Old Fortress of Sicily

 Since we were at sea this morning sailing to Sicily, we had a lecture on the Mafia. Very interesting how crime syndicates can rule a country. You will see a "Godfather" t-shirt we saw in a shop.

 It was a beautiful sunny day!! Finally!! We had a walking tour through the city; visiting a beautiful cathedral.

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Otranto, Italy

 We got back to our boat early since it is leaving at 1230 for Sicily. It will take 24 hours to sail to Sicily so we have time to ourselves on board. Of course, the crew and tour guides do things to keep us entertained. We get a tour of the boat's bridge; cocktail hour in the lounge; towel folding lessons (James makes towels shaped into animals); 6:45 pm port talk; 7 pm dinner!!

(to be continued) 

Otranto, Italy

 
Otranto is in the far eastern corner of Italy's boot heel. Once a strategic port during Roman times, today Otranto is known for its white-sand beaches, famed Aragonese Castle, and eleventh-century Romanesque cathedral. 

The Strait of Otranto, to which the city gives its name, connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea; all of which are part of the Mediterranean Sea. The harbour is small and has little trade.

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Sassi di Matera 3

The present local administration has become more tourism-oriented, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi as a picturesque touristic attraction with the aid of the Italian government, UNESCO, EU and Hollywood.

Rich people have now moved into the Sassi since it has been cleaned up. There are hotels and spas, pubs and thriving businesses. You can stay in a original cavern for over $2000 per night.

a cavern that is furnished like it would have been, with furniture and tools of the time.

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Sassi di Matera 2

 In the 1950's, as part of a policy to clear the extreme poverty of the Sassi, the government of Italy used force to relocate most of the population of the Sassi to new public housing in the developing modern city nearby.

We had another great lunch! Have I said the food is sooooo goooood here?!?!?!?!?

Until the late 1980's, the Sassi was still considered an area of poverty, since its dwellings were, and in most cases still are, uninhabitable and dangerous.

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Sassi di Matera

 The Sassi are houses dug into the chalky rock itself. Many of them are really little more than small caverns, and in some parts of the Sassi, a street lies on top of another group of dwellings. The ancient town grew up on one slope of the rocky ravine created by a river that is now a small stream, and up the other side of the ravine.

The height of the population was 20,000. This resulted in overcrowded conditions where disease spread due to unsanitary conditions.

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Matera, Italy

 Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is thought to have been settled in the 3rd century BC. It was variously occupied by Romans, Greeks, Byzantines, etc., over the centuries.

Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the "Sassi di Matera". The Sassi originated in a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, and these dwellings are thought to be among the first ever human settlements in what is now Italy.

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