16. Cruising down the Italian West Coast - Scario to Sicily

   16.   Cruising down the Italian West Coast - Scario to Sicily

 Sailing on from Scario on a clear sunny day. Certainly different from our arrival, you see how majestic and beautiful the countryside is with hills and mountains most covered in a green coat. Occasionally you will see a cross or outstretched figure of Christ perched on the top of some prominent hill. This is a very Catholic part of Italy. Most harbours have a statue of Our Lady of the sea at the entrance to the harbour or marina. 

                                        Statue of Christ with arms outstretched

The hills were steep but behind were the graceful mountains again mostly covered in a green blanket of grass and bush. Could this be Switzerland by the sea?

                                            Switzerland by the sea

It is interesting watching the coastline going south certainly from Naples down to Toparo. It is all mountainous with a sliver of land before the sea. The old villages are perched on small plateaus right to the edge of the cliff, each seems to be competing to be the closest to the edge, yet below the cliff in the sliver of land by the sea are the modern houses, the motorway and railway winding along the coast and occasionally through tunnels. 

                                         Old Medieval v modern Village 

The older villages were built to repel pirates and other intruders. I suppose you could consider the modern pirate could be global warming as the sea will rise and the advantage of the mountain village will come into its own again. 

This mountainous countryside probably does not lend itself to agriculture. There are no vineyards and no terracing for cultivation, yet the steep hills are full of trees and grassland. Only further down the coast towards Tropea do you start to see the more gentle slopes and then some vineyards and olive and fruit trees. 

We anchored at Cetraro with a calm sea in a little bay beside the harbour - but the swell got up so a rolly-polly night was had and therefore with little sleep. What seemed so perfect at first turned into an uncomfortable night. 

After Cetraro we wanted a good night's sleep. So it was to be a marina. However Tropea was very expensive. Instead we went to Vibo Valentia which was half the price and only ten minutes away by train from Tropea which we were told was a must to visit.

                                          Vibo Valentia and Vibo Marina

Tropea is the next blog page.