Month: April 2022

Today was our first look at Homer’s Messina Strait, and … wow! From tidal rip currents forming whirlpools as we looked across from Scylla at Charybdis, to spectacular growth strata in uplifted and tilted Pleistocene deposits, to an evening walk on the beach in the shadow of the looming Etna volcano after a full day with a fantastic group of scientists from around the globe, we couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to this geological wonderland. Our field trip leaders, Domenico Chiarella and Marcello Gugliotta, are teaching us about their expert work in this area. Sergio Longhitano is also a trip leader but had to stay in Matera to make final preparations for the Tidalites conference. Looking forward to more adventures tomorrow!

In anticipation of our upcoming trip to the Tidalites Conference, Charlie and I decided to spiff up and get hair cuts!  The photo below was taken today at a small plaza near our apartment in Potenza. The skies are blue and the weather is warming up!

Day 2 in Matera was sunnier than Day 1 and equally full of sights and discoveries. We walked around and about, up and down, in and out of the seemingly endless stone streets of this amazing ancient city.  One museum display said that Matera has been continuously inhabited for the past 4,000 years, which makes it a lot older than Eugene, Oregon!  We walked down into the deep river gorge next to the cliff-top city, crossed a shaky suspension footbridge crammed full of Italian tourists, and hiked up the other side for a bit of exercise and more stunning views.

We are now back in Potenza, working on our various projects. Happy to say that we will return to Matera in 10 days for the Tidalites Conference!

Charlie and I spent Easter weekend in the historic city of Matera in southern Italy. This is a stunning place – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – with so many fascinating stone streets, buildings, churches, and spectacular vistas to explore. Matera is famous for its restored network of cave dwellings that were inhabited until the 1950’s. Two photos below.  It is also a popular tourist town with mainly Italian people as well as tourists from different countries. Something we were not expecting: raucous fireworks at midnight to start the Easter celebration!

There are a couple of produce stands located on a street at the top of the stone stairs that take me down to campus every day. We like to shop at both of them. Yesterday we bought broccoli, asparagus, carrots, pears, apples and more. Last night I tossed a bunch of veggies into a large hot pan with olive oil, Italian pesto and salty dried tomatoes and created a typical (for us) dinner.  As recorded in photos below. Buon appetito!

Charlie and I arrived in Potenza a week ago and are happily settled into our new home.  We really like living in the center of the historic old city, or “Centro Storico”. It is full of narrow winding cobble-stone paved streets with lots of small cafes and restaurants which we are still discovering. The breakfast pastries are delicious, and they make the best cappuccinos. At night people arrive from the surrounding areas to walk the streets and it gets quite active, especially on weekends. The Italian people are full of life and energy! They walk in pairs and small groups with a good deal of banter, laughter, and rapid fire conversation that we don’t understand.

On week days I walk down the hill to the University where I typically get lunch with Sergio. Today we discussed active faults, marine currents, and sedimentation in and around the Messina Strait. I asked Sergio to tell me about tidal processes in the area (one of his areas of expertise), and he created a classic geologist’s “sketch on a napkin” (on a paper placemat).  Messina Strait is the famous location where Homer’s Odysseus narrowly escapes the mythical monsters Scylla and Charybdis. These multi-headed man-eating creatures are believed to be depictions of whirlpools, reefs, and other hazards associated with exceptionally strong and unpredictable tidal currents in the fault-bounded narrow marine passage between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas.

Yesterday we arrived in the small hilltop city of Potenza!  The bus trip from Naples took us through incredible valleys and steep mountains capped with fresh snow. With the help of our AirB&B host, we moved into a super cute little apartment in the middle of the historic city center (centro storico). There are plenty of cafes and restaurants, a local food market with everything we need, and it’s a fairly short walk down the hill to the Universita Degli Studi Della Basilicata (also known as “Unibas”) where I am being hosted by Sergio Longhitano, a fabulous sedimentologist and professor at the university.  It is exciting to have this chance to work with Sergio and learn from him!

For the past two days Charlie and I have continued our travels back in time to the days of the Roman Empire ca. 2000 years ago.  Yesterday we spent most of the day in the National Archeology Museum which was amazing, and today we explored the ancient city of Herculaneum. I especially like the color mosaics constructed from thousands of tiny tiles assembled into beautiful images, the majestic marble and bronze sculptures in every corner, and the large tightly fitted paving stones in these ancient streets.

The eruption of Vesuvius buried Pompei and Herculaneum in the year 79 A.D.  Pliny the younger wrote “a black and dreadful cloud, broken with rapid zigzag flashes, revealed behind it variously shaped masses of flame … Soon afterwards, the cloud began to descend, and cover the sea. I looked back and a dense dark mist seemed to be following us, spreading itself over the country like a cloud.”  At Herculaneum we saw charred blackened wooden building beams, piles of metal coins that were welded together from the heat of the pyroclastic flow, and yes a few human bones. A vivid reminder of the destructive power of geologic processes!

 

First full day in Naples, and of course we went to Pompei! A few pictures, too tired for many words. Excellent Day 1, looking forward to many more!