Monday, January 23, I left Sorrento to browse the mythical Costeria Amalfitana considered to be a must, especially since the site is listed as a World Heritage Site. This is not my opinion; certainly some parts without Italian mini-cars parked, without the painful crossing of buses, without the Italian drivers crossing the continuous lines without shame, without the villages with the houses painted in white but built without an urban plan with narrow streets lined with parked vehicles etc. My journey was nightmarish, physically and psychologically stressful. Once again I threw in the towel shortly before Salerno taking the A2 motorway. As I wrote before, my visit to mainland Italy ends in "blood sausage", what does Sicily have in store for me? My physical and mental health is largely responsible for my negative judgment knowing that the wise man knows his limits which he tries to exceed! Before taking the ferry to Messina I am looking for a campsite!
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| Landscape from Almafi road | |
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| Costiera Amalfitana |
Tuesday, January 24 I left the service area after a peaceful night with the truckers and a little grace morning, Yes! I continued on the A2 to approach Cosenza. The A2 climbed up to +1000 meters in altitude with snowdrifts on the sides. I stopped at a pseudo service area before Cosenza. The temperature in the early morning was 1.5°C and rose to the zenith at 12°C.
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Wednesday 25 was a short liaison day from a service area to a sandy beach. I discovered that this highway is free from Salerno; Admittedly, it is two-lane with many tunnels and lane changes related to repair work. However, I arrived in Cosenza around 10:30 a.m. to make purchases, starting with diesel, all the service stations were closed on strike against the excessively high price of fuel. Then it was a supermarket. I cursed, as usual, against Italian drivers driving in a disorderly manner without using the turn indicator as well as against the pavement of streets with many potholes. In addition, I had set my sights on the Marina Belmonte bivouac. But the road was closed with no indication of diversion; after wandering on small narrow roads I gave up to take refuge on a sandbank by the sea with Stromboli in the distance in the fog. What a day ! without rain but a night of noisy gustses.
Thursday 26 another short day. I was driving the route along the Mediterranean coast; neither tortuous nor crowded with parked cars like the Costeria Amalfitana. However the potholes were there, this kind of gallinaceous is very prolific in Italy. Almost alone on this road, I looked like a train of senators. I thought I would find a campsite in Tropea, unfortunately it is closed out of season. I bivouacked in the Blanca Beach car park.
To have rest I stayed a more day in the parking lot.
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Saturday January 28 I had found in my tablets a parking lot with drinking water for the tanks of the truck in San Ferdinando located about 38 km away. After being lazy in bed I left quietly for this nearby destination, 38 km. Alas, a roadblock for work broke my momentum. I asked the machine driver if I could pass, the answer was negative without further information or deviation to circumvent the obstacle. Randomly I took a road heading up the mountain hoping the GPS would guide me; Well no, he wandered around offering me narrow dirt roads that I refused to take. I advised a native who, very courteously, informed me by gesture. Retracing my steps I found the junction not indicated by the GPS. This error led to a surplus of 20 km, a delta of 34%. As usual the icing on the cake there was no water in the parking lot. I bivouacked there. Oh Italy!
Sunday January 29 the goal of the day was to go to Reggio di Calabria, but I stopped at Villa San Giovanni to take my bearings for the Monday ferry to Messina. The queue at 9:30 a.m. consisted of three vehicles. I inquired at the counter, the next departure was in 20 minutes. I bought a one-way ticket. In Messina I wanted to see the Duomo and the Orologio Astronomico: Nope, like in previous cities, no parking near the piazza, only parking along the sidewalks. I advised one but about 3 km from the Duomo, too far for me. I continued on my way to a location along a sidewalk with a view of the sea.
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| Ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina, Sicile |
