Hotel Castello Di Casiglio Erba

... shouldn't have taken the first agent's word for it. Seemed to be ships sailing at all hours - must surely have been one with space on it overnight? Definitely the only way to do this route.However, we get by: but I wouldn't recommend Ventourist line: cheap, for sure; but tacky -very, very tacky!Another night in an anonymous port.

... interrupted Homicide for about 2 days to scarf it down. One thing that might make a difference is whether you've read Danny's preceding books:
Are You Dave Gorman? where Danny bets Dave he can't find 56 other Dave Gormans
Join Me where Danny starts a cult by accident
Yes Man where Danny vows to never say no to anything anymore

They're all true accounts and equally funny, but Friends Like These ...

... with floor, hotel furnishings, and modern amenities. The bathtub was a Jacuzzi cut right into the cave wall. It was quite bizarre but a fun experience staying in a cave.

We spent our time wandering the maze of old streets and alleys of the Sassi area. Indeed, the words mysterious and haunting are perfect. We can’t imagine any other place being like this and John was fascinated by it. It truly looks like a town lost in time and a place where you might expect ...

... red light district of the neigbourhood and the freizes on the walls. This was pretty interesting..and about all we had time for. We wandered out and had a Granita- orange for Dan and blackberry for me. We walked around the stalls selling touristy stuff, they were pretty desperate for a sale which didn't make you want to buy anything!
Another Granita and a sit down later, we walk to the bus to get back on head off to the Greek ...

... well preserved, and the Sassi ('stones') districts are now undergoing stylish renovations and are now host to bars, restaurants, and chic boutique hotels.

Our hotel, the 5* Palazzo Gattini, was stunning, and combined old world luxury with every modern comfort. The view from the terrace and the balconies to the ancient caves was magical and entrancing. Wandering through the Sassi ...

... Italian, it was little surprise to find that this was once part of ancient Magna Graecia; in fact you are more likely to stumble upon Greek temples than you are Roman ruins. Known in Italy as a land of myth and fable, this little region was clearly full of surprises.

Whenever I think back to the first day in Basilicata, images of mountains, beautiful scenery and sunny skies fill my thoughts - a lovely start to the holiday!

... are only a small number of sleeping cabins that have to be booked way in advance and cost a lot of money. So like a lot of other people our ticket was "deck space". Meaning we could find a piece of floor somewhere and sleep. It turned out to be a pretty uncomfortable nights rest tossing and turning with about 200 other people all crammed into every nook and cranny of the boat.

My friends and I stayed at this bed and breakfast in Mola just south of Bari. It was the best yet. Large old English style accomodations, we stayed in an apartment with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, large veranda overlooking the main street. It even had a full kitchen. The breakfast was the best we have experienced. It is worth the trip just for the accomodations. A nice beach area with breath taking views is just 10 minutes south in Polignano.

A must see for those off the tourist path.

This is where Pietro, an old Italian guy, jumped into Bruce and navigated us to the trulli. He saved us from a traffic jam in the narrow streets of Puglia.

Pete was also called Pietro while in Italy. :-)

Trullo comes from the Greek word, "tholos" – meaning “dome”. See the pictures of the wee houses.

We found the Belvedere pub here too - also the name of our local in Aus – meaning “beautiful view”. It was beautiful.

... We then had to search for a hotel room at 10pm in hopes of finding a place to stay. The one good thing to come of it was that we met up with 4 other travelers who had the same problem which gave us somebody to eat dinner and share the costs of a hotel room with(once we finally found one). The day wasnt great but it did have some saving graces. We had an amazing meal in a small restaurant in Naples while we waited for our train. It ...