WWOOFing in Italy

Traveling is great! Visiting landmarks and attractions are wonderful. But for some travelers, they feel like they are missing on that authentic side of the country. Where would you meet these interesting characters you see in travel magazines? Where is that beautiful child holding a lamb in her arms? And this old woman weaving baskets?

Sometimes, touristic spots are not the most authentic. 

Then again, you could get off the beaten path and explore some country side. But let's face it, being a stranger in another country, the only clue you have is a map...

Enjoying the beautiful mountains of Italy

Learning the art of bottling olive oil

But if you really want to interact with locals, find out about their way of living and seeing the unseen, wwoofing might be a good option.

I discovered this organization a few years ago. WWOOF stands for (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). As the name pretty much describes it's an organization that connects organic farm owners with volunteers all over the world.



The idea is pretty simple:
The volunteers and hosts joint the community by registering on the country's WWOOF website.
The hosts post information on their farm and the volunteers browse through the listings to find a farm where they will stay and help.
Hosts will give you accommodation and food in exchange of 4-6 hours help on their farm.
Most of the times, you live with your hosts. Usually you would stay in their house, share meals and join in the daily activities.

Before arriving you arrange the dates and length of your stay with the host you contacted. It is usually one or two weeks but it could be anything between a couple of days to a few months, depending on the host.

No soft hands on a farm

I met a lot of people who woofed in different countries. And I spent a little more than a month woofing on a farm in Italy.

This is a great way to meet locals, understand the culture, learn a new language, learn about organic farming, explore beautiful places that tourists will probably never see.

In order to enjoy wwoofing you need to have an interest in farming and the countryside.
Farm work is hard work. And it is a difficult task to grow your own food. For someone not used to manual work, this could be tiring.

Then again it depends where and when you go wwoofing.
But expect to live like the people from the country, work hard and enjoy the fresh air and nature.

Working hard to weed a garlic field

Often farms are literally off the beaten path, so it might be a disadvantage if you were planing on go sightseeing. The truth is wwoofing is not meant to be a vacation or tourism. Even though you will definitely see a lot of beautiful things and probably explore the area a bit.

I think wwoofing is wonderful for the traveler who is looking for more than the usual sights. It's a way to connect to the locals and learn about their way of living. You will be living the country instead of visiting it.

Cooking our lunch on an outdoor oven

If you are looking for the authentic, for the 'national geographic' picture you see all the time... then wwoofing might set you on the right path.
I have wonderful memories of the family who hosted me. They talked about their country, their farm, their life in this small village in the mountains. They taught me their culture and made me understand their view of Italy.
It was interesting and wonderful to be part of the daily mountain life of this Italian community.
Would I, as a tourist, had sat in the shade of an olive tree? I would probably have never seen the beautiful valley and mountains, nor shared Italian meals outdoors with wonderful people. And I would have missed on a little known, yet so beautiful, region of this country.

It might be a good idea to include woofing in a trip. Maybe between visiting different cities or regions.
Whatever the way you do it, it's worth giving it a try.

You can learn more about WWOOF on their web site: www.wwoof.net

Have fun!

Roman Ruins of Pompeii

If you love ancient ruins as much as I do, Pompeii is definitely a must.
Located a few kilometers from Naples Italy, this archaeological site is a gold mine.

The Marina entrance...  This was my very first look at Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius looking down on a Roman farm reconstitution

History

The city of Pompeii was buried under ash and rock of nearby volcano mount Vesuvius about 2000 years ago. As destructive this event could have been, it also kept a still picture of the Roman life at this time. 

Over the recent centuries the estimated 66 ha archaeological site has been and still is being excavated as well as four other nearby sites: Herculanum, Oplontis, Stabia and Boscoreale.

 

What is Pompeii?

Pompeii is an incredibly well preserve archaeological site.

You can easily imagine it in its original state as you walk through the city ruins.
From the paved streets still wearing the marks of countless wheels to the counters of stores and restaurants, some parts of the city are still almost intact.
There is lots of houses that have been destroyed by the weight of ash. But there is also some that have been preserved by it.

Thermopolium (snack-bar), very popular restaurants in the city

The original paint is still on the inside walls of a lot of buildings. You can see the petrified wooden doors in the villa dei misteri. And a  seat with its solidified cushions in the public bath. The ash protected many objects from time: Beautiful pools and fountains, mosaics, sculptures, clay pots, shop signs... even graffiti on walls. 

For someone with a passion for ruins like mine, visiting Pompeii was like a dream come true.

 Preparing Your Visit

Luckily I received good tips before I got there and I will pass these on to you today.
 

Pompeii not a small site. It's 44 ha of ruins and buildings organized by blocks and streets just like today's cities. So be prepared to walk a lot.

You will mainly follow paved streets and stroll through the city just the way the Roman used to. Watch out, the pavement is uneven and slippery sometimes.

The marks of Roman carts and chariots are still visible

 It is better to plan a full day to visit Pompeii. The map and a small guide book I picked up at the entrance showed over 80 points of interests.
They are all worth to see but rather scattered. You might need to organize your visit a little.

If unorganized visits are not your thing, there is the option to go on a guided tour or rent an audio guide. It seems like a good idea if you are interested in the history of Pompeii.
However it might not cover all of the site and it gives you less freedom to explore the excavations.

I preferred freedom to explore at my own pace and without the crowd. Up for the challenge and well prepared, my visit was a success (except for sore feet at the end).

 The theater

 

 

 

Here are my suggestions:

• Good shoes
• Water
• Sun protection
• Lunch
• Map and guide

Not to make it sound like a jungle excursion but otherwise I would probably have had to turn around without seeing half of the site.

I have been amazed by the beautiful buildings, paintings and artifacts of Pompeii.

I felt like I stepped out in time. It's well worth to see and can be a day well spent if you're prepared a little bit.

A lot of sculptures, artworks and artifacts have been removed from the site to protect them from a potential eruption of the Vesuvius. They can be seen at the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
So if you are still hungry for Roman history, this should be your next stop.

As always, if you have questions please feel free from to comment and I will be happy to answer.

Enjoy your archeological journey!

Information and links to help you plan your visit of Pompeii

Here's the link to the official Pompeii web site (english version):

http://www.pompeiisites.org/index.jsp?idProgetto=2

Pompeii's Opening Hours:

 From November 1st to March 31st:
Open from 08:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission at 3:30 p.m.)

From April 1st to October 31st:
Open from 08:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (last admission at 6:00 p.m.)

Closed : January 1st, May 1st and December 25th

Admission fees:

• Free on the first Sunday of every month!
• Single admission Pompeii, valid 1 full day: € 13,00
• 5 sites  (Pompeii, Herculanum, Oplontis, Stabia and Boscoreale), valid 3 consecutive days: € 22,00

To get from Naples to Pompeii by train:
 

You can use the Circumvesuviana trains for a very low cost (about 3€ one way). 

Take the Naples-Sorento line and get off at the Pompeii S.Villa Misteri stop.
This stop is only a few meters from the Porta Marina entrance.
Time tables for the Circumvesuviana lines can be found here: http://www.eavsrl.it/web/en/content/download-train-timetable

View of the city ruins from the top of the amphitheater

Moroccan Taxis

In Canada taxis are generally expensive. They are covering short distances within a city. So I always try to avoid this type of transportation while traveling... That is until I traveled to Morocco.

I think there is more taxis than other vehicles in Morocco. And it's no wonder as they are intensively used.
They are two kinds of taxis: the "petit taxi" and the "grand taxi".

Newer petit taxi

"Petits taxis", literally translated as "small taxis" are covering short distances within the city. Every city has it's own taxi color. And they are generally all the same make: Renault. They usually have a wooden box on their top to carry luggage.

The fares system is pretty simple. The taxi can carry up to three passengers and the fare is calculated by the meter.
A good tip is to ask the taxi driver to put the meter on... Some of them might charge you by estimate and you end up paying more than what you should.

Older petit taxi

 Usually, a short trip in the city would be 10 or 20 dirham's (close to 1 or 2 euros).

It's a cheap way to get around if you are not yet familiar with the bus system.

If you are at an airport or train station and you are offered a taxi, always agree on the cost before to get in. Also, if you get on a Mercedes rather than on a small Renault, be prepared to pay the European taxi fare.
I prefer walking away from the station a bit and catch a taxi on the street. 

Grand taxi driver waiting for customers

The "grand taxi", literally translated as "big taxi" covers longer distances between cities. It usually goes from a station to another and does stops on the way. You might take the taxi from the station or catch it on its way. At the station, taxis are parked by destinations. You have to ask around, specifying your destination. The big taxis are usually white Mercedes. It's not the most comfortable way of traveling as it's always crowded: They seat two passengers on the front seat and four in the back seat. So you might feel like a sardine in a can. 

 However, the fare is fixed by passenger and very cheap. It might cost you about 10 dirhams to get to the next city. And the big taxis can also be hired for a single person... but in this case, you are paying for all the empty seats.

Grands taxis and petits taxis are a nice way to get around Morocco besides buses. It's also good to know how the system works before to get there. After using them so much while I was there, I am missing this very useful system here in Canada. I wish I could just walk to the main road and wait a few minutes for a grand taxi to get to town. Unfortunately I can only rely on my own car here...which is not bad after all.

If you have questions about transportation in Morocco or about this article, please feel free to comment or send me a message.

Have a fun road trip!

Let's Travel

Well, here I am...
After traveling on and off in the last couple of years, I'm once again back home for a little while.




 As usual, I'm sharing travel stories, cultural differences, new cooking skills and ideas with my friends and family. I'm sure they are sick of listening to fantastic Tunisia, marvelous Italy and wonderful Morocco by now. To much of a good thing... You know the saying.

Maybe that's why I decided to start blogging.
Well, mainly because I have so much to say about traveling and living abroad. And also because I have a huge load of information. Let's say I learned things the hard way.





 Yes, I got ripped off by that taxi driver, missed that plane, got lost in a city at night and many other things. Traveling is not always rainbows and butterflies. But like home, there's good and bad about everything and every places. Just focus on the good...and laugh about the bad moments.

I actually find the most memorable moments, the ones you will look back at and talk about and laugh until your sides hurt, are those dreadful situations where you were thinking: really? I said I love traveling?

Let's face it: a travel trip without a flaw has no story.



I would have a three feet long list of tips for the backpacker who is going on his first trip. However, it might be as good to learn as you go. Every trip is unique and every traveler too.
 There is no guidebook with step by step instructions on traveling. So I will go with the basics:
Pack light, don't plan too much and explore with an open mind.

Safe travels!