3 March 2024 – Stromboli Ahoy!

Miles driven today = 61

Total Miles to date = 1,979

Well today’s journey was a complete reversal in fortunes to yesterday’s as we continued to follow the SS18 Coast road Southwards, and was stress free from start to finish.  The speed limit rarely exceeded 70kph but I don’t think I was particularly popular with some of the locals in my insistence on sticking to it.  They regularly screamed past at the most ridiculously inappropriate places and tried to shave a layer of paint off our front bumper as they swerved back in front of us.

We were finished driving for the day and all parked up by 11:30am at the beach front Lido Birardelli, midway between the resorts of Falerna Scalo & Nocera Scalo.   We are all alone here with our nose pointing out to sea and through the windscreen we can make out the brooding conical shape of the volcanic island of Stromboli some 50 miles offshore.

Shortly after we arrived an elderly gentleman turned up to relieve us of the €15 fee to stay the night and then a little while later his son also showed up to make sure we knew where everything was.  He informed us we should take a walk down to a view point about a kilometre down the road from where we could see right across the Bay to the Tropea Peninsula, so after our lunchtime butties we followed his advice.

There are loads of these small yellow flowers covering the open spaces here.  They are quite fragrant and have a clover-like leaf but neither of us could work out what they are.

Edit - Oxalis pes-caprae.  An invasive species from South Africa - Thanks Maxine.

Sure enough there is a great view looking across towards Tropea, which is where we are planning to head for tomorrow.  We weren’t sure if we could also make out a more distant land mass to the right which could potentially have been Sicily but it could equally have just been a cloud bank or simply wishful thinking on my part.

We carried on walking into Falerna Scalo where there was a Restaurant/Bar which was actually open.  We pondered popping in for a drink but there appeared to be quite a lively private party underway so we didn’t intrude.  Instead we walked back to the van and raided the fridge for a few chilled bottles of our own, which we enjoyed whilst sitting in the Sun.  

The weather has been alternating daily between glorious and abysmal and we are due more of the wet stuff tomorrow.  But for now here's another sunset to enjoy.

4 March 2024 - Pizzo & Tropea