Day 20: Paestum

We had a "real" breakfast in the cave hotel in the Sassi.  So far, we've just been served croissants ("cornuto"), maybe some fruit or yogurt and, of course, expresso or cappuchino.  Margarita and Gianni were going through egg withdrawals.  But today's breakfast met with the approval of everyone.

Green juice and ham

And toast with jam

Two kinds of frittata

And we agreed we just gotta

(Have seconds, that is.)

Lame, I know, but I just had to write about the green juice… I've never seen kiwi juice before. 

Then we took a walk through the Sassi where I restrained myself from buying some more pottery and climbed up up up to the square which was filled with many Italian men, just standing around.  Come to think of it, in Calvello we never saw women in the square just standing around and chatting.  Hmm.

I don't think these pictures do these justice, there was a pottery shop in the Sassi with lovely plates and tiles but I especially liked these amusing clay figurines of contadini (farmers).

I went to the art museo to see some paintings by Carlos Levi (the author who inspired my interest in Basilicata).  I only had time to view his works and they brought tears to my eyes.  He was an OK painter, but it was the memories that they evoked from me  (from his book and the movie "Christ stopped at Eboli" ).    Then we had to leave for our next destination.  It's supposed to be a 2 ½ hour drive but I think we did it in an hour and a half.    Gianni's is getting tired of my squealing but I do appreciate his driving me through Italia.  The day was sunny and the countryside and the mountains were spectacular.

We got to Paestum and there was a mix up with our hotel reservation so they put us up next door at a 5 star hotel that is practically vacant.  However, even 5 star hotels don't have internet access working.  We drove to the magnificent Greek ruins and Margaret said it was her first official "wow" moment .  (I guess I overstated her prior impressions.)  We spent a little time in the museum there but I couldn't go on.  My knees can't take much more and even Maggs and JJ are exhausted.  Tomorrow is Amalfi, on the coast; so we can rest up because the following day is Pompeii. 

A little history lesson:  The greeks landed and settled in Paestum, but the Lucani people from the internal part of the peninsula decided to attack them and took over Paestum... just for awhile, though.  The uncle or cousin of Alexander the Great defeated them and the Greeks returned... until the Romans came down and you know the story from there....  So Paestum has several types of archeological finds... Greek, Roman, Lucani.

Maria