Category Archives: Lago di Patria

Lago di Patria: a walk for the dog?

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A look back (first published 24 May 2015): a year on there was little sign of change at the lake: the road around its far end was worse; the abandoned hotel still gaped; and the rowers powered on. Only the water buffalo had gone … and our innocence.

The Phraser

The faded happiness of Lago di Patria The faded happiness of Lago di Patria

The pink hotel stood block-upright and silent.  Bleak windows stared from behind the flaking wall – all happiness abandoned.

Nervously we peered upwards through the car’s windscreen, enticed by the almost empty roadside parking.  Behind us, in the back, the dog bounced with impatience.

We were unsure … the dog wasn’t … so what was wrong?

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A day on a beach just north of Naples, Italy – with a dog in mind

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A look back (first published 14 April 2015): it turned out that Django loved the beach on winter walks when dogs were welcome. Then it was often just us, occasional strays, the fishermen and the horses in training for the trotting races.

The Phraser

In winter the ‘Litorale Domitio’ near Naples is quiet. Perfect for dogs?

In late February we began to hunt for walks for our labrador due to join us in the spring after he’d spent eight months frolicking with family in the leafy parks of Copenhagen.

We fretted for his well-being in the streetwise south.

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A ‘sagra’ on an old Roman road north of Naples, Italy

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Bees swarming at the 'Sagra delle antiche taverne'

Bees swarming at the ‘Sagra delle antiche taverne’

‘Sagre‘, and this was our first, are the right-in-the-thick-of-it festival celebrations that usually revolve around food.

Originally the meaning was linked to churches and the Latin word sacrum – holy.  Now they are still about expectation and celebration, but often with a local speciality centre stage rather than the church.

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