Italy

After getting up before dawn and motoring all day we arrived on the east coast of Italy. We intended to go to Otranto but the winds said no, so we headed for Santa Maria di Leuca, on the heel of the Italian "boot".

We knew there were few harbors on the east coast but didn't know why - this is why. The coast here consists of steep cliffs and many large caves, but no natural harbors.

This is Santa Maria di Leuca in the early morning. When we arrived we figured we had to use the marina, which was our intro to Italy - 98 euros ($140) per night! Plus 14 euros for WiFi. We tried to get a SIM card but the nearest cellphone store was many kilometers away and there were no taxis. We tried to check in and were told that as we checked into the EU's Schengen Zone we didn't have to check into Italy. Part of adventure is wasting money on occasion. We ended up meandering around all day which was a Sunday with NOTHING open. It was difficult to understand why everything was so expensive since the tiny resort was uninspiring at best.

We thought we could fit all of Italy on one page, but it became unwieldy. So, please stay with us as we sail to Sicily and Sardinia!

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