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| Synagogue Ruin Under Overpass |
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| Mosaic Floor |
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| Agrotourism Inn |
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| Ghost Town |
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| Damaged House in Ghost Town |
April 5,2014
Historical
It's the first nasty day we've had. High of 59 & rain. It's a good thing we
planned "indoor" activities. That didn't slow us down. Get ready for
a long email.
Our hotel is the most basic yet, but its location right next to the ferry is ideal. Oh, right. Would have been ideal. Will be ideal tomorrow. At breakfast this morning we figured out there were four ferry options we could have taken yesterday: the ferry we took, the ferry we should have taken, the ferry that didn't come, & the ferry at an entirely different port that goes to Rome.
The hotel room has all we need except, perhaps, a desk light. I had to use a flashlight to read my notes. The aroma of breakfast greeted us with our wake-up call & the start to our day. The shower is high tech. It has four sprayers & I think David is in love.
Jon Lucca picked us up in a roomy van. He's quite an educated man & also guides for Road Scholar Tours. He studied for a law degree in Bologna, but didn't have the money to complete the exam. He studied English in London where he worked as a cook to pay the bills; then went to Pittsburgh to learn more English. He used to lead tours all around Europe, but when he got married his wife insisted he limit his work to the area.
On our way out of town we drove along what he told us was the nicest waterfront in Europe. We could see Sicily across the water & asked him about American's favorite stereotype, the Mafia. He confirmed that the Sicilian Mafia was into big business & government while the Calabrian branch had taken over the drug trade. But Calabria itself is practically crime free. Calabrian ex-patriots work out of Columbia & sell to the U.S. & Northern Europe.
Our history lesson was brief but interesting. Calabria was settled by the usual suspects. Today there are concentrations of Greek, Albanian, & Valdesian communities. The Greeks arrived you- know-when by now. Valdesians fled from the South of France in the 1200's when the Pope wanted them to convert from Protestantism. In the 1500's, of those who fled to this area, over one hundred thousand were slaughtered by soldiers of the Pope. That created a problem. They were the labor force for the Church. The solution was to relocate Catholic Albanians to Calabria. Albanians were only too happy to oblige since the Muslims were moving into their turf.
Our hotel is the most basic yet, but its location right next to the ferry is ideal. Oh, right. Would have been ideal. Will be ideal tomorrow. At breakfast this morning we figured out there were four ferry options we could have taken yesterday: the ferry we took, the ferry we should have taken, the ferry that didn't come, & the ferry at an entirely different port that goes to Rome.
The hotel room has all we need except, perhaps, a desk light. I had to use a flashlight to read my notes. The aroma of breakfast greeted us with our wake-up call & the start to our day. The shower is high tech. It has four sprayers & I think David is in love.
Jon Lucca picked us up in a roomy van. He's quite an educated man & also guides for Road Scholar Tours. He studied for a law degree in Bologna, but didn't have the money to complete the exam. He studied English in London where he worked as a cook to pay the bills; then went to Pittsburgh to learn more English. He used to lead tours all around Europe, but when he got married his wife insisted he limit his work to the area.
On our way out of town we drove along what he told us was the nicest waterfront in Europe. We could see Sicily across the water & asked him about American's favorite stereotype, the Mafia. He confirmed that the Sicilian Mafia was into big business & government while the Calabrian branch had taken over the drug trade. But Calabria itself is practically crime free. Calabrian ex-patriots work out of Columbia & sell to the U.S. & Northern Europe.
Our history lesson was brief but interesting. Calabria was settled by the usual suspects. Today there are concentrations of Greek, Albanian, & Valdesian communities. The Greeks arrived you- know-when by now. Valdesians fled from the South of France in the 1200's when the Pope wanted them to convert from Protestantism. In the 1500's, of those who fled to this area, over one hundred thousand were slaughtered by soldiers of the Pope. That created a problem. They were the labor force for the Church. The solution was to relocate Catholic Albanians to Calabria. Albanians were only too happy to oblige since the Muslims were moving into their turf.
Judaism
Jews spread across Calabria & the rest of the Mediterranean. It is said
that the village of Santa Maria del Cedro now grows etrogim (etrogs) brought
over from Egypt by the sons of Noah. An etrog looks like a lemon on steroids
& is used during the festival of Sukkot. To this day, many Israelis buy
their etrogim from that village.
Carrying on with the theme of the day, Judaism, we arrived at ArcheoDeri, an archaeological dig named for the city, Deri, where it's located. We were met by a Professor Iiriti who is truly passionate about his subject. He was accompanied by three "henchmen" whose role was unclear. He spoke in Italian as Jon Lucca translated. It doubled the time of our tour but enabled us to absorb the information & gave me ample time to take notes.
In 1993, a road was being built when ancient ruins were discovered. An archaeologist tried to stop the construction, but could only reach a compromise. The road would be built but had to be elevated over the synagogue & graves. That was an advantage to us. It started drizzling & we ducked under the overpass. Among the remnants of foundations found were a synagogue dating from the 4th to 6th century & a mikveh (ritual bath). The town was used as a way station for Roman troops as they marched along those famous Roman roads, & commerce increased.
There used to be a large Jewish community that began to arrive after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, 70 AD. One theory said they fled here on their own, but there is evidence some of them were sent to Rome as slaves. They eventually bought their freedom, headed south towards home, & settled here. After time, the community bought a Roman villa on which site they built a synagogue. Evidence shows that the village covering fifty acres was abandoned after a fire in the 6th century. It was the time of the Plague. Jews were blamed because they weren't dying in the vast numbers that Christians were. We now know that the Jewish custom of ritual bathing (monthly for women, more often for men) rid them of the fleas that caused Plague. The Jewish sector was torched.
The museum at the dig exhibited articles attesting to the commerce & seafaring of nine thousand years ago. Neolithic artifacts (surgical instruments & decorative clay wall remnants) attested to the development of the arts & science. Survival wasn't the only goal. These people had honed skills needed to just exist & now had the luxury to plan for the future & beautify their world. A most fascinating object was a remnant of a globe shaped ceramic time piece (1st-2nd century AD) testament to their knowledge of Meridians & that the Earth was round. Somehow, in the Middle Ages, the Church went backwards & tried to quash that information.
The centerpiece was the mosaic floor lifted from the synagogue & placed in the museum. One symbol that is the emblem for the dig is "Solomon's knot." We'd never heard of it. It looks like the Celtic knot & is supposed to symbolize eternal knowledge. Have to check on that. Twelve geometric medallions (plus four more for symmetry) surrounded a central design that included a menorah flanked by a shofar & etrog. From each of the seven branches grew a pomegranate sprouting a wick. Imprints of menorahs were stamped on oil lamps & food amphora as a sign that it was kosher: an ancient hechsher (certification). The visit was literally a thrill a minute. Even though scholars knew there were Jews in Calabria, the discovery of the symbol of the menorah was the first tangible proof.
Our local guide, Professor Iiriti, wasn't finished yet. He took us down a long unpaved road to a document center that was a not-quite-opened museum of the area. He turned on a recording of Sholom Aleichem as we entered & we watched slides of what we'd just seen. We wanted to pay "dottore" for his time & enlightenment, but when asked, he told us he wasn't permitted to accept money. The government has been slow in doling out funds, but he hopes to renew excavation in October.
While we were with an expert, we asked about the name or our friend, Cimini, whose family hails from Calabria. The professor immediately identified it as an old Greek name. It turns out the professor was half Greek & half Jewish.
Carrying on with the theme of the day, Judaism, we arrived at ArcheoDeri, an archaeological dig named for the city, Deri, where it's located. We were met by a Professor Iiriti who is truly passionate about his subject. He was accompanied by three "henchmen" whose role was unclear. He spoke in Italian as Jon Lucca translated. It doubled the time of our tour but enabled us to absorb the information & gave me ample time to take notes.
In 1993, a road was being built when ancient ruins were discovered. An archaeologist tried to stop the construction, but could only reach a compromise. The road would be built but had to be elevated over the synagogue & graves. That was an advantage to us. It started drizzling & we ducked under the overpass. Among the remnants of foundations found were a synagogue dating from the 4th to 6th century & a mikveh (ritual bath). The town was used as a way station for Roman troops as they marched along those famous Roman roads, & commerce increased.
There used to be a large Jewish community that began to arrive after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, 70 AD. One theory said they fled here on their own, but there is evidence some of them were sent to Rome as slaves. They eventually bought their freedom, headed south towards home, & settled here. After time, the community bought a Roman villa on which site they built a synagogue. Evidence shows that the village covering fifty acres was abandoned after a fire in the 6th century. It was the time of the Plague. Jews were blamed because they weren't dying in the vast numbers that Christians were. We now know that the Jewish custom of ritual bathing (monthly for women, more often for men) rid them of the fleas that caused Plague. The Jewish sector was torched.
The museum at the dig exhibited articles attesting to the commerce & seafaring of nine thousand years ago. Neolithic artifacts (surgical instruments & decorative clay wall remnants) attested to the development of the arts & science. Survival wasn't the only goal. These people had honed skills needed to just exist & now had the luxury to plan for the future & beautify their world. A most fascinating object was a remnant of a globe shaped ceramic time piece (1st-2nd century AD) testament to their knowledge of Meridians & that the Earth was round. Somehow, in the Middle Ages, the Church went backwards & tried to quash that information.
The centerpiece was the mosaic floor lifted from the synagogue & placed in the museum. One symbol that is the emblem for the dig is "Solomon's knot." We'd never heard of it. It looks like the Celtic knot & is supposed to symbolize eternal knowledge. Have to check on that. Twelve geometric medallions (plus four more for symmetry) surrounded a central design that included a menorah flanked by a shofar & etrog. From each of the seven branches grew a pomegranate sprouting a wick. Imprints of menorahs were stamped on oil lamps & food amphora as a sign that it was kosher: an ancient hechsher (certification). The visit was literally a thrill a minute. Even though scholars knew there were Jews in Calabria, the discovery of the symbol of the menorah was the first tangible proof.
Our local guide, Professor Iiriti, wasn't finished yet. He took us down a long unpaved road to a document center that was a not-quite-opened museum of the area. He turned on a recording of Sholom Aleichem as we entered & we watched slides of what we'd just seen. We wanted to pay "dottore" for his time & enlightenment, but when asked, he told us he wasn't permitted to accept money. The government has been slow in doling out funds, but he hopes to renew excavation in October.
While we were with an expert, we asked about the name or our friend, Cimini, whose family hails from Calabria. The professor immediately identified it as an old Greek name. It turns out the professor was half Greek & half Jewish.
Ghosts & Gobbling
We were hungry by now & in for a real treat. Jon Lucca drove us up a mountainside over roads that even made him nervous. We were going to his friend's agrotourism property. It had been in the same family since the 1600's & originally grew bergamotte fruit. It's a type of citrus that refuses to grow anywhere but in coastal Calabria. It's notably used in perfume & it's made into wine similar to lemoncello. If the seeds are planted, they grow into trees with sour oranges. The bergamotte only grows from a graft onto the root of an existing tree. I know, it's a chicken & egg thing. The property, Il Bergamotto, now doubles as an inn with a restaurant. The remains of a castle look down on aged buildings constructed of stone & tile. The height of the doorways speak to the stature of the original owners, and the food keeps locals coming back for more. A nearby table hosted a priest with an entourage of villagers from the hill town of Amendolea.
Our feast, the best meal we've had on this trip, was prepared using only local ingredients. The flavors were rich, robust, & original. The meal began with wine & antipasti of bruschetta, cheeses, thinly sliced pumpkin sautéed in olive oil & seasoned with breadcrumbs with pecorino to top it, roasted eggplant, & spinach pie. That would have been enough, but then our orders were taken for the "primi pasta." That was hand crafted pasta one vegetarian & one with a delicate lamb flavor although we couldn't find evidence that a lamb did any more than walk past during cooking. The server had the nerve to ask if we wanted the next course. I now know why Italians need a four-hour rest after lunch. We settled for espresso & a taste of bergamotte wine. The wine had an orange flavor & wasn't as tart as lemoncello. The espresso came in plastic cups that wouldn't fly in the U.S. They & the sugar packets had the brand "Mocca" printed on them along with the picture of a black-faced grinning Sambo caricature.
Being the age of our children & having the energy of someone that young, Jon Lucca suggested we visit a ghost town, Pentedattilo . Who were we to argue? Of course, we drove up a mountain until we were looking up at an abandoned village. The houses, some roofless, were cement color stucco blending with the rock into which they were built. It was clear no one lived there. Towering over the village was a formation of limestone & sandstone fraught with caves & topped with a relic of a castle. There-in was the problem. The stone is porous. Erosion caused it to be unstable & when massive rains & floods occurred in 1954-55, landslides created havoc. The people left for towns lower down & are only now beginning to re-claim their homes with government-assisted funds.
It was quite a climb from the parking area to the village. A golf cart was available for those who didn't want to walk. We saw the cart up in the ghost town so we waited for George, the driver, to descend. We got impatient & began the climb. It was steep, but not far. Judi stopped halfway & the cart eventually picked her up on its next trip. The views from the top were breathtaking including the ones looking down into the smashed roofs of the houses. The panorama of the sea, valleys, riverbeds, & sheer cliff faces brought home just what a prime defensive location it was.
George latched on to us. With the energy of a puppy & enthusiasm of a missionary, he launched into the history, a tour of the museum fitted with old implements, & a pep talk about modern weddings conducted in the church. He loves driving women in high heels up the hill. Rain didn't deter him; slippery stone pathways didn't slow him down; our flagging interest went unnoticed. The government has allowed artists to display their wares in unused space & he jubilantly introduced us to his wife who was one of those artists. The entire tour was conducted in such animated Italian that Jon Lucca didn't need to translate very much.
We road down to our van in the golf cart & bade George a fond farewell. It was late, we were tired, & were encouraged when Jon Lucca headed to the hotel.
Although we were impressed with the difference between Calabrian & Sicilian drivers, (Clabrians actually stop for pedestrians) it was pouring down rain, & we chose to eat in the hotel. We ordered in pizza & had one of the worst meals of our stay. But the crust was thin enough to get us in the mood for Passover. We ate in the hotel breakfast room as we gazed at the glistening lights of Reggio Calabria & Sicily.
David & Judy conducted some high finance to even up the expenses & came to within $30. We bought dinner. Now we're even. We arranged a wake-up call with the desk clerk who spoke English. He goes home at 9 PM. Last night David did a pantomime for the night clerk & managed to get the message across but wanted to skip charades tonight.
Tomorrow Jon Lucca meets us for a trip to see the Roman Bronzes then we transfer by ferry back to Sicily.
Toby
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