Why travel to Southern Italy

Italy off the beaten path! For those who want to explore a different Italy, or an Italy that exists only in the popular imagination, consider going South and down the boot! The muse of Italy Revealed is Joseph Walker and he is one of the few specialists of Italy who actually has conducted thousands of tours that incorporate the South.

Some Southern Italy highlights include:

* Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast – Beauty and Enchantment

* Capri – Beauty and Enchantment as well as Roman history

* The ruin of Paestum – Visit some of the best ancient GREEK temples anywhere in the world.

* Matera – See the city where people lived in caved until the 1950s and where Mel Gibson shot his epic “The Passion.”

* Castel del Monte – See where the Emperor Frederick II built a castle to hold the Holy Grail….built in the Apulia Region

* Monte Sant’Angelo and the Gargano – See one of the most visited holy sites of the middle ages, the Grotto of the Archangel Michael, as well as enjoy stupendous views over the Apulian coastline…

* Lecce – Discover the most beautiful Baroque city of Southern Italy

* Grotto del Romito – Visit a Grotto with ancient paintings and burials from 13,000/14,000 years ago in Calabria

* Reggio Calabria – See the Riace Bronzes, some of the best Greek statues still in existence anywhere in the world…

The above is only a sample of what there is to find in Southern Italy and there is still so much more. If you want a different Italy, consider a Southern itinerary as you will get a sense of the Mediterranean as it once was, a sense of mystery, and a true sense of discovery….

www.walkertravels.com

Carnival Time in Venice, Italy

The Carnival of Venice is one of the most famous in the world and combines good cheer with funny, and scary, masks from the 18^th century as well as very elaborate costumes! The season is kicking off right now and there will be festivities until the 16^th of February.

The Carnival of Venice once was a way for citizens of the Republic to act and behave in a way that was not “common” in their day to day affairs. The masks hid the true identity of the individuals allowing them, albeit for a few days, to indulge in a few inhibitions.

While this is not so much the case in the present day, there is still a lot of fun in Venice! Each neighborhood, or “sestiere,” holds their own parties and events. Some are based on the best costumes while others are based on music, dancing, and just having a great time. There are even gondola parades that visitors and residents alike can see and enjoy along the Grand Canal.  One of the largest events however occurs in San Marco Square where visitors from all over the word gather to have fun, whether in costume or not. The fancy balls occur in the luxury hotels and are sold out many months in advance.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Carnival of Venice or seeing it in person sometime, contact the experts of Italy Revealed.  Planning well advance for the Carnival of Venice is a must!

La Dolce Vita…

Where can we find “la dolce vita” in a real sense? Does it actually exist? Can I see it, touch it, and really experience it?  It does exist and you can experience it for yourself!

Living “la dolce vita” is almost a state of mind. It means leaving behind, at least for a while, your troubles and focusing on the here and now. I have often done this in many settings but a few of my favorites Italian locations include:

* The Amalfi Coast – I can bask in the sunlight glittering along the Mediterranean shores finding peace…

* Assisi – Peace and Tranquility are found in St. Francis’ home town very easily. I like to go to the very top of the town, to the fortress overlooking everything including the valley below and ponder life.  While I usually do this with a bottle of wine, I imagine that St. Francis himself often meditated up here.

* Matera – Little visited and rarely heard of outside of Italy, this jewel in the southern Basilicata region is a personal favorite. Much of the old town exists of caves with fancy “doors,” where people until recent actually lived. There is a feeling of delicious isolation and a feeling of great discovery.  After this feeling, I like to grab a bit to eat and walk and meet the locals who always have some great stories to tell. Did you know that much of Mel Gibson’s “Passion” was filmed here??

* Cremona – I like to sit next to the impressive Cathedral and watch the world go by….This Northern Italian City is replete with art and great architecture. While it is so close to Milan, it is rarely visited by non-locals giving me a sense of being off the beaten path…

Visit Italy when you get a chance and discover your favorite places. I believe that you will see how easy it is to live in the here and now even if it is only for a few days…and that is “la dolce vita. “

www.walkertravels.com

Why is Italy such an attraction?

Italy is a hard place to explain in the sense of why it attracts so many people to its shores albeit for a brief moment. I have often pondered on this subject and have never come up with an appropriate response. I do have a few thoughts on the subject however. First of all, we who live in North America always seem to be chasing the dollar around and working ourselves to the bone with little time for anything else. Often it is too easy to forget what is important in life, such as friends, families and appreciating the world around us. As we pursue our careers, work harder, and yet never seem to reach that perfect moment, Italy reminds us of what we are missing.

In Italy, at least based on my 17 years of living there, one is compelled to conform to a way of life where family and friends are first and all other activities are an attempt at creating a perfect moment out of everyday situations.  Many mornings, friends are met at the bar for a cafe and a cornetto, before a slow lunch with family after the morning toils, only to meet friends for maybe a martini after work, and then followed by a delicious supper with friends and family late in the evening…..This for many Italians is a daily ritual that is only interrupted by work….It is however usually topped off with a Sunday banquet at Mamma’s place or maybe even at the Nonna’s! Italians crave personal chat sessions and they are the masters of just hanging out. When one combines their love of family and friends, with great cuisine, wine, and beautiful art and architecture all around, one can begin to get at the heart of why we so envy the Italians here in North America…

If one wishes to visit Italy and get a more personal travel experience, one should consider visiting some of the smaller towns of Italy. This is not to say that the large cities like Rome do not have ample opportunity to enjoy the famous Italian lifestyle, but in the smaller towns, visitors can meet the locals in more casual circumstances. Tuscany is most famous for that relaxed “country” lifestyle with great food, wine, and friendly souls. However, this experience can also occur in the Veneto, in Umbria, in Lazio, Campania, and across many other regions of Italy.

If you would like to experience Italy and get to the heart of why people have traveled to her fair shores since the time of the ancient Romans, ask Italy Revealed what they can do for you. Italy Revealed can help you choose the right town and property to stay from a beautiful villa to an enchanting castle….they can also arrange smaller more intimate experiences for you too where you can really experience Italy “like an Italian” during your visit.

Contact Italy Revealed at reservations@walkertravels.com or at 404-437-6337. They will be happy to share an authentic Italy experience with you.

Sorrento and Amalfi Coast, life as it should be!

On my most recent travels to Italy, we flew in to Italy from Manchester, rented a car, and headed south of Naples to Sorrento. While Naples is chaotic and boasts the best and the worst that Italy has to offer,  Sorrento is a sliver of heaven dropped straight into the Mediterranean Sea…

In Sorrento, we took in the views from the coastal plain on which Sorrento is perched, to the cliffs and the delicate seas lapping against the sands below us. Lined with palm trees, and lemon trees, and even orange trees, this town is a delight and provides the eyes a taste of the exotic. At a local hotel where we have some business interests, a friend insisted we stay for lunch, so we did! Much to our horror, they served us the most delicious and succulent mozzarella imaginable as part of a Caprese salad. The red wine flowed, ruby red and rich in taste from the 2,000 year old vineyards from which it sprung…

After a little rest, we took a jaunt down the Amalfi coast. For those that have never been to the Amalfi Coast, I can only say that it is a true “must-see” when visiting Italy. The Amalfi Coast is named after the medieval maritime town of Amalfi, found about half way down the coast. The town itself sits along the shores and is very medieval in ambience and feel. However, as this is the largest town along the coast, it is often active with the yelling of fishermen, the trolling of fellow travelers, and the pattering of feet of waiters who take a freshly brewed cafe’ to private offices even if they are found at great distances from the bar! Needless to say, for those wishing to do some shopping, Amalfi boasts the best opportunities of any town.

The rest of the Amalfi Coast has the most exciting photo opportunities though! Much of the road hangs, at 300 or more feet in some places,  above the waters and rocks below….In fact many of the 1960s movies that showed cars speeding along cliffs and a treacherous road, later to go over the side….were filmed here. Daredevil antics aside, the road thrills visitors not only with the broad expanse of panoramic views ahead and below, but above as well. Mountains tower thousands of feet above the sea and dramatically plunge towards the seas as spears.  One town after another hangs from the mountain side overlooking the Mediterranean with villas and lush flora popping into view here and there. One can not visit the Amalfi Coast however without mentioning the lemons. They are huge, larger than grapefruit, and the scent is stronger than any lemon that I have ever experienced! For shopping gurus, handmade ceramics can be found up and down the coast with Vietri holding the top honors.

In essence, to arrive in Italy and to start any trip with Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is to start off a trip right, with amazement and a felicity unlike most travel destinations……

If you want to more know more about Sorrento, or the Amalfi Coast, or how you can visit this region, please contact the experts at Italy revealed: reservations@walkertravels.com or by calling 404-437-6337. You can also check-out the website at www.walkertravels.com.  Happy travels!

www.walkertravels.com is Italy Revealed…

Medieval Capua: A City of Knights

Medieval Capua: The City of Knights

by Joseph Walker

When one thinks of ancient Capua, if they have ever indeed heard of this once famous Italian city,  they usually think of Capua Vetere with its stupendous Roman Amphitheater, its impressive Arch of Triumph, and its Eastern style temple dedicated to the Persian God Mithras. The “modern town of Capua” though stands apart from its ancient counterpart. Found just North of ancient Capua on the old Via Appia, it hugs the Volturno river. This river has historically offered trading possibilities and protection for this once great and proud medieval city that ruled much of the Campania Region through its might of arms. The birth of the “modern city” of Capua occurred in the IX century when chaos reigned supreme in Southern Italy. The second greatest city of ancient Roman Italy, Capua, was laid destitute by the wars that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476. The Goths arrived and conquered. Greek Byzantine forces arrived and devastated the region. The Germanic Lombards in their turn isolated the Byzantines to Naples and conquered the entire Campania hinterland. And finally, even the Arabs struck repeatedly at Southern Italy attempting to conquer new territories in the name of Islam. In this context, the citizens of Capua, despoiled and nearly ruined, looked for protection against the embankment of the nearby Volturno River. New Capua was founded by the Lombard Lord Landonus in the year of 856 and was populated by refugees and homeless of ancient Capua, which had been recently destroyed by the Arabs. The people of new Capua built strong fortified walls on the land side of the city and placed sentinels on the river side. The Capuans over the next centuries not only fought against the Greeks of Naples and the Arab invaders from North Africa, they also fought the Lombards of the principality of Benevento. Capua, only through its might of arms, maintained its existence over the next couple of centuries and formed a powerful county whose rule stretched from Gaeta to Castel Volturno and from Castel Volturno to near Avellino. By the beginning of the XI century, the Lombards of Capua had overthrown Naples itself and were threatening to conquer Salerno and strongholds further South. They were able to achieve such great success by their stout Lombard army accompanied by new and merciless Norman mercenaries. Though the Normans were instrumental in Lombard conquests, the Normans helped bring down Lombard rule in Capua in the following decades. The Normans were invited to Italy in 1016 to fight alongside the Lombards against the Greek Byzantines. After remaining faithful for many years and furthering the Lombard cause, the Normans in 1027 changed masters and fought for the Neapolitan cause. The fact that the Normans were mercenaries and were offered more territory by the Neapolitans than by the Capuans partially explains their fickle behavior. The Normans overthrew Lombard power in Capua in 1076 and created the Norman County of Capua. Capua, under the Normans, was extremely powerful and very prosperous. Its Norman soldiery participated in the final overthrow of Arab power in Sicily, the first crusade to the Holy Land in 1097, and the defeat of many Byzantine armies in the Apulia region as well as in Greece itself. Further, Capua was one of the final Norman territories to be absorbed into the Norman Kingdom of Sicily owing to its fierce love of independence and strife. The next moment of glory for Capua was under the XIII century Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, Frederick II of Swabia. He utilized Capua as a central point for formulating the first laws of his Sicilian Kingdom. The Emperor also patroned many sculptural pieces and arcs of triumph here that the glories of nearby ancient Capua inspired. Capua for Frederick II, was a town that represented the continuation of the glories of ancient Rome. The flame of glory and achievement that burned brightly in Capua under the Lombards, Normans, and Swabia, was however forever extinguished in 1266. In 1266, the French conquered Southern Italy and reduced Capua to a provincial city. Various sieges against the city over the following centuries despoiled it of its former glory and grandeur. Even the Spanish and Austrian masters that followed the French in power never again patroned Capua as it had been in the glorious Middle Ages. Thus, we have a Capua today that is only a shadow if its former self. All is not lost though. The savings grace for “modern” Capua may be through tourism. In fact, the local Association of Business (ASCOM), led by Francesco Chianese of the Hotel Capys, is hoping for a rebirth of the town by accentuating its ancient heritage. Mr. Chianese hopes that through his commercial organization, Capua’s past glories are shared and fully revealed to visitors. Local residents, such as Nicola De Chiara, believe in the development of tourism as well. “Our city is indeed unique,” explains Mr. De Chiara, “it is after all, a town that was founded almost exclusively by Northern Europeans in the heart of Southern Italy.” “We have existed to this very day due to the tenaciousness of our Northern European ancestors.” Northern European or not, there is indeed many great things to see in Capua for visitors. The famous Museo Campano, which boasts artifacts from both ancient and medieval Capua, is highly worth a visit. It has the world’s only collection of Mother Earth Goddesses as well as various other statues and artifacts from ancient Roman Emperors to the Emperor Frederick II. In addition to the Museum, there is also an impressive Norman palace, an arch of triumph by Frederick II, and several Lombard churches that may be seen or visited. With several things to see and visit in the town, maybe the isolation of the past several centuries helped preserve the town so that it could be enjoyed by all of us today. To reach Capua, simply follow the Autostrada North from Naples towards Rome and exit at Capua (or South from Rome towards Naples). From here simply just follow the signs, its that easy. If you need further information on Capua, you may contact Joseph Walker at Italy Revealed at joseph.walker@walkertravels.com.

For Travels to Italy, contact the Italy experts at reservations@walkertravels.com or visit www.walkertravels.com

My Travels to Italy October 2009: Up the boot in 9 days…

Traveling to Italy I feel is always an adventure and each time I go, I always discover something new! Having lived in Italy for 17 years and worked with Italy travel fore more than 20, it would be easy to think that I would know it all, yet, no one can know everything and that is the best excuse I can use to return, again and again to Italy.

My lastest travels took my to visits of the following cities and towns:

Naples

Sorrento

Pozzuoli and the Campi Flegrei region

Formia

Rome

Florence

Pesaro

The Republic of San Marino

Cesena

Venice

Cremona

Crema

Pavia

Lake Como

Lecco

Milan

While dizzying for most, I planned this trip for many weeks, put together the travel strategy with a few back-ups in case a meeting or site did not go as planned, and pulled it off with style and wine-filled happiness.

I send after all hundreds of guests to Italy every year to enjoy the country in a more profound way. This means for the most part that I must stay current with happenings in the country and I always make sure that I have seen and visited the sites or areas where I send my guests to visit.

In the following weeks, I will discuss more of my travels and discoveries here in the blog. In the meantime, if someone would like to discover more of Italy or to enjoy a life enriching tour experience with us, please check-out our website at www.walkertravels.com or e-mail us at joseph.walker@walkertravels.com.

Until next time, keep traveling!

Joseph Walker

Pilgrimages

Joseph Walker’s Italy Revealed is one of the leaders in meeting the needs of religious group travel planners. We have directly assisted priests, deacons and lay leaders alike in organizing their trips to Italy. Many of our trips are even used as fund-raisers for their church or organization.

Our staff and members are very careful from the professional planning to the final implementation of the trip so that all guests receive spiritual enrichment and inspiration upon their return home.

Unlike other tours, our staff on the ground, consists of true experts of the history, logistics and religious aspects of our tours and they strive to meet and exceed the expectations of each and every group member. After all, this is for many a once in a lifetime trip, and Italy Revealed will make sure that it will make a positive impression with lasting memories for all.

Some of our Principal Tours include:

• Pilgrimage to Italy (Highlighting Rome and Assisi)
• Following the Footsteps of Paul
• Mystical and Spiritual Italy (Highlighting Rome, Assisi, Monte Cassino
• and San Giovanni Rotondo)
• The Churches and Basilicas of Northern Italy
• The early Medieval Church in Italy and its principal locations
• The Early Church: Italy, Greece, and Turkey