Looking down on the Gulf of Gaeta from Cima del Redentore
Salve from Polignano A Mare, just south of Bari on the Adriatic Coast of Italy. The mosquitos in the south are a very naughty lot, and Jem took them out in three-hourly intervals throughout the night, wielding his underpants around his head like some kind of modern cat o’ nine tails warrior. While we got off lightly, there is evidence of the massacre on most surfaces of the van.
We are both exhausted after an 8-hour schlep across the country yesterday which took the scenic route through the spectacular Appennino Mountains. On the distant horizon, in the Abruzzo region to the north, we could espy 3,000m snow-capped peaks.
The route was enhanced somewhat by a wrong turning, which culminated in being trapped on a 300-metre one-way street in an artichoke festival with the street fairy lights skimming our roof, to the horror and amusement of locals
The travel highlight of the day included descending down from our park-up in the mountains above Sperlonga.
Winning camping scenes, at an altitude of some 1,000 hair-raising metres, up a winding single track roadJem’s knitting bag never leaves his side
Our parking spot marked the starting point for the ascent to the Cima del Redentore (Peak of the Redeemer); one of the most famous hiking and pilgrimage destinations in the Aurunci Mountains in the region of Lazio, offering a stunning balcony view over the Gulf of Gaeta.
The pilgrimage reaches a huge bronze statue of Jesus, which overlooks and judges everyone in the valleyOff we set up the pilgrims’ track hand in hand harmonising KumbayaThe demure life-sized Madonna sits halfway up the trail and is overlooked by the huge bronze statue at the summitAt an altitude of 1,158m sits the Hermitage of Saint Michael the Archangel, dating back to the 9th Century. The hermitage was rebuilt in 1893 in its present Neo-Gothic style due to water erosionThrough the locked gates we could spy an altar, a damp floor and a collection box At the summit, 1252m above sea level, sits Christ the Redeemer. The 2.1-tonne monument was commissioned by Pope Leo XIII in 1900 as one of twenty statues placed on notable Italian peaks to mark the turn of the 20th century. Transporting this mighty bronze to the summit in 1901 was a major feat; it was hauled up the mountain on a custom-built sled pulled by oxen and hundreds of volunteers from the nearby village of Maranola, a journey that took 14 daysThe statue sits on a 10-metre plinth including a shelter providing 360 degree viewsAll sins forgiven. Hurrah! The Mediterranean alpine wild flowers, rockrose and bindweed, were out in bloomCows whispering is a prerequisite skill in this neck of the woodsWhile Jem deals with the mosquitos, I take care of our horned bovine friends, who appear quite terrifying but are extremely gentleAncient woodland on the descent
Before the most recent leg of the journey, we spent a couple of days climbing in the Gaeta area. The rock quality was amazing and we were astonished at how weak we were.
The crags in this sector are located above and to the left hand side of the bridge. One can get from the rock face and in to the sea via a 15-minute strollYou can see Gaeta old town behind on the peninsula (which was featured in our last post)Jem cranking hard on a “5b”, which after some bemused grunting, we re-graded 6aA hard-earned dust-buster
Our current location, Polignano A Mare, is perched dramatically atop a 20-meter-high limestone cliff. This Puglian town, with its roots stretching back to the 4th Century BC, features a crazy network of alleyways and stacked whitewashed buildings. More on this later, we are off to find Jem some Italian speedos. Ciao for now 🥰
is there poodle in my noodle 
Leave a comment