it was still overcast so I didn't get to fully appreciate the beauty of the city and the views along the coast. I guess it's a good excuse to go back.