Sat 16th – Mon 18th May
Accommodation: The Heart of the Borgo: booked on AirBnB.
Sat 16th May
It was a good day to be leaving Matera as the rain set in just after we’d reached the car park and put our bags into the car. It was a 3 hr drive across to Termoli and we reached there around 3 pm for our check-in at an old fisherman’s cabin in the Borgo Vecchio (Old Town).
Termoli is located in the Molise region of Italy and has been occupied since prehistoric times, with evidence of ancient Greek and Roman settlements, but the Borgo visible today is what remains of a fortified medieval village set on a rocky promontory reinforced by impressive city walls and with a 13th century Castle looming large at its entry. Molise is often described as Italys’s most under-explored region which rang true for us as we found Termoli to have few (or rather no) other tourists and seemed to be made up mostly of locals.
Today’s Termoli is a seaside port / resort town popular with Italians but few non-Italians and Mark and I did seem to stand out as the only Anglos in the whole place and garnered looks from the Italians that was either disdain or wonderment. ‘Disdain’ as maybe they’re thinking we’re Americans or ‘wonderment’ at puzzling why we were here. Either way, we were always quick to alert people that we were Australian (not American) and the response was usually one of relief with a knowing nod and smile. Termoli has a population of just under 32,000 and so we were surprised to find how busy the area was and that it was swarming with loads of late primary and early secondary aged kids all afternoon and into the evening. There also seemed to be an abundance of restaurants, given the population, but we suspected the numbers must swell significantly during the high summer period.
Our accommodation was very humble, with just three small rooms, but we’d known that would be the case given it was an historical fisherman’s cabin however the location was excellent. It was located on a small square surrounded by small bars, shops and restaurants and about a 2 minute walk to the Castle. After finding space to squash in all of our luggage we ventured out to stretch our legs by exploring the city walls and strolling the Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo (beachfront promenade) that ran the length of the 10 km Sant’Antonio beach.
On returning from our walk, we found the bar in the small square where our apartment was located, to be busy with locals having aperitivo so of course Mark had to join in. We left the bar to find somewhere for dinner and found the streets around the old town teaming with people in all directions, young and old, and it reminded me of trick or treat on steroids! Which of course begged the question, where were they all going, because most restaurants around here didn’t open till 8 pm? We luckily found one open at 7 pm so dived. Frederick’s was ok but not somewhere I’d say you should put on your to do list which was probably why there were only two other couples dining there. It was 9 pm by the time we left the restaurant and we headed home to collapse into bed. It had been a full day and we were both exhausted.
Sun 17th May
It was a beautiful sunny morning so Mark took the opportunity to go for a bike ride, his first in quite a few days, and I headed out for a walk along the lungomare. It was great to be able to get out and walk along a beachside promenade.
We had thought we could visit Castello Svevo, a 2 minute walk from our door, but we could not find the entry and we later found out that it’s only opened on special occasions, quite contrary to what Google advertised. The Castle dominates this small Borgo Vecchio and was built in the 13th century during the reign of Frederick II who was originally from Swabia, a region of Germany near the Black Forest. The foundations date back to the 11th century period of the Normans. We were disappointed to not be able to see inside but our Guide for the afternoon told us there’s not much to see anyway. So there you go.
Our afternoon activity was an e-scooter tour of Termoli and Campomarino and this was excellent. Yes, can you believe it? We both rode on the scooter. I had been an anxious about this activity from the moment I booked it but it ended up being a comfortable ride, we felt safe and it was an excellent way to cover a lot of territory. Our guide was a young guy, Vincenzo, who we later found out had only recently set up this business and he had 200 vehicles around the place for hire and was hoping to ride the wave of growing tourism in the area with these guided e-scooter tours. He was a most delightful and engaging young man and quite the entrepreneur we were to discover. It was as much a pleasure just spending time with him apart from visiting the sites he showed us around the two villages. Vincenzo explained that Termoli is a family oriented town and doesn’t have a lot of night life for young people; which went some way to explaining to what we had seen of the place in our short time here. He also told us that the main employer was factories such as FIAT as well as pharmaceutical and other chemical companies.
Campomarino was about 8 km down the coast from Termoli and was the most beautiful little old town that is often referred to as the ‘painted village’. This is because there are the most amazing mural’s painted on nearly every surface throughout the area and along every narrow lane way. Campomarino is smaller than Termoli, with a population of about 8,000, and the area is known for its olive and wine production. The town is really something to behold and definitely a location to put on your to-do list if you are ever in the area.
It was 5 pm by the time we got back to our little fisherman’s lodge and we rested up for about 20 minutes before heading out again, just a short walk from our abode, to visit the Termoli underground, The Sotterranea. This space was under the Bishops Palace and had been found by accident when excavations were carried out whilst investigating some water damage. Parts of this underground contained Roman-era relics as well as many 10th to 13th century building fragments. It was an interesting half hour tour and only a two minute walk from our little cottage so nicely filled in the time before the restaurants opened for dinner. In fact we came across a little restaurant on the short walk home that opened at 7 pm so headed there for our final night.
We had greatly enjoyed our time in Termoli and it was all the more special for staying in the heart of the Borgo Vecchio. It is only a small town and one full day is sufficient for sightseeing but we highly recommend adding it to your to-do list if you are ever in this area. We would greatly recommend our accommodation as well, you really feel you are in the spirit of the village when staying right in the old town and, especially, if staying in one of the old fisherman’s huts.
