Monday 29th April 2024 – Igoumenitsa, Greece

The crossing was flat calm and we enjoyed views of Corfu and Albania in the last part of the journey. We arrived ahead of schedule at about 20:00 Greek time and we were one of the first vehicles off the ferry. This meant that we got to our campsite, Camping Kalami Beach just 10 minutes’ drive away, before most of the other people who were staying at the same site. A typical Greek coastal site, the pitches are on terraces and there was obviously going to be lovely views of the sea. And it was positively warm – we had arrived in Greece!
Photos: Arriving in Igoumenitsa.

Sunday 28th April 2024 – On board the Florencia ferry from Ancona, Italy

 

Our ferry for Greece was due to leave at 17:30 so we decided to take the coastal road and enjoy the views on the way. A short while into the journey, we received a message from Minoan to say that the ferry was delayed and the departure would be 22:30. We continued to the port and booked in very early but this meant that we had some time to explore Ancona and have a meal before we boarded the ferry.
We had wandered around the port on other occasions but we now had time to go a little further afield and set our sights on the cathedral high on the hill above the port. There was plenty to discover and the first place of interest was the church of Santa Maria della Piazza built in the 11^th – 12^th centuries. Jane thought that she had managed to get away from mosaics having left Ravenna but the church had been built over an early Christian basilica and building work had exposed Roman walls and 4^th and 6^th century mosaics.
We climbed steadily passed elegant buildings and faded elegance of houses that needed some tender loving care. Roman remains were in evidence too, including an amphitheatre close to the cathedral. The views from the cathedral were very good looking over the port and out to sea.
Descending along narrow streets we came to the lively piazza with many bars and restaurants and chose the busiest bar to have an aperitif. Unfortunately, the bar was called The King Edward Royal Pub but, apart from serving Guinness, it was very Italian serving an excellent Aperol spritz together with an impressive selection of free snacks.
Back then to Cara and the wait for boarding but at least we left slightly before the appointed time and were able to watch the lights of Ancona as they faded from view.
Photos: The leaving of Ancona.

Saturday 27th April 2024 – Marina di Ravenna, Italy

 

After our busy 24 hours in the camperstop in Ravenna, we still had a few things that we wanted to do in the city. There is a bus stop right by the entrance to the campsite and buses run frequently from there into the centre of Ravenna. We took the bus and got off at the bus and train station, walking the short distance into the centre.
Our first stop was the Basilica di San Giovanni Evangelista, a very impressive church built by the Roman princess Galla Placidia in the 5^th century but rebuilt almost entirely in 1747. It was virtually destroyed by Allied bombing in WWII but rebuilt and the 13^th century mosaics preserved.
The one major site that we had not visited so far was the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra (the House of the Stone Carpets), which, surprisingly, is entered through the church of Sant'Eufemia. Staying at Camping Pioboni meant that we were entitled to a discount on entry and we used some of the saving to pay for an English audio guide that we accessed through our smartphone. Descending a staircase to reach the Roman ground level we were greeted by a fantastic sight, a huge expanse of mosaics that formed the ground floor of a posh villa obviously owned by a very rich family. Raised walkways allowed us to have a very good look at the mosaics, the highlight of which was the enormous banqueting hall with its centrepiece of the Dance of the Geniuses of the Seasons. This section of the mosaic had been replaced with a replica but the original has been mounted vertically, making it much easier for visitors to view. Diagonal patterns of mosaic run across the rest of the room, each line a different design but within each design every roundel in the line has subtle differences to the others. It really is a masterpiece of the mosaicist’s art.
We wandered around the back streets of the city admiring the architecture and came across a mosaic studio that sold mosaics and also offered mosaic courses. It wasn’t too surprising given that Ravenna is known as the city of mosaics and it was interesting to see the examples of mosaics, both modern and classical reproductions that they had for sale.
Our final visit of the day was to the very imposing church of Santa Maria in Porto, a 16^th century structure with a neoclassical front added in the 18^th century. Then it was back to the bus station for the journey to the campsite.
Photos: The banqueting hall of Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra – note those diagonal lines of patterns; The Dance of the Geniuses of the Seasons (apologies for the poor lighting); Detail of the Autumn figure; From the mosaic studio, a much smaller version of a 3D flower / cubes than the one that we are laying at Avalon Archaeology – at that price, I am thinking of going into business!