Italy update
06 August 2009 | Rome, Italy
Brad
Wind was forecast to pick up, but we'd left early from the most expensive marina to date (a title that seems to only last a few days on the Italian coast) and the decision had to be made: another 25 miles to Rome (EUR 70 per night) with potentially 30-35 knots on the nose, Nettuno marina which is charge band 5 so potentially up to EUR 150, Anzio marina or harbour and I quote " this crowded harbour is a headache!" or anchor for free in what would be a not unsafe but very rolly night. So much thought given to cost was all a function of the previous night in San Felice which cost EUR 120 for the windiest, smallest and one of the most difficult spots we'd ever got into - not to mention just 10cm of clearance under the keel! Also the realisation that in just a couple of weeks we've spent more than we spent in the first couple of months on marinas thanks to it being peak season in Italy's overpriced and overrated marinas.
So we opted for the crowded headache option in Anzio. After loitering around the harbour for a good 20mins of failing to raise anyone on the radio and hoping someone would come and direct us or at least take a line we'd had enough and just went for it, choosing a spot on the wall that was most convenient for us with the rationale we could at least get some shopping done before being asked to move on. This you see is the Italian way (I must tread lightly though as we've just confirmed a top bloke as crew for the ARC, Stefano, who is Italian!) take what you want and if someone doesn't like it, raise your voice and argue the point. And you know what, it works!! They seem to appreciate the....the... (selfishness is too harsh a word), but well the lack of altruism!!
It turns out that the harbour wall is free and we had a prime spot for shopping, it meant I could do two runs to the supermarket to stock up on beer for Dave and Balbina's arrival on Saturday! We were metres away from the arrival of the day's catch on the many fishing boats that occupy the rest of the wall (Kat found a crate of small fresh prawns for a tenner, they sold the catch directly off the boats but you had to buy by the crate, she then spent 2 hours shelling them but that night's spicy spaghetti gamberi was to die for!) and there was one of the best beaches we've seen in the Med just 100m from the back of the boat! So we took beers, the bats and ball and the boules and spent some time being Italian on the beach!! Can't complain about that!
So since we last wrote a blog we've been pottering up the coast bound for Rome. Not a huge amount to be seen between Naples and Rome. But it was something like this:
• The islands of Procida and Ischia where we spent 2 and 1 nights respectively. Beautiful islands but very crowded with Italians come for the sun and sand. Procida was nice, Ischia a little too top heavy, but we had some really great pizza! You have to go to pizzerias accredited with "Vera Pizza Napoletana" for the authentic experience! We had a great Barbie on the boat in Ischia and fantastic snorkelling.
• Gatea, 2 nights, not a bad spot for anchoring as well sheltered, the town had a rustic little back street full of vibe and good produce. Had a beer on an Aussie couple's Catana Catamaran (thanks John & Midge), love those boats! And enjoyed the local speciality, Tiella - a cross between a pasty and a pizza, YUM!
• San Felice, 1 night and bloody expensive (the most so far) with rude and arrogant staff, but great for jogging along the foreshore. Bit of a weekender for Roman's but a bit soulless
• then Anzio, just the one night, and a good one at that!
Most days have been spent relaxing, reading, a short sail/motor ever other day and shopping for that night's dinner most afternoons. The other main hobby is observing and interpreting the Italians. They are out in force at the moment being summer holidays and it must be said that it doesn't show their better side. There is an undercurrent of "I'll do as I please no matter the consequence for you". They argue loads, and not necessarily with us but amongst each other! They anchor too close to each other with no concept of what they are doing, which results in collisions. They are power boat mad and with that brings the "macho" man attitude that is infamous all over the Med. Thankfully for us the worst we suffer is the super aggressive wake as a tw*t in a 25 foot RIB passes within 10 foot of the boat at 30 knots. Mind you this is often a very fat overly tanned man with a boat full of totty....
But this is Italians en masse, on the whole out for themselves and not very nice. BUT... get them one-on-one and it is a completely different story. The hospitality, interest and general atmosphere is so much more endearing. They are warm and friendly with advice and interest. The staff at the "Ospedale" are a prime example, the butchers are always helpful and don't rip you off, the fruit and veggie guys are always giving you something to try and suggesting only what is the best. It's taken some time for us to know to ignore the first impressions and wait till will get off the boat and meet locals on the street.
So now we are in Rome. We have a couple of days following the tourist trail, this being Kat's first time in Rome. Then on Saturday Dave and Balbina (fellow Hanse owners from the UK and now good mates) are coming out for a week. We hope to scoot over to Sardinia on Monday then meander around the north eastern coast of bays and islands.
Later