EXPLORING LUCANIA

Back to 'work' for the team of Thurmond and Thurmond, though I'm a bit sheepish about calling it work when it's so much darned fun and we only do it for the love of it. The new project is an introductory history of the area known in antiquity as Lucania, what is today our Cilento—the southern part of Campania—and most of Basilicata to the east of us. It's also more than a little embarrassing to admit that it is only after ten years of part-time living in the Cilento that I am starting to understand something of the complex history of this place. But in my defense, that history is very complex. There have been humans or their ancestors living in this blessed spot since the dawn of man. For example, remains of Homo erectus were found in a cave along the coast at Marina di Camerota, about 40 miles south of Agropoli, and probably also in a famous inland cave about 25 miles northeast. Evidence of Neanderthal dates from some 100,000 years ago, and evidence of Homo sapiens sapiens from 35,000, about the time Neanderthal disappeared. Lots of evidence for habitation in the middle and upper Paleolithic, and by the Neolithic, about 6,000 BC, this area was widely populated in villages, practicing agriculture and sheep and goat herding, with a thriving economy based on trade in textiles and with trade links as far afield as the Aegean over on the east coast of Italy and the Aeolian Islands off the north coast of Sicily. Then there were the Oenotrians, an Italic people who spoke a language distantly related to Latin, as well as Etruscan outposts and Greek colonies along the bottom of the boot and up the shin as far as the kneecap. Our Lucanians show up in the 5th century BC and flourish until the 2nd, when they were incorporated into the expanding Roman empire and pretty much cease to exist as a distinct culture.

So, obviously, that's a lot of ground to cover, much of it 'book research' to keep me out of trouble this winter. But then there are those archaeological sites and artifacts where eye-witness is absolutely essential. The upshot is that Dave and his tireless photographer have started their field trips which, with any luck, will take us to about 30 sites. We recently visited the National Archaeological Museum at Paestum, about 6 miles north of here, so Sandy could document some of the artifacts and especially the incredible frescoes with which the Lucanians of the area decorated their chamber tombs. There are a good sixty of these housed in a special collection in the museum as well as an incredible 200 plus in the depository, simply too many to display. The Lucanians ruled Paestum, the former Greek city of Poseidonia, for some 50 years, starting about 335 BC, although my buddy Fernando suggests that they should more generically be referred to as Samnites, not Lucanians, since the coastal Lucanians had been so thoroughly 'Greekified' by then. In any case the frescoes give a vivid picture of some important elements of aristocratic Lucanian life like funeral rites, hunting, warfare, gladiatorial combats, and chariot racing. Since the Lucanians left practically no literary evidence of their culture, these pictures really are worth a thousand words.

Tuesday we headed out early eastward to visit a gorgeous little town perched up on a spur of the Monti della Maddelena overlooking the Vallo di Diano, flood plain of the Tanagro River and a very important trade route to the Ionian Sea (the one south of Italy) and from there to Greece and the Near East. Little Atena Lucana was an important outpost as early as Mycenaean times, the era recounted by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey, roughly 1250 BC, and the little museum in Atena houses some precious Mycenaean artifacts that prove she had trade links far afield. Sadly, the museum, housed in an old palazzo, was being renovated and we were unable to see them, but thanks to a kind woman named Maria we were able to get some panoramic shots of the Valley. So typical: we simply excused ourselves and asked if a narrow, circuitous lane led to the castle at the highest point of the town, and 45 minutes later she had not only conducted us to the ‘castle’ (which is now little more than some reproduction crenellations) but had taken us through her Nonna’s house next door for an even better photo, had called the local priest to open a famous church there and led us there to make introductions, then called the Commune, what we call the county seat, to arrange for a delightful gent named Signore Biasco to show us the outdoor archaeology of the town. We saw the remnants of the megalithic walls of the lower town, the seven towers that encircle the upper town, and a number of inscriptions and bas reliefs from the Roman era.

Plus we had the pleasure of getting to know two incredibly kind and generous Italians who, like so many of their compatriots, are delighted to go far, far out of their way to help a couple of American vagabonds. So you can perhaps understand why I’m more than a little red-faced calling this ‘work’.

LIFE ON ASPARAGUS LANE

Well, against all odds, the old folks find themselves back in their second home and thrilled to be living ‘that other life’.

If you are new to this blog, a little background.  Eleven years ago, through the generosity of a wonderful young man named Fabio Astone, we were offered the chance to live in an apartment in the gorgeous little seaside village of Agropoli in the equally gorgeous area of southern Italy known as the Cilento while I did research for a book on ancient Roman wine.  That first summer was one of the greatest of our lives and turned into nine more visits of five weeks to two and a half months, during which time we have explored large parts of this storied area as well as neighboring Basilicata and Puglia.  We had become so besotted with the area that we had resolved to return for as long as we were physically able.

But then came Covid.  I do not wish to be insensitive, we know perfectly well how disruptive and dangerous this terrible scourge has been for the vast majority of people. We ourselves have lost two sweet souls who were extremely precious to us.  But I must be candid and admit that, in almost all but one significant way, the pandemic has had little impact on our daily lives.  We are retired teachers with a modest but dependable income and a very quiet, comfortable lifestyle.  And what with automatic deposits and bill paying, on-line shopping, incredibly efficient and cheap shipping, we have faced minimal disruptions.  We’ve even found safe ways to stay connected with our friends and family.

Our young'uns, Amy and Vito

But there was that one significant way that Covid was a complete disruption.  And that was our second life here.  I know I sound spoiled, mainly because I am spoiled, but there is also that factor of age.  One of my closest friends speaks of the years of retirement as the ‘Go Go Years’, followed by (if you are lucky) the ‘Slow Go Years’ and then the ‘No Go Years’.  I have friends of a certain age who are inveterate travelers who will recognize exactly what I mean.  If we were in our thirties, a one-year disruption in travel would be no big deal.  In your advanced years, it is.  Sandy and I are still in the Go Go Years, but we're taking nothing for granted.

So when that second Pfizer booster was made available and Italy opened its borders to Americans, it was a no-brainer for Dave and Sandy.  We learned from our buddy, Fernando La Greca, that the Astones were doing a major house renovation and therefore the apartment was unavailable, a real disappointment since we love Filo and Rolando so much, but Fabio and his wife Katiuscia, equally dear to us, live in a large B&B owned by her family, and, since we are here off-season (Agropoli is a tourist resort in the summer), they offered the use of one of the apartments out on the flanks of Monte Tresino, and Sandy went into overdrive booking flights, rental car, rooms for the night in Rome, etc. And off we went.

Travel to a European country is not quite as easy as it once was, but I can assure you it is no major burden either, if you are inclined to make the jump as well.  Italy, which is now 72% fully vaccinated among the eligible and has a transmission rate well under 5%, has a ‘Green Pass’ which attests your vaccination status and is required to enter bars, restaurants, museums, theaters—pretty much anywhere besides food suppliers and medical establishments, but our white CDC cards serve as well.  We were also required to provide evidence of a negative rapid antigen test within 72 hours of boarding the plane, but we made a two-day stop in New York in order to visit daughter Amy and her significant other, Vito, and there are mobile testing sites on many major streets all around the city.  On her advice, we ducked into one on our walk to Amy’s apartment from our hotel; the youngsters operating it helped us fill out the on-line forms, gave us the swab tests, which are not remotely as unpleasant as those ‘tickle-your-brain’ jobs, and early the next morning we received QR codes which led us to our negative results.  Finally, the EU requires a locator form for contact tracing purposes, but we were able to fill it out well in advance and, again, the form generated a QR code which the airlines could access if there was any doubt.  Speaking of whom, the airlines now suggest a three-hour advance arrival time at the airport, and I concur; there is nothing more calming for frazzled nerves than knowing you’ve built extra time into the schedule to deal with inevitable glitches.  But I have to confess that our check-in was remarkably painless since we had all our documents readily accessible.  Heck, we even had ample time for a snack and a celebratory glass of wine before departure.

Our favorite restaurant in Fiumicino

The flight over was relatively quick (a bit over seven hours) and smooth, until we bumped into the remnants of a huge cyclone over southern France and thumped our way over the Italian Alps and down to Rome.  Nothing traumatic, you understand, beyond a bit of spilled coffee.

At Leonardo da Vinci, customs and baggage claim were smooth as silk, as was retrieving our rental car (can’t recommend Hertz Gold Card too highly).  She’s a cute little Fiat 500L, whom we have dubbed Orca due to her black and white coloring.  We had booked a room at our favorite B&B in Fiumicino, Domus Lina, and it was a skip and a hop there.  In former years we would have driven the four hours south on the day of arrival, but old bodies have to pace themselves, we have learned, and the fact that we had difficulty staying awake until bedtime—wakefulness in a time zone six hours advanced is a sine qua non to avoid jet lag—proved that it was a wise choice.  

One of their offerings, spaghetti all'astice

A light dinner of pasta at a cute local restaurant that we love, Zi Pina, and then nine glorious hours of deep sleep.  The next day we had breakfast and the luxury of lollygagging till midmorning to avoid rush-hour Rome traffic, and then we were off to the Mezzogiorno.  The trip south was delightful, traffic light on the A-3 (a miracle) though with its share of overly exuberant Italian drivers, and even the SS 18 south from Battipaglia to Agropoli was lightly traveled.  Off we went at the Agropoli South exit, around the southern boundary of our fair town and up the road to the little frazione of Moio, then further up the country roads to the Via degli Asparagi, “Asparagus Lane’, and to the beautiful B&B Miglino. Fabio and Katiuscia were there for hugs and to help us settle into our lovely apartment, which they have provided with everything we could possibly want (even an espresso maker!)  At 8:30 pm they called us down to their apartment and loaded us up with four different varieties of pizza.  ‘Home’ (upstairs) for pizza and then off to more delicious sleep.

This morning the sun is shining and the air azure, crisp and delightful, and in every direction there are stunning views from our terraces of Monte Tresino, the sparkling Bay of Salerno
and the Amalfi coast beyond.  This is going to be a wonderful trip.  I hope you’ll drop in for a visit often.

Views from B&B Miglino

The coast from Castellabbate, Monte Tresino in the background