Italy 2005

TommyJohnson

New member
I'm Italian.

I went to Venice once, and it was so exciting to see the church I always see in The Last Crusade.

A true emotion.

:)
 

VP

Moderator Emeritus
And the Iskenderun Railway Station was the Guadix Station in Granada, Spain.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Hello, Moderators.

For quite awhile, I've been wondering if it would be possible to make a general thread about Italy by merging some others...Yes? No?:confused: This one, "Italy 2005", seems to be the oldest but there are also these:

Italia...
Ah, Venice...

Plus, the ones that I started:
Pompeii
Rome

The reason I'm asking is because a Raven member (dr.jones1986) has just returned from a trip and also because I've been vacationing/traveling around there for the past 10 years...We also have a couple of Italian members here at The Raven and it would be great to have one topic, solely DEDICATED to globe-trotting in Italy. A country with rich history!

Of course, this merge request is entirely at your discretion, Mods.:hat: (The Venice thread might be an exception because it directly relates to "Last Crusade".)
 
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Stoo

Well-known member
Italy 2011

I am sitting on a beach in Scilla, South Italy and writing from my iPhone. (This is the place where Ulysses & his crew sailed by and encountered the monsters, Scilla and Charybdis.)

Got a drink in my hand, got my toes in the sand and I'm looking out at the island volcano, Stromboli. We climbed it in 2001 and we'll be doing it again tomorrow!

If you don't hear from me again, it will be because I'll have jumped into the crater. Ciao!:D
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
Stoo said:
I am sitting on a beach in Scilla, South Italy and writing from my iPhone. (This is the place where Ulysses & his crew sailed by and encountered the monsters, Scilla and Charybdis.)

Got a drink in my hand, got my toes in the sand and I'm looking out at the island volcano, Stromboli. We climbed it in 2001 and we'll be doing it again tomorrow!

If you don't hear from me again, it will be because I'll have jumped into the crater. Ciao!:D

When I was in Europe a few months ago, the cruise ship I was on passed by Stromboli. I got to see the sun set right by it and a little latter when it was dark out I got to see it erupt, which was pretty awesome.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Hey, 1986, great to hear that you saw Stromboli in action!(y) Did you manage to visit the island? They have some of the best pizza I've ever tasted.

Unfortunately, the climbing excursions were on hold last week because the volcano was too active so we only saw it by boat.:mad: However, the lava bursts were MUCH MORE SPECTACULAR than the last time when I was up there, perched on the crater lip. This time, there were 3 BIG explosions and 6 HUGE fountain sprays. Chunks were tumbling down the slope and hitting the water, producing tall columns of steam. WHAT A SHOW! Freaking awesome.(y)

Went to Rome again for the 3rd time there and it's still a thrill. We also had another volcanic mud bath on the Aeolian island, Vulcano. (The smell of sulfur is almost unbearable but it's worth it!)

I love Italy! Great food, best clothes and the women are gorgeous.

To honour Stromboli's majesty, here's a view taken from the nearby island, Panarea. More to follow...:)

2011_Italy_Stromboli_01.jpg
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
Stoo said:
Hey, 1986, great to hear that you saw Stromboli in action!(y) Did you manage to visit the island? They have some of the best pizza I've ever tasted.

Unfortunately, the climbing excursions were on hold last week because the volcano was too active so we only saw it by boat.:mad: However, the lava bursts were MUCH MORE SPECTACULAR than the last time when I was up there, perched on the crater lip. This time, there were 3 BIG explosions and 6 HUGE fountain sprays. Chunks were tumbling down the slope and hitting the water, producing tall columns of steam. WHAT A SHOW! Freaking awesome.(y)

Went to Rome again for the 3rd time there and it's still a thrill. We also had another volcanic mud bath on the Aeolian island, Vulcano. (The smell of sulfur is almost unbearable but it's worth it!)

I love Italy! Great food, best clothes and the women are gorgeous.

To honour Stromboli's majesty, here's a view taken from the nearby island, Panarea. More to follow...:)

2011_Italy_Stromboli_01.jpg

No, I did not set foot on Stromboli, just passed by it.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
2013

Forget my favourite Stromboli for now, 2 weeks ago I was at the top of Mount Etna in Sicily, the highest volcano in Europe! (3km / 1.86 miles). Crossed off another one of my life's "to-do" list.(y)

From mainland Italy, I've seen Etna pumping out clouds of ash on a few occasions and another time, while driving right past it, pulled over on the side of the road to watch it spew some lava but have never been up. During this trip, we finally went to its summit.

To get there, drive up by car (through towns with buildings blackened by previous eruptions) to a certain point, take a cabled gondola to another point, ride on a Mercedes Benz Unimog to an even higher point and then hike up to the top. A good 'touristic' adventure.

My nephew & I bought some lava eggs as gifts to friends & relatives: Cooled magma, cut & smoothed into the perfect shapes of chicken eggs.;)

On the day we went (21st of August), it was cloudy, windy and FREEZING up there!:eek: It was also ominous and humbling, as far as the Power of Mother Nature is concerned.

Has anyone else been up to the top?:confused: (I went against our guide's rules and stayed behind to take this photo):

EtnaSummit_01_zpscb1f9cb0.jpg
 

NickTurner

Active member
When I was in Sicily (1978) Etna was erupting! I thought I learned later of several tourist deaths, but have not been able to confirm that for 1978. There's been significant activity lately!

I wisely stayed safe in the hostel on that occasion.

I hope that's clouds and not gas/ash in the photo!
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Hey, Nick! Fortunately, those were clouds, although there were a few craters spouting gas! No danger (apart from getting lost up there without a guide) but grab a handful of dirt anywhere and it was HOT!

Very cool that you were near Etna while it was erupting. I would've glued myself to a safe place and watched it all day. What did you see?

Re. deaths: That's what I want to know about. When, where & why.

P.S. George Lucas sent a film crew up there (either during the 2002 or 2003 eruptions...If I remember correctly, it was during 2002) and the footage they shot was used in "Revenge of the Sith".
 

NickTurner

Active member
Unfortunately nothing to tell :( All I saw at the time was no more than a bit of smoke on a distant mountain. As I was was hitch-hiking (oh those impetuous '70's!) I couldn't just pop over and have a look. Researching it now the main eruptions happened before I was there, so the perceived danger and tourist deaths may have more to do with the morbid imaginations (perhaps enhanced by a little smoke of a different kind ;) ) of friends when I was back in the UK! Shoot I don't even have a picture.

--

Now this past Sunday night I had a grandstand view of a roaring fire on local Mt. Diablo right from the front bedroom window that surely *looked* like an erupting volcano! Got some great pics of that lol
 
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