Having left our lovely campground near San Marco we once again headed south, passing Catania and then Siracusa before rounding the corner and going west along the southern coast of the island.

We’d picked a place on the coast to head for, and ended up at campground Luminoso in the village of Punta Braccetto, right on the Sea.

It’s a very quiet place as the road we’re on is a dead end so there’s only a bit of local traffic and mostly all you can hear is the sound of the waves on the beach.

Our camping pitch is quite large, and under a canopy that covers four similar pitches.  We have a private bathroom and the showers are small but nice.  And the Wi-fi is very good, so we’re pretty happy.

We’ve had several nice walks along the beach, which happens to be one of the many that the Allies landed on in 1943 to begin the ‘liberation’ of Italy.

We had excellent pizza from one of the local places for dinner one evening, and were looking forward to a nice seafood or pasta lunch the next day.  We drove further west along the coast as far as the city of Gela – which has a large industrial area right along the road – but got frustrated with the small streets and impatient traffic.  The city is right on the water but you have to negotiate thru a maze and over a hill to get to the waterfront – we gave up and headed back east to Vittoria, where we were once more disappointed.  There are lots of restaurants, but many either aren’t open, or only have takeout.

Two things they have in great abundance in this area are greenhouses and garbage.  You can drive for miles and miles and there’s nothing to see in any direction but greenhouses.  Many of them are being used – tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, etc., but many are derelict with tattered plastic flapping in the wind and rows of weeds flourishing inside.

And the garbage – it really spoils the feeling of the place.  And it’s not just in the pullouts where there usually is a bin – it’s everywhere on both sides of the road.  Not just the odd plastic bottle or candy wrapper – it’s bags and bags – I even saw a mattress that was just tossed and left.

It’s very unfortunate – I read that Sicily is desperate for tourists but I must say that the garbage is not a tourist attractor.

This morning I finally got on my bike – a nice leisurely ride a short way back to the town of Punta Secca which is also right on the coast.  It’s a lovely place with a pedestrian promenade all along the water, and miles of fine sand beach, as well as a very tall lighthouse.

It’s another of the many places the allies landed on July 10, 1943, and there’s a nice memorial to them.  I was so impressed with the village that Colin and I went back a few hours later for lunch.

The restaurant we chose, after walking along the entire promenade, was the first one we’d seen.  And was it ever good – not cheap – but good!  We both got the calamari, which was stuffed with risotto then sliced and served on a bed of pureed potatoes.  The presentation was beautiful and the meal was delicious.  We had one glass each of a local Sicilian red wine and Colin got the dessert of hot chocolate cake served with cold ricotta.  I had a couple of bites and it was also delicious, although far too sweet for me to indulge in more.

We were content to sit there for a bit but left prematurely as a thin, very white lady in a tiny thong bikini with a large black dog arrived and the dog was very barky towards Mo.  I got up immediately and took Mo for a stroll while Colin finished his espresso.

It was just the kind of place we’d searched for yesterday to no avail – but well worth the extra day’s wait.  Sand Design Restaurant in Punta Secca – I told him I’d mention it – he described the daily specials in great detail and with pride, and as I said, it was excellent.  We don’t actually eat out that often, but when we do we really appreciate it if it’s something special.

I took a couple more very nice bike rides around the area, and on one I stopped at La Fonte Di San Constanzo which is just below Castello Delle Forme.  Colin has successfully negotiated purchase of the cellar and that’s very good news – still hoping to get the empty lot next to the terrace but may have to be patient.

The tiger lillies on the terrace have blossomed and they’re a lovely shade of yellow.

We finally were able to leave for our trip to Sicily and I’m very excited – this was supposed to happen months ago but was, for obvious reasons, delayed.  Having been ‘forced’ to spend so much extra time in Papiano did make us both appreciate the little village and our neighbours even more, and in a way we’re grateful for the extra time.

We got away at a decent time on Wednesday morning, having done a lot of the packing up the previous day.  We decided to avoid the toll-roads and main highways in favour of smaller, slower roads, so went south to Terni then southeast to L’Aquila, passing through some very beautiful countryside.

We stopped for a bite to eat just south of L’Aquila, then continued south to Avezzano and eventually reached the west coast near Salerno.  We drove south along the coast until we came to a campground near a beach and decided to call it a day.

The beach access was only a short walk away, and we watched the sun set over the sea –  a nice end to a nice, but kind of long day.

We got another decent start Thursday morning but didn’t cover nearly as many miles.  

We followed the very winding coast road south passing through Paestum and Agropoli before stopping in Acciaroli for cappuccino on the beach.

Feeling refreshed we continued on along the beautiful coast, stopping again at Marina di Casal Velino for lunch.

While walking along I spotted what I think must be one of the worst advertising ideas ever – what does this look like?  I believe it’s supposed to be a croissant being dipped in coffee, but to me it looks like a giant turd – we kept walking. 

We settled on a nice looking restaurant next to the marina and got an outside table so the doggies could join us.  We were both very pleased with our choices – Colin got the spaghetti with scampi and I chose the pasta with ‘fruits of the sea’.

My jaw dropped when I got my dish – it was so huge I couldn’t believe I would be able to finish it, but I did – with only a little help.  It was three kinds of shellfish on a bed of vermicelli with a delicious tomato sauce – just wonderful.

At one point we stopped again so the dogs could have a little break, and across the road was a large garbage bin with a sign saying ‘environment = tourism’, and apparently they don’t empty the bin very often as there were dozens and dozens of bags of trash lining the edge of the road around it.

A little further on there were concrete barriers on the road, placed so that larger vehicles couldn’t proceed.  The two cars in front of us went thru, and there was just enough room for the campervan – we soon found out why.  For a couple of km the road was buckling and starting to crumble with small landslides along the edges – slow going, but we made it safely to the other side.

We stopped for the night at a free spot right across from the sea in Praia a Mare.  We had a drink at a seaside cafe, parked the campervan and went for a nice walk along the boardwalk.  

There are nice wide walking and cycling paths, and an outdoor gym area right near where we’re parked.

We’re enjoying the loosening of the lockdown rules, visiting Antonio’s bar daily for a nice cappuccino (or glass of red, depending in the time if day) as well as a trip to a garden centre up near Perugia.  We’ve finally been advised that both the owner of the cellar below us and the owner of the empty lot next door are wanting to sell so we had a look at some plants to decorate the expanded terrace area.  We also picked up a few hangers for some geraniums Colin had already gotten.

We also went to the large sporting goods store Decathlon so Colin could get some tape to replace the mangled area on his handlebars from his crash – there was a fellow at the entrance taking everyone’s temperature, and several tables with hand sanitizers.  Luckily I still have my lovely lavender spray that I brought with me, and also everyone was wearing facemasks.

Mo and Henry had a little kerfluffle one night at bedtime – I think she gets a little jealous of him at times and feels the need to prove her dominance, although she’s barely half his size.  She happily spent the night with me in my room to keep the peace.

One of the doctors that changed Colin’s dressings at the clinic actually has a small office in the village, right above the little Conad store – he visited her one day and got all of his prescriptions renewed.  When he asked what her fee was she said ‘oh no – we’re friends!’.  He did need a second round of antibiotics for the elbow gash, but the stitches were removed a few days later.

I’m still going on lots of lovely rides, although trying to get out a bit earlier in the morning before it gets too hot.  Everything is so green and lush looking, and the air is so clear – it’s just beautiful wherever you look – bright, vivid colours and I am just loving being ‘stuck’ here.

There was another gathering of the locals down below us who’ve been helping clear the overgrown brush – our neighbour saw me on the terrace looking out and motioned for us to join them.  We brought down some of my tzatziki dip with carrot sticks and a bowl of mixed nuts as our contribution – not quite as impressive as last week’s meatballs, but better than nothing.

There’s also been a nice cleanup of the small park/memorial/fountain in the village square – they painted the benches as well as the inside of the fountain and it really looks smart.  It’s got to be one of the nicer village piazzas around.

We took a nice little trip to Lake Trasimeno today and it was just beautiful – the water was a gorgeous green, although the dead fish all along the shore weren’t so nice.

The little ferries aren’t running again yet, and there weren’t that many people about – especially screaming kids.  It was quite lovely strolling along the waterside promenade.