Tag Archives: Italy

10 April 2016
Taormina, Italy: Bubbling in the Hills

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Taormina is a charming old town, perched in the hills, about midway between Messina and Catania on the island of Sicily.

I say “hills” advisedly. Nearby is one very large and very active hill.

When we sailed south from Sorrento through the Tyrrhenian Sea we entered into the Strait of Messina. On our left was the big toe at the bottom of the mainland of Italy. To our right was the large island of Sicily, the football being kicked by Italy’s boot.

This is, in maritime and geological circles, an interesting place. The narrow strait has some treacherous currents (just ask Homer, who wrote about Odysseus’ passage between Scylla and Charybdis here.)

And then there is the bubbling deep down below. In this region, the Eurasian plate is moving down toward the African plate.

Which brings us to that hill: Looming at the end of town is Mount Etna: the tallest active volcano in Europe, nearly constantly bubbling over like a bowl of Arrabiata sauce left on the burner.

ETNA 10Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4247

ETNA 10Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4246

The view of Mount Etna from our ship at anchor in the Bay of Naxos today

Etna stands about 3,329 meters or 10,922 feet tall, although every time it erupts it grows or shrinks. I’ve climbed to near the peak, but I left my tape measure behind.

Etna is about two-and-a-half times the height of the next tallest Italian volcano, Mount Vesuvius between Naples and Sorrento.

BLOG Messina Etna 10Nov2014-9069

Taormina is the jewel of the region, a lovely little town with a spectacular Greek Theater and an even-more spectacular view of Mount Etna.

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We are due to return to Taormina on May 1 and I will have additional photos and commentary in the blog entry for that day.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

9 April 2016
Sorrento, Italy: What Volcano?

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Sorrento is an ancient town,  established by the Greeks, elaborated upon by the Romans,  and now devoted to the Tourists.

It remains a place of color and charm.

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The backdrop to all of coastal Campania just sits there…tick, tick, tick.

Mount Vesuvius is the still-active volcano that buried the great Roman city of Pompeii as well as other villages like Herculaneum in the region.

This is one of the most attractive spots in all of Italy, and it is quite possible to forget about Vesuvius. Chances are it won’t erupt today. But it’s due.

Because of the dense population of the coast from Naples south to Sorrento, Vesuvius is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.

Pompeii was destroyed in the year 79.

The volcano has erupted dozens of times since. On occasion, eruptions from Vesuvius have blanketed nearly all of southern Europe. In 472 and 1631, Vesuvian ash fell on Constantinople (Istanbul), more than 750 miles away.

The most recent significant eruption came near the end of World War II, in 1944. Tick, tick, tick.

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Above, a street in Sorrento.

Below, a street in Pompeii, with Vesuvius in the background.

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Pompeii Sandler-2

Below, the famous Via Krupp on the lovely island of Capri, offshore of Sorrento.

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We will be back in Sorrento on April 30 and I will have additional comments in my blog on that day.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

8 April 2016
Ciao e benvenuto from Civitavecchia

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We bid arrivederci to friends from our cruise from Barcelona, and prepare to set off on a new adventure.

Sailing from Civitavecchia, the ancient and modern port of Rome, we’re off on a cruise to some classic Italian ports, a quick jaunt to Malta, and then back to the mainland of France.

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We sail south to lovely Sorrento, where we can go ashore there to explore that city or head to always-intriguing Pompeii or Herculaneum in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.

Or we can cross over by ferry to enchanting Capri.

From Sorrento we continue south between Scylla and Charybdis into the Strait of Messina and on to a port call at Taormina on the island of Sicily, the football kicked by the toe of Italy.

On Monday we are due to visit the spectacular city of Valletta on the island of Malta.

From there we will head north for a stop at Trapani in Sicily, and then to Olbia on the Italian island of Sardinia, and then Calvi on the French island of Corsica.

This cruise will conclude on the mainland of France at Nice.

I hope you’ll join me here for photos and observations.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

7 April 2016
Livorno, Italy: Just Passing Through?


By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Livorno is Italy’s second-largest port, after Genoa.

It’s a city of some interest, although most visitors just pass through on their way to some of Italy’s most resplendent inland gems.

LIVORNO 7Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4149

The Mercado of Livorno

From Livorno you can easily reach the great city of Florence (Firenze) or visit one of the world’s iconic sites, a certain tower in the town of Pisa.

Or you can head to beautiful Tuscany, Siena, and Lucca.

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Livorno’s canals

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One of the many splendid sights of Florence is this old bridge, the Ponte Vecchio (which means, old bridge).

It’s lined with shops and tourists.

It’s also an easy way to cross over the River Arno to the Oltrarno, (Beyond the Arno) the Left Bank of Florence, the south side of the Arno.

Livorno Florence Sandler2

Pisa is on the right bank of the junction of two rivers, the Arno and the Serchio, a city of about 87,500. It is a city with many impressive buildings, but truth be told almost everyone comes to see the one that is almost falling down: The Tower of Pisa.

Construction began in 1173. Almost immediately, the tower began leaning to the southeast. The reason was quickly apparent: an insubstantial foundation on loose and wet soil.

It took five years, until 1178, for the tower to reach the third floor.

Then construction was halted for almost a century.

The Pisans were unsure how to proceed, and they were distracted by wars with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence.

This was actually a stroke of good luck, since it allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled.

In 1272, construction resumed. To try to compensate for the tilt, engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other.

The tower began to lean in the other direction.

Because of this, the tower is actually curved, banana-like.

The seventh floor was completed in 1319, and the chamber with seven bells added in 1372.

In modern times, several efforts have–we hope–halted the continuing tilt and even straightened it up, just a bit.

Livorno Florence Pisa1

We will return to Livorno on April 28 and I will have additional comments in my blog entry for that day.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

6 April 2016
Portofino, Italy

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Portofino Sandler-2

No one would ever blame you if thought the name of this lovely town and harbor meant “Fine Port.”

Alas, that’s merely a coincidence.

Portofino is truly a fine port.

But according to Pliny the Elder, the great Roman chronicler of the first century, Portofino was founded by the Romans and they named it Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf.

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Silver Cloud at anchor offshore of Portofino today

The dolphins are mostly gone now, replaced by swarms of tourists who come to see the fine harbor, its nearby Paraggi beach, and the surrounding area including Camogli and Rapallo.

BLOG Portofino 2June2015-1384

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

3 April 2016
Alghero, Sardinia: Outside the Circuit

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

“Sardinia, which is like nowhere. Sardinia, which has no history, no date, no race, no offering. They say neither Romans nor Phoenicians, Greeks nor Arabs ever subdued Sardinia. It lies outside; outside the circuit of civilization.”

Those were the words of D. H. Lawrence in his book, Sea and Sardinia.

Very evocative.

Not fully true, although it certainly is an unusual place.

Sardinia is part of Italy, while its neighbor Corsica is part of France.

Although French Corsica is closer to Italy than France, and

Italian Sardinia is closer to France (at Corsica) or Tunisia than it is to Italy.

Oh, and in Corsica most would prefer to speak Corsican.

Alghero Sardinia 3Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4103

Alghero Sardinia 3Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4090

In Sardinia, the traditionalists are partial to Sardinian, although in Alghero many old-timers speak a dialect of Catalan Spanish.

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Scattered around Sardinia are thousands of megalithic ruins known as nuraghes in Sardinian or nuraghi in Italian.

The name is believed to come from an old word meaning heap of stones, or confusingly, a cavity in the earth.

In any case, they are usually located in panoramic or strategic locations; about eight thousand have been cataloged. Historians say perhaps 30,000 once existed.

They date from the middle of the Bronze Age (18th-15th centuries BC). Many were in continuous use when Rome arrived in the 2nd century BC.

We don’t know much more.

They may been used for religious purposes or as military posts, or both.

And we know little about what are known as the Nuragic people.

Alghero was built around a fortress.

The port was founded about 1102 by the powerful and wealthy Doria family of Genoa; they ruled Alghero and other places for centuries.

B-ALGHERO SARDINIA 09April2014 _DSC0367

B-ALGHERO SARDINIA 09April2014 _DSC0377

We will be returning to Alghero on April 24; I’ll have more commentary in the blog entry that day.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

15-16 September 2015
Livorno, Italy: The Glories of Florence, A Tower in Pisa, and the Rooftops of Lucca

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Livorno is a city that has some worthy places, although most visitors pass on by.

That’s because for those of us arriving by cruise ship, Livorno is the gateway to the great city of Florence.

Oh, and also one of the world’s iconic sites, a certain tower in the town of Pisa. And also beautiful Tuscany, Siena, and Lucca.

We’re here for two days, which is about 363 days too short for a proper exploration. We’ll just have to make do.

A FLORENCE ALBUM

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Livorno Florence Scuola del Cuoio

Livorno Florence Duomo

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A PISA ALBUM

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Livorno Florence Pisa2

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

14 September 2015
Genoa, Italy: The Treasures of the Ligurian Coast

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Our original itinerary had called for a visit to Portofino. No one would ever blame you if thought the name of this lovely town and harbor meant “Fine Port.”

Alas, that’s merely a coincidence. Portofino is truly a fine port. But according to Pliny the Elder, the great Roman chronicler of the first century, Portofino was founded by the Romans and they named it Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf.

The dolphins are mostly gone now, replaced by swarms of tourists who come to see the fine harbor, its nearby Paraggi beach, and the surrounding area including Camogli and Rapallo.

We were scheduled to put down our anchor offshore of Portofino. Alas, we have run into some rough seas and wind–not enough to make our travel aboard the lovely Silver Wind uncomfortable,  but greatly affecting the operation of our ship’s tenders.

And so we instead tied up at the dock in nearby Genoa, the largest port in Italy.

Here are some photos from previous visits to Portofino, and then done photos from today in Santa Margherita di Ligure and Rapallo.

A PORTOFINO ALBUM

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Portofino Abbey San Fruttuosi Sandler

The Abbey of San Frutuoso

A SANTA MARGHERITA ALBUM

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A RAPALLO ALBUM

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BLOG Margherita Rapallo IT 14Sept2015-2955

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

 

12 September 2015
Olbia: Sardinia’s Emerald Coast

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

“Sardinia, which is like nowhere. Sardinia, which has no history, no date, no race, no offering.

“They say neither Romans nor Phoenicians, Greeks nor Arabs ever subdued Sardinia. It lies outside; outside the circuit of civilization.”

So said D.H. Lawrence in his book, Sea and Sardinia.

Very evocative. Not fully true, although it certainly is an unusual place.

Sardinia is part of Italy, while its neighbor Corsica is part of France.

Although French Corsica is closer to Italy than France.

And Italian Sardinia is closer to France (at Corsica) or Tunisia than it is to Italy.

In Olbia, much of the older architecture and a bit of the culture is still heavily influenced by the Spanish and the Habsburgs who ruled here for many centuries.

The newer construction in Olbia and in nearby modern gathering places like Porto are a little bit Las Vegas, a little bit San Tropez.

And they call the region the Costa Smeralda: The Emerald Coast.

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

 

11 September 2015
Civitavecchia, Italy: Treasures of the Med

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Two ships in one day, with an airplane flight in between. We started the day in Lisbon at the end of a wondrous cruise from Southampton to Normandy, Asturias, and Portugal.

We bade arrivederci to Silver Cloud, hopped a flight east across Europe to Rome, and have met up with sister ship Silver Wind on a journey that will take us through the west coast of Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Cannes, and on to the Oz world of Monte Carlo.

I would have much preferred to sail down and around; airplanes are so déclassé.

So here we are on Silver Wind.

On this cruise we’re going to go just about every direction we can:

West from Civitavecchia through the Tyrrhenian Sea to Olbia on the Italian island of Sardinia.

North and then west through the Strait of Bonifacio before going north again to Calvi on the French island of Corsica.

North to the mainland of Europe and the fine port of Portofino in Italy.

Southeast along the Riviera di Levante to Livorno, the port for Florence in Italy.

Then west across the Ligurian Sea to Cannes, France.

And then finally, northeast to Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco.

Here’s our plan:

v2526 Voyage Map

Copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

 

 

2-3 July 2015
 Venice, Italy: Another Sigh

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We have returned to the serene city of Venice, arriving in high style aboard the lovely Silver Spirit, passing in front of St. Mark’s Square in the early morning light.

The most famous transport in Venice, of course, is the Gondola, although they’re almost exclusively used for short rides for tourists.

They’ve been around for about a thousand years, although the design as we see them now dates only to about 1825. There once were perhaps 10,000 in use; today only about 500 are in service.

If you’re in the market for one of your own, a basic hand-crafted model sells for at least 20,000 Euros. That’s before you add floormats.

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On the Piazetta, just outside the main Piazza, is the pink-and-white Palazzo Ducale, the Doge’s Palace.

This was a residence as well as the seat of government. It was also used as a torture chamber and prison and Senate—which in today’s world may seem to be the same thing.

Venice Sandler-4

Crossing a small canal—the Rio di Palazzo—into the Doge’s Palace is the Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs. It was built in 1602.

The view from the bridge was the last view of Venice seen by convicts before they entered the prison.

It received its evocative nickname in the 19th century by Lord Byron who suggested that prisoners would sigh at the final view before being shuttered away.

Well, Byron was a poet and is entitled to an imagination; the fact is that by the 19th century the cells in the palace were used only for petty criminals on short sentences, and in any case it is difficult to see anything at all while crossing the bridge because stone grills cover the windows.

Today, it is mostly sighs of a different type. There is a belief that those who kiss beneath the bridge will enjoy a love that lasts forever.

It’s worked for us.

We are headed home for a vacation; we’ll be back at the end of August on Silversea Silver Cloud from Southampton to Lisbon with stops in Bordeaux, Bilbao, and Porto.

And then we’ll hop over to Rome to join Silversea Silver Wind in the Mediterranean in September. I hope to see you here (or there).

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

11 June 2015
 Ravenna, Italy: The Mosaic of History

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Ravenna is one of the jewels of Italy, which is saying quite a lot.

Tucked away in the northeast corner of Italy, below the much-more-visited city of Venice on the Adriatic Sea.

Ravenna only receives about two dozen cruise calls per year, and this year eight of them will be by Silversea ships.

What makes this place a treasure?

It’s all about the mosaics.

And the relative paucity of tourists, present company excepted.

Here are photos I took today at the Basilica of San Vitale, and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo.

BASILICA DI SAN VITALE

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SANTA APOLLINARE NUOVO

BLOG Ravenna Nuovo Apollinaire 11June2015-1865

BLOG Ravenna Nuovo Apollinaire 11June2015-1871

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

9-10 June 2015
 Venice, Italy: La Dominante, La Serenissima

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Venice, the Dominant, the Serene, is one of the most extraordinary places on earth.

A city afloat. The grand remnants of a once-great Republic.

The City of Water. The City of Bridges. The City of Canals.

Depending who is doing the counting and sometimes on how high the water rises, modern Venice consists of about 124 islands that sit in the shallow and marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy between the mouths of the Po River to the south and the Piave to the north.

A VENICE ALBUM

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Photos by Corey Sandler

It was during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that the Republic of Venice rose to become a major maritime power, along with Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi.

At its peak, in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Venetian Republic eliminated the pirates along the Dalmatian Coast, acquired control of most of the islands in the Aegean, including Cyprus and Crete, seized and sacked Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, establishing the Latin Empire in the process and became a major power-broker, trading with Western Europe as well as continuing to deal with the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world.

By the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce.

From the 13th through 17th centuries, Venice’s leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists.

Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city.

During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside.

The city is still threatened by frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, “high water”) that splash over the walls. Saint Mark’s Square floods more than 50 times a year.

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP

One of my favorite parts of my job is giving commentary from the ship’s navigational bridge as we sail in or out of some of the planet’s most beautiful ports.

Among them is Venice,  and I was up top early on 9 June to help guests understand the great city.

Here are some photos from Venice,  starting with the view from the bridge:

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Photos by Corey Sandler 

To those guests leaving us here in Venice, safe travels and arrivederci: Until we meet again.

And for those joining us for the next adventure, welcome aboard.

Here’s our plan for the next cruise, from Venice to Istanbul.

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Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

3 June 2015
 Messina, Italy: Up From the Ashes

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Early Wednesday morning, we sailed south from Sorrento and Amalfi through the Tyrrhenian Sea into the funnel-shaped Strait of Messina.

Arriving at the Strait, on our left was the bottom of the mainland of Italy. To our right was the large island of Sicily, the football being kicked by the toe of Italy’s boot.

Entering the strait, the passage is as narrow as 2 miles, or 3 kilometers.

At its exit to the south, the strait is nearly 10 miles or 16 kilometers wide.

Almost anywhere the sea funnels into a strait, mariners expect strong and sometime treacherous currents.

That’s only one problem.

The Eurasian plate is moving down, or south, toward the African plate.

And one of the hotspots, where the plates grind against each other, is southern Italy.

Here, in a relatively small area, we have Mount Etna: the tallest active volcano in Europe, nearly constantly bubbling over like a bowl of Arrabiata sauce left on the burner.

Silver Spirit came to the dock in the once-handsome classic Sicilian city of Messina.

I say Messina was once-handsome, because on December 28, 1908 the city was all but leveled by a terrible earthquake that killed as many as 100,000 people.

Today, Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily; about 250,000 in the city itself and 650,000 in the surrounding area.

A MESSINA ALBUM

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CHIESA DEI CATALANI, MESSINA

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Messina reached a peak of splendor in the early 17th century, under Spanish domination. In 1783, an earthquake devastated much of the city, and it took decades to rebuild and rekindle cultural life.

Destroyed again by the earthquake of 1908, during World War II Messina was subject to massive aerial bombardment by Allied forces.

So, between the earthquakes and the wartime bombing, what you see in Messina today is almost entirely rebuilt. Handsome, interesting, but mostly no older than about 70 years.

There are some ancient remnants, though.

Parts of the Cathedral of Messina date from the 12th century. Contained within are the 13th century remains of King Conrad, ruler of Germany and Sicily.

The sculptures and details of the exterior are phantasmagorical, well worth a visit on their own.

But the biggest draw of the cathedral is its bell tower. The tower holds one of the largest astronomical clocks in the world, built in 1933.

Be there at noon and watch the show.

PATRON SAINT DAY IN MESSINA

As luck would have it,  we arrived on the day of commemoration of one of Messina’s patron saints: Madonna della Lettera.

According to local legend,  when Saint Paul visited Messina seeking converts,  he took back with him to Palestine some new followers who made a visit to meet the Virgin Mary.

May is said to have written a letter,  in Hebrew,  to bestow her blessing on Messina.

We stood by the cathedral and watched part of the procession.

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All photos by Corey Sandler, all rights reserved. 

MOUNT ETNA

And of course, there is Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world; the tallest in Europe and the highest mountain of Italy south of the Alps.

Etna is about 100 kilometers or 62 miles from Messina.

It is very much awake, rumbling and spurting.

Etna stands about 3,329 meters or 10,922 feet tall, although every time it erupts it grows or shrinks. That makes it about two-and-a-half times the height of the next tallest Italian volcano, the one we saw recently in the Bay of Naples: Mount Vesuvius.

There are several very interesting small towns and villages in the shadow of Etna.

The most popular is Taormina, which occupies a former Greek settlement and still holds a remarkable Greek Theatre.

Its acoustics are exceptional: a stage whisper can be heard in the last rows. And behind the open stage, framed between columns, stands Mount Etna, a character in every play, opera, and concert presented there for millennia.

Another extraordinary sight is the tiny town of Castelmola which floats above Taormina.

About a thousand people live on the tippy-top of the hill, with cobblestone streets within ancient walls and spectacular views of Taormina…and Mount Etna.

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

2 June 2015
 Amalfi, Italy: Hugging the Coast

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Around the corner and below Sorrento is the Amalfi Coast, the Costiera Amalfitana.

This is an especially beautiful stretch of coastline in a beautiful part of the world.

And it is a lot more relaxing to visit on board a luxury cruise ship than by car or coach.

The alternative is to go down the Amalfi Drive. I’ve driven the drive, and lived to tell the tale, although the experience aged me greatly.

The road winds back and forth, hugging the sheer cliff walls on one side and edging up to the sharp dropoff to the sea below on the other.

Oh, and the road is also heavily populated with…how should I say this?….Italian drivers and tourists. The locals drive with what seems to be total abandon. The visitors, like me, clench their steering wheels in a deathlike drip.

The most famous towns are Positano, which hugs the cliff walls, and Amalfi. Past Positano is the city of Salerno.

AN AMALFI ALBUM

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Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century.

It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s.

John Steinbeck may have helped. In an essay in Harper’s Bazaar, Steinbeck wrote: “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”

The church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna.

According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported across the Mediterranean by pirates.

A terrible storm blew up near Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice saying “Posa, posa!” (“Put down! Put down!”).

The precious icon was unloaded at the fishing village and the storm abated.

And so today,  I came back to Positano.  I skipped the beach,  the ships,  and the granita stands and climbed the hill on a photo safari.

A POSITANO ALBUM

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Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

1 June 2015
 Sorrento, Italy: Beauty and the Beast

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Campania is one of the most beautiful, dramatic, and dangerous regions in all of coastal Italy.

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Silver Spirit at anchor off of Sorrento,  with Mount Vesuvius in the background

On the mainland, it stretches from Naples south to Sorrento and down the Amalfi Coast.

The wide Gulf of Naples is framed by three major islands: the most famous is Capri just west of Sorrento. Offshore of Naples is Procida, and further out Ischia.

And from almost everywhere you can see the hulking threat of Mount Vesuvius: one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.

ON TOP OF OLD VESUVIUS

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Photos by Corey Sandler

Directly connected, of course, are the famed ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, mute witness to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 C.E.

There is no dock for ships at Sorrento, and so we put down our anchor outside the harbor.

Why do I say this place is so dangerous? Because the beast, Vesuvius, is most certainly not extinct. It has erupted numerous times before and after the major event in the year 79. In recorded history it has lost its head roughly every 80 years or so.

Over the centuries, most of its eruptions have been sudden and explosive.

It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last century. (The two other volcanoes in Italy are on islands: Etna on Sicily and Stromboli which is an island by itself.)

Campania has a population of about 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy after Lombardy (in and around Milan.)

When was the last time it erupted?

In an almost-forgotten event in World War II, Vesuvius erupted in 1944 as American troops and other Allied forces moved north up Italy.

That would be a bit more than 80 years ago…

A POMPEII ALBUM

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CAPRI

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OPLONTIS AND NERO’S WIFE

We have been to Sorrento so many times that the street vendors call us by name.

Sorrento, Naples,  Capri,  Paestum, Pompeii, Herculaneum. Been there,  done that,  enjoyed it very much thank you.

On this trip we decided to do something a bit out of the ordinary,  a visit to one of the newest ancient sites of Campania: Oplontis, which includes the huge,  spectacular Villa of Poppea, which may have been the seaside resort of Nero’s wife Poppea. That’s not certain,  but whoever owned it was quite wealthy.

And whoever owned obviously never came back after it was buried under tens of metres of ejects from the eruption of Vesuvius.

Like Herculaneum,  it was hidden in plain sight beneath the fields and strrets of modern Italy,  in this case the town of Torre Annunziatta.

Here is some of what we saw:

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Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

 

31 May 2015
 Civitavechia to Venice

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Welcome aboard.

We are embarked on a voyage that circles down and around Italy, from the ancient port of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea through the Strait of Messina to Corfu in the Ionian Sea and then north into the Adriatic Sea.

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This cruise ends in Venice, once one of the world’s most dominant military, economic, and political powers, a thalassocracy of maritime colonies and trading partners that includes much of our itinerary as well as further east into the Aegean Sea to Constantinople, today’s Istanbul.

Here’s our plan:

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I’ll be posting stories and photos from each port.

I hope you’ll follow along on our voyage.

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

14 November 2014
 Trapani and Erice, Italy: Salt of the Earth

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises 

We returned to Trapani on the island of Sicily, and our reception could not have been warmer.

In mid-November, with winter around the corner,  we enjoyed a superb summer-like day along the sea and up in the mountains.

On this visit,  I went with a group of guests up the mountain to Erice, starting at the sea salt pans in the harbor and then climbing the switchback road up the hill.

Some photos follow.  For more about Trapani,  see my blog entry from October 6, 2014.

A TRAPANI AND ERICE ALBUM 

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Erice above Trapani

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The salt pans of Trapani

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Looking down from Erice at Trapani

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The Cathedral at Erice

All photos copyright Corey Sandler, all rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image please contact me. 

 

13 November 2014
 Naples, Italy: Beneath the Mountain

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises 

We are back in Naples,  our last visit of the season to Campania. Silver Cloud is heading now for Sicily,  Malta,  Tunisia,  the south coas of Spain and on to Madeira before crossing the pond to the Caribbean and South America for the winter.

Many guests headed off to Pompeii or the on enchanting isle of Capri.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that,  but we’ve done that and more many many times.

See some recent blog posts: 11 November 2014 and 4-5 October 2014 for photos and stories.

Instead,  on today’s visit we choose to go underground: to two of the ancient catacombs below Naples.

Up on the hill of Capodimonte above Naples are the Catacombs of San Gennaro and nearby in the working class district of Sanita are the Catacomb of San Gaudioso.

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Photos by Corey Sandler 

Unlike the Catacombs of Rome,  these underground cities were not built as refuges for really Christians hiding from persecution.  Instead, here in Naples,  the catacombs are remnants of ancient burial cults.

Some date back several hundred years before the Christian era. The two we visited include some ancient chambers as well as Roman and Christian tombs.

The catacombs on Capodimonte have only been reopened to the public since 2009; they were cleaned and lit by a cooperative established by local students and parishioners. This year they expect to receive about 50,000 visitors. Today, there were eight of us–and the former tombs of perhaps three thousand former residents.

At San Gaudioso,  the 3rd century Christiana had elaborate routes that including doing of bodies,  separation of the head from the test of the body and the veneration and display of the skulls on a special chamber.

I almost joined the display myself: I clanged my head on a low hanging beam. I left the catacombs with an indelible memory and a temporary lump on my forehead.

All photos copyright Corey Sandler.  All rights reserved.  If you would like to purchase a high-resolution photo image, please contact me. 

———————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

Here’s where to order a copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

12 November 2014
 Out of the Mediterranean from Civitavecchia

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We begin now a journey from Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, toward the Pillars of Hercules between Africa and Europe and beyond.

Welcome aboard to new guests.

We have ahead of us the glories of Naples, Sorrento, Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and so much more. Then down to Trapani on ever-fascinating Sicily, and on to Valletta on timeless Malta.

We continue moving outward bound with a scheduled port call at La Goulette, the port of Tunis in Tunisia in North Africa. And then we hop back to Europe for resplendent Cartagena and Malaga in Spain.

This cruise will conclude at the lush island of Madeira, an offshore island of Portugal. Here’s the plan:

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A ROMAN HOLIDAY

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All photos by Corey Sandler, all rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.