After 20 years of boating in the south of France, Princess owner Robert Prevezer decides to relocate to southern Italy
Home stretch
One surprising aspect of our cruise south was the absence of other boats. On some legs we saw nobody for the entire trip. This was slightly disconcerting. Why were we the only boat at sea? Where was everyone else? What if we needed help quickly? In the south of France, we were used to being surrounded by boats and often longed to be alone. Of course, now we were alone, we began to wish for company!
After six days at sea we were eager to get to Gaeta but although we could have reached it that night, we decided to moor instead at San Felice. It’s an unremarkable place, but we felt L’Amitié deserved a proper clean after all her hard work and we wanted her to arrive in her new home looking pristine!
Finally, on the seventh day, we reached Gaeta. A cold, stiff wind was blowing as we pulled into harbour and we were welcomed in with two tumblers of warm whiskey – a lovely way to arrive at our new home!
Having now spent the summer months in Gaeta, we have found it to be a very attractive, old-fashioned town populated with lovely, unpretentious people.
“L’Amitié” Anchored in Palmarola
We have already enjoyed a wonderful ten- day cruise to Procido, Naples, Sorrento, Capri and some of the Amalfi coast. Suffice to say that it was a spectacular trip, marred only by being charged €325 for a one-night stay in Grande Marina in Capri, the only port on the island. To add insult to injury, the shorepower cut out at 2am and we were asked to pay more money to restore it. Outrageous!
So, was the move from France to Italy worth it? Without question, yes! The journey down was more challenging than expected because of the unusually strong winds for the time of year, but having already visited the Pontine Islands, as well as Ischia, Positano and Amalfi, we are loving our new life here.
The only question now is whether to continue our adventures down towards Sicily and beyond or stay here for a while longer? You will have to wait and see…
