Vallo’s Private Hospital

August 24, 2012 by alice letts

My husband’s uncle is not well and is undergoing tests now at the private hospital near Vallo. We dropped in to say hi. I think the last time I saw him would have been September at my brother-in-law’s wedding near Naples. My parents recall fond memories of time spent with them, dancing the night away at my wedding in Scario a few years ago, and asked me to send their regards. My husband’s uncle also remembered them in New Zealand and asked too to send his regards to them.

The hospital he was staying in impressed me tremendously. It appeared more like a luxury hotel rather than a hospital. The views from the hotel rooms to the sea were gorgeous. The reception foyer was grand and I particularly admired the pretty pink tree growing in and out of the foyer, and the sleek furniture.

The car park was very cleverly planned. It had solar covered panels to provide shade to the cars while at the same time generating electricity for the hospital. Now that’s ingenuity for you!

Road trip

August 23, 2012 by alice letts

The road to Palinuro. Where to begin? From where we were, we had two options. We could drive past Scario and follow the road along the coast until we reached the beach resorts at Palinuro. This option is the scenic route ideal for sightseers with plenty of time.

The second option, which is the one we took, along with our entourage of vehicles was the fast route travelling along the motorway and then turning off at the last moment to the very windy road that leads to Palinuro.

Oh yes, we are still in the Cilento region. It’s very mountainous here and so it should go without saying that the roads are very windy. If you are prone to travel sickness, watch out!

Come prepared, that’s all I can say.

You may notice that in one photo there appears to be a very high and very long and curvy bridge. That is in fact part of the motorway. Rather daunting I thought. Given to fear of heights, the sight of that bridge/highway is dizzying.

You’ll also spot another photo where if you look very closely you can see the ruins of a little village clinging to the cliffs.

Scario in the day time

August 21, 2012 by alice letts

Although we are based in Torre Orsaia that has fantastic views across the hills and to Mount Bulgheria, I am inevitably drawn to the seaside village of Scario.

Indeed when we got married we had the church ceremony in Torre Orsaia followed by antipasto on the boat sightseeing across the coast and concluding with the reception at Scario.

Whenever I get the chance I like to drive down to Scario for a wander around, and to soak up the atmosphere.

Here are some photos from one of our walks in Scario.

More cake, anyone?

August 19, 2012 by alice letts

What did you say? More cake? Well, I don’t mind if I do! Thank you

Here in the above photo is the authentic Italian tiramisu made by my sister-in-law. I have never been able to make a tiramisu anywhere near as good as her one. Every mouthful was divine and I savoured every bite. Incredible!

Sunbathing rabbit

August 18, 2012 by alice letts

There are an abundance of crowing roosters, hens and other farm animals, dogs, cats and horses here in Cilento, Italy.

I saw these horses near the road side munching on the long grass.

The last few days I saw five horses come down to the sea where we were enjoying some sun and sea. We wondered if they had escaped their stables? They were peaceful enough and having the time of their life, but another half hour and their owners came to claim them back. The next day I learned that those five horses came from a riding school that backs onto the seaside. That next day the owners rode the horses back out to the beach with some tourists following close behind on the remaining horses. They road down to the end of the beach in Palinuro where the sand stops at the mouth of the river. The horse riders then travelled out into the sea in the fresh water current from the river. I heard a few screams of excitement that made me look up. One of the horses had appeared to lie down I the water and was frolicking and turning this way and that while the tourist was still on the horse, getting drenched by the looks of it! The horse soon must have cooled down as it did stand up again, much to the relief of the rider I’m sure! The young tourist looked in good spirits do she appeared to be unhurt. Now that’s an adrenaline rush for you adrenaline junkies out there!

There was a young man following the horse riders taking a video of their outing to the sea, and so I expect you might find a video clip of this on you tube if you do a search. He was part of the touring party and followed the horses back to their lodgings.

I regretted not having my camera with me then at the time as that would have made some great footage!

However I did have my camera the other day when I was walking back from the beach at Policastro. I was very surprised to catch sight of a sunbathing rabbit. Could that be right? I simply couldn’t believe my eyes, so I had to ask my companions if what I was seeing really was a rabbit? I had never seen one stretched out like that before. He looked so very cute indeed! I managed to take a quick photo of him before be got up and ran towards me! Now that was a lovely moment. I just wish I could have picked him up and cuddled him, he was so very cute as you can see from this picture.

At the beach in Scario

August 16, 2012 by alice letts

We parked in Scario and took our sun umbrella and towels down onto the beach. We tried to find sand but that was in short supply as the stones and pebbles dominated the ground.

It was our first try attempting to swim here. It was popular with tourists but not so with the locals. And we soon found out why?! Instead of pebbles or sand underneath your feet we found seaweed, everywhere! It felt all gooey and strange! We enjoyed our swim there but decided next time to stick with the tried and tested swimming spot at Palinuro.

The boys enjoyed their walk around the rocks though and I had some time to catch up with my reading!

Pasticceria

August 15, 2012 by alice letts

We popped into the local Pasticceria in Policastro. It was the same Pasticceria we used a few years ago to order our lemon sponge wedding cake and the pastries.

We bought a kilo of a selection of miniature pastries. Each one was different. It came on a gorgeous gold tray and was wrapped in pretty paper.

We took the pastries home and shared with the rest of the family after finishing our ravioli.

Scrumptious!

Afternoon stroll in Scario

August 13, 2012 by alice letts

Yes it’s the afternoon and im back again strolling the esplanade of Scario.

This is one of my favourite spots. What are some of your favourite places?

As I stroll along and gaze up at the cobbled steps and admire the pretty bright flowers I noticed the young guy peering out his window from an apartment above the shop. I wondered whether he lives there or is renting it for a holiday vacation? How wonderful it must be to live in one of these apartments overlooking the sea. Waking up with this view everyday must surely be inspiring. I think it would be absolutely fabulous! One can dream can’t they?!

Views from Laurino

August 11, 2012 by alice letts

Laurino is a small village in the mountains. Whenever I think of Laurino recall one of my favourite tales from my childhood of “Heidi”. What sticks in my mind about Heidi was that her sick friend regained good health only after she was brought to live in the mountains. The fresh crisp air and the organic milk and food sources cured her from her failing health.

It certainly is true that city life can cause strain on the body with the pollution and processed food.

Laurino is part of the Cilento region in the South of Italy. It is also home to my grandma-in-law who is currently 101 going into 102. What is her secret to good health and long life? I have been thinking it over for sometime now. And from my observations I would guess that it is the organic home made red wine, organic cheese, organic home grown tomatoes ( and lots of them!) and the love and attention from her children and grandchildren. I have also noticed that she is very attentive and extremely fond of playing with her grandchildren. Her mind is alert and she is very quick indeed and still the life of the party. Yes she was a party girl as a young thing and nothing has changed there! The mountain air is no doubt soothing as well as the sea air when she vacations with her daughter by the beach.

The photos below show the restoration of the old Palace in Laurino.

Paestum

August 8, 2012 by alice letts

It was another hot and scalding day. We made the drive past Vallo down into Paestum. The sea is there of course too and it’s a very popular spot, as you can see from the crowds.

Interestingly the ruins of the city of Paestum was not discovered until many years after it was first abandoned when the Romans left. After the Romans left there was no money to maintain the area and due to poor sanitation the inhabitants eventually left. The swamp that surrounded the city kept travellers at a distance. Only when the bureaucrats decided to drain the swamp to build a road to cross through Paestum did they actually discover this lost city. What a treasure! There remain a fair number of buildings that are still in tact to this day. One of which you can see lit up here in these photos, that is one of the places of worship.

Today, Paestum is a popular tourist destination catering for budget travellers with campsites on the beach right through to the wealthy with upmarket resorts and hotels.

The shops, pizzerias and nightlife near and on the beach front in Paestum is full of people, music and activity. Never a dull moment, that’s for sure!

Alice Arty Crafty

with tales from home and abroad

Tag Archives: italy

Vallo’s Private Hospital

Road trip

Scario in the day time

More cake, anyone?

Sunbathing rabbit

At the beach in Scario

Pasticceria

Afternoon stroll in Scario

Views from Laurino

Paestum

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