La Locanda del Palazzo 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>

From Rome we headed south to Positano. Once in Sorento we hired a cab to take us the rest away the way, along a very narrow winding road about 150 meters above the sea. For this driver the lines dividing the highway were merely suggestions and blind corners ************cern. The views were spectacular, however the cliff edge road ...

... advice on where to go in the area. Good location to go north (to Naples and Pompeii) and south to Positano and Almafi (which is a hair raising but spectacular drive). We also took the boat to Capri which is a beautiful island and especially loved the Blue Grotto. First time we ran into some rain and we were at Pompeii for about 2 hours before it started raining .. even ...

... shock already has started to loose its stability, which turns the motorbike appear to be like a crazy donkey! I struggle with the question now, to continue traveling without repair, or to stopover somewhere, to do the repair.<br><br>I also recognize in Italy a significant cool down of the climate. I have to get used of the winter feeling.

... we entered a small grocer and purchased some wine to take back and enjoy in our cabin. We found that a bottle of wine cost 2 to 7 euros, which was a lot cheaper than a bottle of Italian Chianti or French Bordeaux at $35-40 USD in the dining room. Although they were good, they weren't unique! As a practice, we've always enjoyed drinking locally made wines wherever we've traveled. <br><br ...

This place is crazy. Totally a fitting welcome to this fun country. We show up in the morning from our overnight ferry. There's total confusion as to whether the pedestrians are to get out with the cars or somewhere else. Bikes, we assume go with the cars. Of course that is until someone decided to tell us differently. Everyone waits in the boat for 15 minutes having no idea what's going on. When the doors finally open, the cars don't know ...

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.

... to ask some one for directions. After explaining to me that I would have to continue climbing up hill I slid into the gutter, going down, bike and everything. The man hurried to help me up: "stanci ha?" he said in a worried tone. "Si molto" (yes, very). "De Dove vieni?" (where did you come from?). "Salerno" I said. He nodded heavily and gave me a little push up the hill.

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 :)