Hotel Vittoria Potenza

OK, so we're living on an Olive Farm for a while now.<br>Bohemian? Yes<br>Practical? Only when its sunny and only when its not olive picking season.<br>So what season is it now? Olive picking and its raining.<br><br>Welcome to our own little corner of Glastonbury<br>

... and nice to travel on a bike.<br><br>Surprise 2:<br>The roads in Italy are NOT at least better than in Greece and Turkey (why they are member in the European Union and don't provide proper roads!?). Meaning, that my back shock, which has started to leak damping oil since Turkey, is about to break this way the roads are bloody bumpy ...

... across to the mountain top village of Pietrapertosa. You are at an altitude of almost 900 metres, and the views &#8211; literally bird&#8217;s eye &#8211; were, I was told, unbelievable. I guessed I would have to keep my eyes open! In the village, before you walk up to the landing stage, there is the chance to sign a visitor&#8217;s book and leave your 'last words just in case&#8217; the tour guide told me ...

... to go and are doing u-turns randomly before having to wait, not knowing what for. The pedestrians are told to wait and then pointed in a direction that doesn't appear safe for pedestrians and lastly for the cyclists, chrissy and I, none of the employees actually know whether we are supposed to wait in a really long vehicle line, or follow the pedestrians into that building. However, they all confidently tell us contradicting things ...

Short ride yet breathtaking. Via Appia is magnificent! An ancient roman road which is situated comfortably on the mountains above the highway is also amerced in natural forest and meadows, dotted here and there by small town houses, grazing sheep, pigs or hens. There is barely any traffic on the road - definite a bikers heaven. The mountain peaks reach a hight of more than 1000 m.

Had a great time in Potenza, resting eating, enjoying some quality time with Pino's sister's family - Olympia, Angelo, Pasquale and Simona. I went site seeing with Olympia and then site shopping with Angelo when he got back from his work in the Batipaligia carbinieri (we went looking for a present for Betty's commune "festa" on Sunday). The next morning, a little weary of re-enacting my Salerno-Potenza journey I picked a fairly close destination and started pedaling again.

... any rider's patience. The weather was nice and cool though; by 9:00PM, flashing my red lights I arrived completely exhausted to Potenza, where I stayed with Pino's sister and family. I dubbed that ride - "the most difficult ride I had ever done". By the time I reached Potenza I was pedaling on fumes... As I was climbing one of the hills towards Olympia's house I ...

Quick daytrip while we were waiting for our ferry to Croatia. Basicly, in the 1970's this town had so many disease and poverty issues that the Italian government had to build a new town. People were living in caves houses and malaria was rampant. 50% infant mortality also. Now it is a tourist draw to see what it was like and ...

... shown how they make their pizzas, (he was in heaven) we then hopped back on the coach. We then made our way to the ferry to take us to Corfu in the GREEK ISLANDS! The ferry we caught was enormous and it was called 'OURANOS' (haha &#61514;). That night, we had a free night (because we were stuck on a ferry til the morning, der) so we all hung out and played cards, talked **** and added to the American/ Australian dictionary that we had running comparing different words and their meanings.

The next morning we left early and headed to Matera... As we were arriving in the city a man on a motorbike/vespa thing pulled up beside us and told us that for $10 he would show us where to park the car, and get the best pictures from, and also explain the Sassi di Matera to us.... The place is fascinating... people still live in the houses carved into the rock... worth visiting :)