As always with Terralba, you'll come not as a tourist but as a rower, part of the worldwide club of initiates to our sport, where doors open that you didn't know were there.

Southern Italy
2009 - feb 27-mar 6 (with a Masters Head Race in Sabuadia)
2009 - April Apr 5-16 (with Sicily as well)

Meeting place: Rome

Minimum number of participants 4 – maximum 7.
Skill level required for rowers: able to row any kind of boat (1x to 8+)

DAY 1 - We'll meet at the Rome airport or nearby and begin our trip with a stop at the magnificent "Tevere Remo" Rowing Club, where Italy's finest citizens row, swim, and play tennis. If you're up to it after the flight we'll go for a row, otherwise we'll have a relaxing afternoon and dinner. This first night we'll sleep in Rome at a little B&B run by friends.

DAY 2 - In the morning we'll turn south, towards Naples. Just outside of Rome we pass the invisible line that divides Il Mezzogiorno from Il Nord, a transition that can be felt and seen, in the way people drive (more relaxed), in the coffee (better and cheaper!), in the food (more colorful and creative) and in the sunny chaos of the towns along the way. Our first stop will be in Sabaudia, where Italy's top professional rowers train.

The town was built during the era of Fascism, but this being Italy, even a Fascist town can be beautiful! These elite athletes train on an insland salty lake that is separated from the sea by a swath of sandy beach about 3 kilometers long . The air of the town is relaxed and beachy, and rowing takes on a civilized air owing to the status of the athletes: to get here they have all proved their merit at their original hometown clubs and have won at least a few national and international titles. We'll try to look our best as we row past pluri-olympians!

DAY 3 - The next day we'll continue southwards, along the coast at least part of the way, until we get to the spot north of Naples where we board the ferry for Procida. This is the island where Il Postino was filmed, where colorful houses pour down the hillside into the port and a newly-reborn rowing club graces its coastline. We'll row in a traditional Italian boat called a "yole", a lapstrake wooden eight with staggered seat decks, recently restored by the club members.

We'll be the guests of the club's president at his little B&B, and possibly we'll get to go out diving or snorkeling with him on his dive boat if conditions permit. Procida will be our home for two nights, as visiting an island of this beauty cannot be done on a northern - rushed - timetable! We'll enjoy the local food and wine, explore the little town and hills by foot, and row in the exquisite port.

DAY 5 - Taking a different ferry we'll arrive in downtown Naples, where some of the strongest clubs in Italy are located. Canottieri Napoli, CRV Italia, Ilva Bagnoli... they are all powerhouses of athletes: young, elite and masters. What makes it all so incredible is that they actually row on a lake 45 minutes north of Naples, where each clubs shuttles its teams every afternoon for practice. We'll visit the most beautiful, historical, and victorious club of the all, the mighty Posillipo, which has created so many Olympic athletes in its long history. The sight of their green and red unis on race day is enough to set even our youngest athletes into a panic attack!

Their club, unlike the others, sits on a bit of a hill, overlooks the Bay of Naples and breathes an air of relaxed superiority, without pomposity or false elegance. We'll admire their trophy cases and then sit down to a club lunch with some of the members. Every year the teams of Naples come to the regattas that we organize in San Miniato and so love to be able to return our hospitality. We'll have a row on the Mediterranean in one of their yole. After seeing some of the sights of Naples we'll drive to Castellammare, home of Italy's most amazing rowers of all time.

Day 6 - Anyone who wants to row here will be up at 5am, as the busy little port of Castellammare gets to wavy by 10 am. Castellammare di Stabia is home to the Abbagnale Brothers: Giuseppe, Carmine and Agostino, who for decades dominated the world rowing scene. Giuseppe, the oldest and most charismatic of the three (Carmine and Agostino being decidely of the quiet type...) will show us his home club and his hometown. There are 25 different types of springwaters that sprout from underneath this town, for every type of malady and for delight of every palate. We'll lunch with him and possibly his family, and then in the afternoon we'll explore Herculaneum with his sister Maria, an archeological guide. Unlike Pompei, Herculaneum has retained many of its colors, owing the different nature of the residue that came from Vesuvius when it exploded, and is generally off the traditional path of the enormous tour buses.

Day 7 - No trip to the South could be complete without at least a taste of the Amalfitana Coast and its views of Sorrento! We'll have lunch there today, explore and go for a last swim if the weather is nice, and then head back to Rome in the afternoon.

Day 8 - Before ending the trip we'll stop in Sant'Anastasia, a little town on the hills of Mt. Vesuvius, known historically for copper pots and miracles. We'll definitly witness the first being made, though for the second we can't guarantee anything! We will see the incredibly quantity of helmets, plaques, medallions and paintings left by the thankful in honor of the Madonna. As for the copper pots... well, you'll just have to taste the food made in them by "U' Curti" whose pot collection predates many American towns.

These are some of the daily activities anticipated for the tour of Southern Italy. The itinerary may vary somewhat in order to take advantage of local festivals, markets, or events of interest as well as weather conditions. Non-rowing companions (spouses, friends) are welcome; the itinerary anticipated holds intrigue for all.

The following are included in the quoted price:

Accommodations for 7 nights, double occupancy with a single supplement available; all meals; boats and oars, fees, access to boat clubs; transportation during the trip.

Cost does not include:

Airfare; travel & health insurance (required); personal items, toiletries, wine and souvenirs; telephone calls; transportation and trips not organized by the tour but by the individuals(s); museum entries and other special fees that will be discussed when necessary.

Price – 1900 Euro
for double occupancy, add 200 for single occupancy.

Space is limited and a deposit of 200€ (Euro) is required to secure your reservation.