Ep. 41: Sirens, Shipwrecks, and the Real Ulysses Coast

This month Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey hits IMAX, giving me the perfect excuse to talk about where the epic actually happened. Consider it the earliest travelogue of southern Italy, tracking a the journey from Circe’s mountain outside Rome down through the Scylla’s wrath in Calabria. Travel writer Laura Itzkowitz of The New Roman Times joins to talk about the Riviera di Ulisse, the beach clubs that haven’t changed since the 1950, and the mythic beauty of Calabria and Capri.

In this episode:

* The Bronze Age Collapse, and how the Odyssey emerged from that dark age

* The Nestor Cup on Ischia and the earliest written Greek in the region

* The Riviera di Ulisse: Monte Circeo, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Sperlonga, Terracina, Gaeta

* Where Lazio starts feeling like Campania (and why)

* Laura’s mystery cruise from Athens through Magna Graecia

* Scilla, the Riace Bronzes, and the archaeological museum in Reggio Calabria

* The many legends of the sirens and what they really mean

* Capri: how best to enjoy it

* The Aeolian Islands and the god of the winds

If you want to learn more about the Bronze Age Collapse, I highly recommend Eric Cline’s 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed.

The Ulysses Coast

Thanks to Laura for these recommendations:

* Saporetti — the old school beach club in Sabaudia

* Hotel La Nave — retro family-run hotel in Sperlonga

* Bazzano Beach — beach club in Sperlonga

Laura also wrote about beaches on the Riviera d’Ulisse for a Lazio special edition of Bellissimo, Italy Magazine’s quarterly e-magazine for paid subscribers, and included several of these towns in her list of best beach towns near Rome on The New Roman Times.

You can read Laura’s Afar piece on Windstar’s mystery cruise here.

And in keeping with my advice to never trust an Italian website — the website for Sperlonga’s archaeological park, Villa di Tiberio is —- not working. But don’t be disssuaded, definitely go there, it’s amazing!

Ischia & Capri

The Nestor Cup is at Villa Arbusto on Ischia. Here’s my Ischia Deep Dive for more.

On Capri, this is Farella, the textile studio Laura describes.

We didn’t discuss it, but the Li Galli islands are strongly tied to the sirens as well — which is why the most famous hotel on the Amalfi Coast, Positano’s Le Sirenuse, takes its name.

Cilento

The siren Leucosia is said to have washed ashore near Castelabate on the Cilento coast — one of three regional claims on the myth, alongside Capri and Sicily. My Cilento Deep Dive has the fuller history if this coast is new to you.

Join us, free or paid, the conversation here is always full of interesting stories you won’t find elsewhere