It has been 11 Days since we made landfall in Italy at Santa Maria di Leuca (aka Leuca). In those days we have travelled down the eastern coast, had a couple of days in Sicily and passed through the Strait of Messina.
After Leuca we had stops at Croton and Roccella Ionica (on the east coast), Riposto (in Sicily), then through the Strait of Messina to begin our journey up the west coast. What we have found (and what we expected) is that there are relatively long stretches between suitable stops, that means early morning starts and longish days on the water. The coastline is mostly beach with few protected coves and anchorages. Our stops, so far, have all been marinas with breakwaters built from stone and concrete.
Croton was another charming small town. We had a day there so we explored the streets and made our way to the farmers’ market for fresh fruits and vegetavles.
Marina Roccella at Porto delle Grazie is just a short distance from the town of Roccella Ionica. The Marina, surrounded by large pine trees, is a park-like setting. The locals come to the forest and the marina to enjoy an evening stroll. We were held up at Roccella Ionica (aka Roccella) for a couple of days waiting for some heavy winds to pass. Fortunately we met Francesco with a taxi to take us to the highlights and point out the good restaurants. A highlight was a trip up to the castle that overlooks the town to take in the views down to the town and marina.
We decided to stop for a couple of days in Sicily. We stayed at Marina di Reposta, at the foot of Mount Etna. It was a slight detour; but, mostly on our way. While we were there we did the tour of Mount Etna. Mount Etna is the highest mountain in the Mediterranean and the most active stratovolcano in the world. It really is spectacular.
We ended this part of our journey with the passage through The Strait of Messina (between Sicily and mainland Italy), from the Ionian Sea to the Tyrrhenian Sea. At its narrowest point the Strait is a mere 3.1 kilometers. The bottleneck shape makes for some interesting (can be challenging) currents and whirlpools. Next up we will begin heading north on the western side of mainland Italy.
