Port 57 Crotone, Italy
Ciao! Bonjourno!
Finally! After days of rain and overcast we have sunshine as we arrive in Crotone on Apr 25th, 2022! We learn today is also a National Holiday for the Italian Liberation, marking their independence from the rule under Mussolini!
It is surprising to see boats tossed on shore and left as derelicts!
More than one are in this state! It must have been a recent storm, and terrible to do this!
We have and excursion together today! We’re doing a “Walking Tour of Crotone.” The bus ride is less than 10 minutes, dropping us off in Piazza Pitagoras. This is named after Pythagorus, and the circle is adorned with a Pythagorean spiral.
Our first stop is the Basilica Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. This cathedral was visited by Pope John Paul II to bless the assumption of Santa Maria.
The interior is elegant with layers of crown molding and contrasting marble walls. Elegant decor adorns the ceiling.
The cross is interesting and almost morbid in it’s representation of Jesus as a skeletal body.
The version of The Last Supper here is interesting in its compact form, showing Jesus in a bright light, unlike DaVinci’s longer form with Jesus seated at the table.
We then visit the Church of Sainte Mary Immaculate.
This is a small, but surprisingly ornate church! Baroque details pop at every corner, every ledge. The sun rays radiating over the altar, and elaborate picture frames keep the eye moving!
But this church has a secret! Underneath the church is a crypt.
Over 500 skulls are preseved here! There is no information to confirm to whom these skulls belong.
We move on to the Church of Santa Chiara. This beautiful edifice is suffering from damage and deterioration.
But the interior belies its exterior! It is as detailed as the previous two churches but is all bathed in white! This makes the small structure look much larger than it is! Gorgeous!
As we move on to our tour of the archological museum we pass a few wall paintings that deserve acknowledgement! Here is one with what I assume is Sir George slaying the dragon!
This one appears to be ibises in silhouette with a beautiful arbor of blooms! Don’t overlook the poor little fire hydrant in the corner!
Finally, this lovely butterfly defies biology with larger rear wings, but is lovely nonetheless! Everything here appears to be high above the skyscrapers!
In the museum, the only thing I feel is worth sharing is the Diadem of Hera. This was recovered from the Capo Colonna archeological site! This lovely crown adorned with leaves and berries, all in gold!
We leave the museum and wander down the hill to the castle, Catello di Carlos V. The castle is closed for renovation, so we only get to walk around the exterior. But Antonelle, our tour guide, has her “students” waiting for us with a juicy surprise!
We walk downhill between a retaining wall and the castle wall.
Just on the other side of the bridge you see int he photo above is this “scuplture.” The words in Greek on it “panta rei” means “always flowing.” It was clearly a fountain, with water flowing down from the horizontal bar and into the grate below.
On the other side is a clear channel next to the walkway that the water was supposed to flow. I hope this is part of the renovation. This would be beautiful to see!
At the bottom of the walk is this stately statue. The man’s face is worn away, and below his name is illegible. Someone with a sense of humor wrote “Tom Riddle 1926-1998”. If this doesn’t make sense to you, think “Happry Potter”!
Around the corner we find a tent with the surprise Antonella hinted at – fresh squeezed blood orange juice! It was yummy!
While we sipped our juice we can see our ship. So this is my gratuitous shot of Insignia!
Shortly after enjoying our juice, we are back on board. Insignia gets a helpful pull away from the pier by a tug once again.
Once we are out of the breakwater the tug turns back home.
Mainland Italy falls away! This was our first visit on the bottom of the boot, and it was lovely!
As we make our way west toward our next port we pass oil rigs. I think this is an interesting image with an oil rig in front of windmills! Old consumable energy and new renewable energy!
I haven’t had one of these to share in a while! A beautiful sunset was set up for us! This is over the toe of Italy’s boot!
A little while later the sky filled with a myriad of colors with purples, reds, oranges, and yellows! Very nice!
We bid mainland Italy “Ciao” for a few days! We’ll be back, but, Next stop – Messina, Sicily, Italy!
