we survived.

tiny little airport. access to the gate without going through security. horrible postcards of places that don't resemble the calabria we saw in any way. handsome blue-eyed security men. 16 different passports. italian food magazines. iphone videos. yolk heads. delays delay delays. even with the hour and a half flight delay for our hour and 45 minute flight, and then at least two hours in the bus back to colorno - it definitely beats sitting on a bus for 20 hours. 


we were happy to be back in colorno. our house, in the middle of the street. 

smelling fresh wild fennel.

bus enjoyment: watch a video of jules and his sisters on a family vacation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6sqJn0rWFQ&sns=em

calabria is full of contractions. from the floral hills to the sandy seaside, the landscape switches its characteristics only within a few kilometers of each other. there are beautiful houses painted in an array of colors, quaint sleepy towns situated in impossibly rocky hill sides with fantastic views contrasting to innumerable incomplete houses and construction zones. the people are beyond friendly, hospitable and incredibly proud of their culture and historical traditions but at the same time try to get away with not paying house taxes by keeping some of it unfinished - it only seems to ruin the beautiful country surroundings. i have never seen so many varieties of different flowers and plants growing in one area - yellow edible indonesian cresss, red poppies, purple ones, pink roses, orange and white blossoms all sprouting from long green grasses while large artichoke plants cover the side of the street and fresh fennel (which the prongs always seemed to be a speciality in portsmouth) are everywhere  you look and then right next to all this lush vegetation are prickly cacti i would've associated with dry, arid land. it is one of the poorest region in italy, surrounded by basilicata and scility, but rich in vegetation, rare typical regional products, culture, history, tradition that all need to be preserved. within all these various contexts, the calabrian food in its entirety can be understood and appreciated. 

arina took these last 3 - purple and white - flower shots.