June 10th- Agropoli, Italy & Paestum
We anchored in Agropoli around 6:30 and departed by bus after breakfast on the aft deck for Paestum.
Paestum was founded by Greek settlers in the 6th century B.C. Apparently, this site was rediscovered by road builders in the late 18th century and is now a World Heritage Site.
Temple of Hera
Temple of Neptune
Other ruins at Paestum
The three temples at the site are in very good condition for their age. First we saw the Temple of Hera and then right next door was the 5th century Temple of Neptune. Further down the road is the Temple of Ceres, dedicated to Athena.
Temple of Ceres
Next we enjoyed the great collection of artifacts at the site's museum & afterwards stopped for some cold water at the little cafe near it's entrance.... we headed back to the ship for a late lunch and another architecture lecture.....
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June 11th-Trapani, Italy - ruins of Segesta & medieval town of Erice
We docked early in Trapani, a city on the northwest of Sicily with about 100,000 inhabitants. Got on bus #1 again with our excellent Sicilian guide, Vincenzo. On our drive to Segesta, Vincenzo gave us some history of the area along with a lot of information regarding Sicilian wine. This part of Sicily is known more for their white wines & the east & southeast area is known for their red wines.
Our coaches await
We walked through the now dead town of Segesta. Some areas have been excavated. The thing Segesta is known for is their incomplete yet beautiful temple which is mostly unrenovated. It was built in 440 BC.
Vincenzo points to area of interest
Gary chats with Elizabeth Bartman
The amphitheater at Segesta
Some of the very many miles of elevated highway in Sicily
Walking down to the temple at Saegesta
We then drove to Erice which is high on a mountain behind Trapani. It is on a very narrow winding road with many switchbacks. We certainly appreciated the skill of our bus driver ( especially on the way down!!!!).
Before visiting the medieval town & seeing the castle ruins, we had lunch at the Belvedere San Nicola Restaurant just down the hill. What an amazing view from what feels like the top of the world.
Antipasti
Homemade Pasta
Insalata Mista
We spent some time walking through Erice enjoying the town and the gardens & views around the old castle. On the way up I saw a small shop with gorgeous Sicilian ceramics all in beautiful reds & we stopped on the way back and bought a couple of small pieces! Nice!
As we left town I had changed into my ChiroHealth tshirt to have my picture taken by the Erice town gate & sign. Dr Cindy Munson's staff in Plymouth, WI had given me a tshirt to wear & get pictures on our trip..it's been fun!
It's so nice to be able to return to the same room each evening after enjoying new towns & sights every day! This is a major advantage to travel by ship, especially small ship!!!
When we return to the ship each day, we are given a wet washcloth to freshen up & a glass of chilled fruit juice. We have been very spoiled on this trip. Yesterday, I found out that this very ship, the Corinthian 2 will be going to the Antarctic later this year again....
Limone gelato
We listened to another lecture by Elizabeth Bartman on the Roman Art of Mosaic which was excellent and then it was time to head downstairs to the dining room for another excellent dinner aboard.
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