Maratea & Rivello

A heavenly walk in Maratea

This 21m statue of 'Jesus Christ the Redeemer' was commissioned in the 60s by a well-travelled, and rich Italian who was clearly impressed by the one in Rio. Cleverly done as, from below, it looks as if it's spreading its arms over the town but it's actually facing away from the drop.

It's the season for wild poppies here & their jaunty little heads add such beautiful flashes of fiery colour to cornfields and seascapes.

My first glimpse of the extraordinary raised road, also built in the 60s at the same time as the statue, looming eerily through the low-lying clouds.

 Praise be for the low clouds - these shots wouldn't have been nearly as mysterious without them!

 On the road to oblivion?

 Another perky poppy, glowing in the dusk.

 And, finally, after a good hour-plus walk, on top of the world...

Paestum & the National Park of Cilento

 One resident of the 60-odd buffalo farms around here serving up classic Italian mozzarella

The station master removing a snake (which turned out not to be a viper, as originally feared) from Paestum's station subway - having  suggested we hop over the train tracks to reach our platform instead!

Sorrento

Dining by the waves at Z'Intonio's in Sorrento's pretty harbour. My handsome young waiter Antonio cheekily gave me his telephone number with the words 'Your husband is in London. He be jealous, but (charming Italian shrug) he in London!' Italian men, don't you just lovem?!

Mount Vesuvius 

 The seaside restaurant/bar, open to non-residents, at the Hotel dei Syrenes - a truly magical place to watch the sun set

 Mount Vesuvius again

The Italian adventure begins...in Naples

Spending only a day and a night in the old port town of Naples gave me just the briefest of impressions. Lots of beautiful old architecture and stunningly-carved statues cheek-by-jowl with lots of graffiti, dirt, piles of rubbish (the collectors may have been on strike?), gridlocked traffic, street-trading immigrants from North Africa and destitutes. 

The Italians are a notoriously romantic nation and couples often embrace passionately and unselfconsciously in the street. But I haven't been quick or bold enough to nab any really good shots of that just yet (watch this space!) and, meantime, like these chairs set ready for a good one-to-one...

A very strange statue, in the Palazzo Reale, of a man thoroughly dead thanks to both a cleaver in the back and a dagger in the head.

 The sumptuous, soaring, breathtaking hallway of the Palazzo Reale

 and, nearby, an old man with no home but at least a nice bike & leather jacket.