We definitely hadn't planned on spending so much time in Italy; one month and a few weeks would be enough, but circumstances unfortunately changed our plans. Our mail from home was the culprit, and by then we should have known better than to trust the mail service to be speedy, especially in Europe. We have come to the conclusion, that no mail is worth sending across the ocean, but since we now had an envelope, with important papers in it that hadn't arrived yet, and a package that was being held up in the main post office in Rome, all we could do was to sit and wait patiently. The package contained Dan's medicines, and that was the problem! Every country have their own regulations concerning importing medicines, and they would rather you went to a doctor in their country and got a prescription, which then could be filled at the local pharmacy. From now on that's what we will be doing, as it has to be cheaper than paying a co-pay at home, paying for the shipping over here, plus the marina charge of $30 per day. We could have been in Greece already!

Well, I was getting ahead of myself! Our Italian adventure began when we left Corsica and headed across the Tyrrhenian Sea. That was on Thursday June 28 and the weather report for the day had promised southwesterly winds between 6-10 knots. Immediately, as we left the middle channel buoy behind in Porto Vecchio on Corsica, we knew that the weather report wasn't true. The wind did come from southwest, but in much stronger force. It gusted up to 47 knots now and then, and of course the waves acted accordingly. Big "white beards" rolled down the tops, and our autopilot couldn't handle the waves from behind very good, so Dan ended up steering for quite some time. Usually the wind calms down by evening, and it did this night also, and at once it was much more comfortable sailing. Our average speed was a respectable 5.0 knots, but once we had even reached 8.6 knots. The night passed uneventful and the next morning arrived with totally calm sea. As the sun rose in the east and warmed the land, the wind started picking up from that direction, so we started the engine to try and reach land before the wind became strong on the nose. We were headed for Fiumicino Canal, which is the closest port to Rome, and there we were planning to spend the month of July.

As we arrived at the entrance to the canal, we were in contact with a local boat yard up the canal, where we had made reservations to stay. From the yard manager we found out that the bridges, we would have to pass under, would open at noon. In our cruising guide it said that the bridges would only open in the morning and again in the late afternoon! We were very happy to find out we could make it up the canal at once, and shortly before noon we passed between the two upraised parts of the "walking" bridge. Continuing farther up the canal, we soon made it under the "road" bridge and rafted up outside two other boats along the northern side of Fiumicino Canal. That was to be our home for the next month! The water in the canal was far from clean, but the scum and garbage floated quickly by and out into the sea. We were a bit hesitant at first to use our watermaker, but eventually we did, and we didn't get sick from drinking our water, so we guessed it to be ok!

Before the boat yard would accept us as guests, we had to endure the long process in obtaining the required documents from the Italian Coast Guard. Boat insurance papers, along with the standard boat documents and passports had to be shown, plus our passports had to be stamped by the local police. I don't think they knew what to do with us at the police station, as we had to come back the next day and wait till one man arrived with the stamp. We finally had all the required papers for the boat yard, and with those we were allowed to stay within Italian waters for up to one year. It didn't take long for us to find our way around Fiumicino; everything we needed was pretty close by. As soon as Dan could, he unloaded his moped, and from then on he went everywhere on it. I wasn't too keen on riding with him in the town, as the Italian drivers are very impatient. That surprised me a lot, as the people seemed to be very relaxed and easy going otherwise.

Instead of riding on the moped with Dan in the town, we planned some excursions inland. Our first long trip on the moped began by going over the stationary bridge that spans Fiumicino Canal farther inland. Once we had gone over the bridge, we headed out towards the seashore at Lido di Ostia, and that was our first big mistake. Seems like everyone in Rome had headed for the beach that morning, and the traffic jams were unbelievable. Even though no one could move forward or backwards, one very impatient Italian man, in a small Volkswagen bus, kept beeping his horn right behind us. I wanted to get off the moped and choke him! Dan and I couldn't take that horn beeping in our ears very long, so at the first opportunity we headed back in the same direction we had come from; no traffic at all in that lane! The road map that Dan had bought, didn't show all the smaller roads, which we wanted to ride on, so we kind of guessed in what direction to go. Eventually we came upon a bigger road, where the traffic moved along very quick, and we had to go as fast as the moped would allow. We headed towards the city of Aprilia, where we left the big road behind. We now looked for high mountains farther inland and that's where we wanted to go. Twisting and turning small roads soon brought us up to the town of Velletri, where we were desperate to find a gas station. We would never make it back to Fiumicino on the gas that was left in the tank. Fortunately, two young ladies were kind enough to show us where the only gas station was, that was open for business on a Sunday; soon our tank was full and we continued. Higher and higher we pushed the moped, and at times it was down to a slow crawl, but eventually we arrived at the mountain top town of Cori. The oldest part of Cori was enclosed inside a high wall, with just very narrow lanes for streets, but along the outside perimeter they somehow had made room for a one-way street. Rest of the town had spread out down the sides of the mountain, but that didn't take anything away from the medieval beauty of Cori. As it was getting late in the afternoon by then, we didn't have time to spend looking around inside the walls, but got back on the moped and continued down the mountain on the other side. Through vinyards we drove and farther down out on the flat lands towards the sea, and that's when we made our second big mistake; all the people that had spent the day along the seashore, were now heading back home! From Anzio north to Lido di Ostia there was an unending stream of vehicles; cars, motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles were fighting for space! The motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles didn't have to sit and wait; they either passed the cars on one side or the other, sometimes whizzing by us so fast, they scared us to death. They did this while traffic came from the opposite direction, and it was a wonder no accidents happened. Eventually the traffic thinned out and we could move a bit, and before nightfall we had returned to Fiumicino, our boat and Duke. Eight hours on the moped was too much, and I could hardly get off the bike. Everything was stiff and sore, and it was quite awhile before my knees would straighten out enough so I could walk!

Our second and last inland trip took us north of Fiumicino another Sunday, when the sun was shining and it was a great day to cool off on the bike. We followed the coast north until we reached the town of Maccarese, but from there we rode along smaller, meandering roads inland. As the asfalt road stopped and was replaced by a dirt road, we thought we should be turning around. Just a little bit farther, and we found ourselves sitting in front of this magnificent castle! The castle and it's outhouse buildings were surrounded by a high wall, with locked gates, so we had to be satisfied to gaze at the beautiful site from the small road that passed in front of it.

Our turn-around point that day was going to be Lago Di Bracciano, and we still had quite a long distance to go, so soon we got back on the moped and continued. As we got closer to the town of Bracciano and cresting a hill, there in front of us, high above the city, sat another walled-in fortified castle. I wanted to get closer and have a look, so we found our way through the city and ended up at the parkinglot below the "Orsini Odescalchi Castle". Once the moped was parked, we walked around the outside wall of the castle to admire it and the narrow lanes and houses surrounding it. The castle itself was closed for the day and also for renovations, so again we had to be satisfied to look at the castle from the outside. From the castle we zig-zagged down the mountainside to lake Bracciano, and envied all the people who were cooling off in the fresh water; how much nicer than salt water! Along the lakeshore we drove to the town of Anguillara, where we headed back in the same direction we had come from. Since we hadn't stopped anywhere for food during the day, both Dan and I were hungry by the time we reached Fiumicino late in the afternoon. Pizza would hit the spot, so we looked for a pizza parlor along the Canal. The particular pizza parlor we chose, made their pizza in big square pans, with thick, chewy dough; to my liking but not Dans, as he likes his pizza thin and crispy! Almost any topping was available, and I chose cheese with mushrooms. You tell the pizza man how big a piece you want; they cut it off, weigh it and heat it up. The charge for the piece of pizza varies according to the weight! With our tummies full of pizza, and castles dancing merrily in my head at least, we returned to the boat and a happy Duke.

On three different occasions we took the bus, train and subway into Rome to do some sightseeing. The first time we went to the Colosseum! As we came up from the subway station and stepped outside, there it was. It was majestic and impressive by first glimpse, but after we hade toured the inside, it seemed to shrink. It didn't seem to be as big as they show in the movies, so Hollywood had distorted our expectations about what it was supposed to look like! Even so, it was a wonderful experience to have been there! From the Colosseum we explored The Palatine, which has always been represented as the city's sacred birthplace, and which contained numerous ruins of palaces and temples. The Forum Romanum, which was a commercial, religious, political and legal center of the city throughout antiquity, made me feel rather small and insignificant, where we walked among the impressive ruins. After we had walked through The Forum in the hot sun, we were pretty worn out and decided that we had enjoyed enough sightseeing for one day, so we returned to our boats to cool off and rest!

Our second sightseeing day in Rome started real early, as we had to be at St. Peter's Square by 0900 to sign up for a guided tour. The all day tour was $60 per person, but well worth it, as our guide, who spoke very good english, was very knowledgeable. After we had parted with our money, we were led around the Square to the entrance to the Vatican Museum, where we were allowed to visit the ladies room, just in case, before we bought our entrance tickets to the museum. From then on I was in awe of the riches the catholic church has aquired. The paintings, the tapestries, the statues, and all the artifacts were enormously impressive, as were the rooms that housed all the treasures. By lunchtime we had come out the other end of the museum, and needed some nourishment before our tour would continue. When we had filled our tummies and rested a bit, we were led along one side of the columns circling St. Peter's Square, and our guide pointed out the exact windows that belong to the Pope's private quarters, and the window he holds his speeches from every Sunday. St. Peter's basilica was our destination for the afternoon, and we had come prepared. No tank-tops,mini-skirts or shorts were allowed, and people were turned back by guards at the massive doors. What a pity to have come this far and not be able to enter! Again we were totally in awe by the riches inside the basilica, and the craftmanship in constructing the basilica was more than impressive. Outside the church we got a brief glimpse of the Vatican guards in their colorful costumes. Dan pointed out, that he thought they looked like "The Joker" in a deck of cards! The guards were guarding the entrance to the Vatican catacombs. In order to be able to see the catacombs, we would have had to make reservations at least a couple of months in advance; we hadn't, so we didn't even try to get in to see the catacombs. Our tour ended between the columns circling the square on the other side, where we could easily see the chimney, where the smoke emerges when one Pope dies and a new one is selected, and the balcony from where the new Pope presents himself to the people.

A good walk down the Via Della Conciliazione to visit Castel Sant' Angelo, and have a look at the high wall connecting the castle with the Vatican, was our next destination. On top of this wall is a walkway, where one unhappy Pope ran for his life to get away from invading armies ages ago. I can just imagine the Pope fleeing with his robes hiked up, and he must have made a comical sight! Our second day sightseeing in Rome came to an end, and as the first it had been a very enjoyable day!

Before we left Fiumicino Canal, I wanted to return to Rome one more day, so our third sightseeing trip took us to Piazza Venezia, The Pantheon, Fontana Di Trevi and everything in between. Of course we could have spent many more days in Rome, but at least we got a taste of the city. Besides, the month of July was winding down and time for us to continue.

Once we left Fiumicino canal, we didn't spend much time in the anchorages or ports until we reached Santa Maria di Leuca. Our first day sailing away from Fiumicino brought us to a bay on the northern side of Ponza island, where we anchored for the night. Early the next morning we continued to the island of Ventotene, where we stayed overnight, then on to Ischia. On the northeast corner of Ischia, on a small islet the beautiful Castello D'Ischia sit, and below it we anchored one night. Since we were pretty close to the mainland by then, we decided that a sidetrip to Torre Del Greco was in order. As we approached the harbor at Torre Del Greco, we could see Vesuvius towering behind the city. What an impressive sight! The marina at Torre Del Greco was nothing to write home about, and we believe as soon as the attendant saw our American flag, the price went up. We were also privileged to watch a genuine Italian confrontation between some youths; loud and heated language and fists flying, before someone broke it up. Before we left Torre Del Greco the following afternoon, our friend Tom, his son Steve, and I went ashore and took the bus to Herculaneum. We wanted to see the city that was buried along with Pompeii, but since it was smaller than the site at Pompeii, we figured we could walk through the dug out ruins in the morning. Some of the painted decorations on walls were still clearly visible in Herculaneum, and everything was perfectly preserved as it had been in year A.D. 79 when Vesuvius erupted and buried the city in 50 feet of volcanic mud. The volcanic mud later solidified into rock, and consequently it's been slow going digging the city out. After three hours of seeing what Vesuvius had destroyed, we were ready to return to our boats and continue to another anchorage for the night. That anchorage ended up beeing along the eastern coast of Isola Di Capri. What a beautiful island with high cliffs reaching into the water, and making it almost too deep for us to anchor. Thank goodness it was calm that night as we were anchored in 32 feet of water with our 120 feet of chain! The next morning when we left Capri, we saw Isola Faraglioni with its huge arch. It is said that every destroyer in the Italian navy has a photo of itself steaming through the largest arch at 30 knots, but we didn't see any boats trying to outdo the Navy that morning.

From Capri we intended to sail overnight towards the Messina Strait, and in so doing we would be close enough to the island of Stromboli to be able to see it. Of course we were hoping that "the lighthouse of the Mediterranean" would be active and light our way! When I was on watch in the early morning, I started seeing the conical shape of Stromboli. While trying to look at the island through the binoculars, I thought I saw something glowing high up towards the tip of the volcano on the north side. It happened so fast and soon the glowing was gone and a cloud of smoke replaced it. From then on I kept staring at the spot, and I was fortunate enough to vitness the same thing happen twice more. I think "the lighthouse of the Mediterranean" has fizzled out, as it was not the impressive sight we were led to believe!

By late afternoon we made our way down the Strait of Messina, and that was a confused ride to say the least. Besides the current and tidal streams, the ferries scared me to death. At one time we counted six ferries going and coming between Sicily and Villa San Giovanni, and we would have to pass through! Of course we made it and before nightfall we were tied up at the marina in Reggio Calabria. It was time to stock up, find the Internet and send some messages! Two days later we were on the move again, and this was going to be another overnight sail. Our next port of call was at Crotone, but before we arrived there, we went through some exiting winds blowing into the Golfo di Squillace. After some nice sailing with our jennicker up, Dan decided to take it down before nightfall. Just minutes after he had stowed the sail, the wind picked up to 40 knots out of the blue. We called our friends on XTC to warn them about the winds, as they were behind us. Tom was under sail only, as the belt to his waterpump had broken and he had no spare. We had one on our boat, which Dan ended up bringing out to Tom, before they made it all the way into the marina at Crotone. At least they didn't have to try to sail in; they could use the engine again! We ended up staying in Crotone to wait out strong winds, before the conditions were good for us to sail the last 83 miles to Santa Maria di Leuca.

On Wednesday August 15 we arrived in Leuca. Tom and Steve on XTC continued on towards Greece the following day, as Steve didn't have too much time left of his vacation, before he had to return to the US. We were forced to stay and try to find out about our mail! After great help from a young man at the marina, we finally received our package, but the envelope no one new anything about! I called Chris to see if he could somehow track the envelope? He would try and call back later. When he called back, he said, that they had just received their mail, and the envelope had returned to them. Finally we knew what had happened to it, so we didn't have to wait any longer. We paid our marina charges, thanked the helpful young man, stocked up on food, and severed our ties to the dock. We went straight across the harbor to the town quay, where boats are allowed to stay for free a few nights, and since we had planned on continuing towards Greece the next morning, it would be ok. In front of us along the town quay, a Canadian boat was tied up and we soon started talking to the couple onboard. Harry and Joan on "Thalassa VI" were leaving for Greece also the next morning, so we deceided to sail together. Last minute preparations for the long day ahead, but finally we were about to leave Italy!