Herculaneum 2

General views of the site.

What we didn't know was that Pompeii was destroyed by hot ash and debris from Vesuvius but Herculaneum was destroyed by a tsunami caused by the eruption

Not toilets - but cooking pots...

Skeletons of fishermen in their shack.

Herculaneum

From Puglia on the east we took the train to Naples on the west.

A short (crowded) train ride from Naples took us to Herculaneum. The next stop was for Pompei but we had decided to visit the smaller more manageable Herculaneum. 

Surprisingly, you can see the entire site from the public walkway which leads to the pay desks.

 

The museum cat.

Some recovered items in the newly opened museum.

Matera

Matera is built on soft rock and the inhabitants used to live in caves which they excavated.

It was once called 'the shame of Italy' as the houses were regarded as slums.

The government moved everyone out and improved conditions.

Now only the rich and famous can afford to live here!

Martina Franca

Some views of one of our favourite places

Alberobello 2

This is the world heritage site of Alberobello

The symbols are not graffiti but they are to ward off evil spirits

Alberobello church

Looks like a pub to me!

Alberobello

Some trulli right in the middle of town

Alberobello church

Coreggia

This is the tiny church in the local village of Coreggia.

It was a reasonable walk away from the site with lots of caged barking dogs along the way!

Strangely the local bar closed between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, luckily we timed our arrival for 12:30 pm without knowing this. Only in Italy...

Night time back at our Trullo

H.P.B. (Holiday Property Bond) Coreggia - Italy

We stayed in a Trullo (plural Trulli).

This is a newly constructed one although others on the site were renovated.

Part of the site is in one 'district' and part is in another, one district allows new builds and the other one doesn't!

Renovated Trulli on the site.

The buildings date from the Middle Ages and are constructed like dry stone walls.

Apparently the buildings were taxed and when an inspector was on his way, they quickly demolished the Trullo and rebuilt it after he had left

Derelict Trulli awaiting restoration

Our first visitor "Bella" or "Bello" as no-one knows what sex he/she is

St Albans Abbey - Space Voyage Post 2

Projections inside the abbey, all continuously changing

There was also a huge 'lunar mat' where you could walk on the moon and feel the variations in the surface even through your shoes

This was also a projection - not stained glass!

The three screens below were telling the story of the universe - in about two minutes