Message in a bottle!!!!!!

About three and a half months ago I threw a message in a bottle off a boat.........……………………And two days ago it was found about 200 km away!!!! Here is the letter I was sent........…………

Dott. Roberto Regnoli MEDICO CHIRURGO SPECIALISTA IN ORTOPEDIA E TRAUMATOLOGIA Via Lampedusa, 48 – Tel. (0875) 85454 86039 – Termoli (CB) e-mail: rregnoli@tiscali.it ---------------------

Dear Jack,

my name is Roberto, I am 65 years old.My job in Termoli as a physician. Ihave a fishing-boat,  louse of my great hobby,  how you can see,  with good results.

When the sea is rough, and I can’t  fish,  my friend Piero, my dogsDago and Kyra I like walking on the beach to find what the sea hasthrow on the shore.

In the 30/07/2013, in the morning,when we were walking closedMarina di  Lesina  we found the bottle that you send  “ by sea “ . We  open the bottle immediately to read your message.

Where the place did you sent the message?

I hope to receive news about you.

Please, write me back and give all my regards to your crew.

My address is:

Dott. Roberto Regnoli

Via Lampedusa 48,

86039 Termoli  ( Campobasso )

Italy

e-mail : rregnoli@tiscali.it

Tel. 336661133

Sito: www.messagidalmare.com

The bottle

Il Palio of Siena!!!!!

Last week we went to Siena to visit our friends Regula and Pasquale. We went there to watch the Il Palio, a famous horse race.  17 contrades compete in the race. They are Caterpillar, Snail, Owl, Dragon, Giraffe, Porcupine, Unicorn, Wolf, Shell, Goose, Whale, Panther, Tortoise, Forest, Tower and Ram.

This is me on the Il Palio track in Siena.

On the first day we watched the lottery of horses. It's where the riders find out which horse they will be riding. Wave got the best horse. I go for Wolf ("Lupa" in Italian).

Then it was practice. We went to see it but by the time we got there it finished. Dad went to the real Il Palio and we watched it on TV whilst having a picnic.  The build up is massive. They have people screaming and waving their flags all chanting and singing for their team.  Here are the rules....................NO RULES!!!!!! They ride bare back, they can whip the other jockeys, push them over, and even give the others money to let them win!  And the horse can win if the rider is not on it! How weird is that???????

The race!

At the start of every race a mortar fires (and it is so loud and the horses will start to run).  The winner wins the Palio, a fabric flag with the Madonnas on it.  In the race two riders fell off and the horse that came second had no rider!  The winner was........WAVE!!!!!!

Il Palio!

The winning horse. Winning contrada ONDA!!!

I got to touch the Il Palio!

MY ROME ADVENTURE!!!!!

DAY ONE: On our first day in Rome we went to the Trevi Fountain. It was GIANT!!!!! I thought it would be a little fountain but I was totally wrong. Afterwards we went to the Spanish Steps. Who knows why the SPANISH Steps are in ROME!!!!!








DAY TWO:  We went to the Colosseum. It was "bloody" amazing. It was so old and giant. First the Colosseum was a gladiatorial amphitheater, then a hotel for Romans to live in and also tobacco factory. In the first 100 days (the grand opening of the gladiatorial amphitheater) 1300 people were killed and 9000 animals killed!!!!

DAY THREE:  We went to the Vatican City to see the Sistine Chapel. It was painted by Michelangelo. He painted many naked bodies on the ceiling. When he died the Pope got a painter to paint a cloth over their penis's.

DAY FOUR: We watched 2 movies in 5D at the Time Machine!!!! One movie was about dinosaurs and the other about the history of the the Romans. They were awesome!!!!! The seats moved, it rained and there was wind!!!! Then we went on a "Ape" tour (a bee tour).  They are little 3 wheel Italian cars.

I LOVE ROME AND I WILL RETURN!!!!!!!

Sicily........................my roots!

Two  weeks ago we went to Sicily. My great grandfather  originated from there from a town called Trecastagni (three saints).  He moved to Australia when he was about 20. We saw a monument that said LICCIARDELLO on it (Mums side of the family.)  In Piazza Marconi there were kids illegally buying firecrackers. They snuck some into people's pockets and then the firecrackers would blow up and people would scream.

The water fountain in Piazza Marconi in Trecastagni.

'

You can't see it but it has Licciardello engraved on it.

The Sicilians have great foods such as : arancini,  iris and brioche con gelato.
I have eaten them all and they are all delicious. Arancini  is rice and ragu deep fried in breadcrumbs. Iris is dough with chocolate cream inside in a coating of breadcrumbs.  Brioche con gelato is cold ice-cream in a hot bun. BU0NISSIMO!!!!!!!

Gelato con Brioche!!!!!

Then we went to  Mount Etna  a giant active volcano on Sicit.  We could not go to the top because of our asthma but we got to go to a crator filled with dry lava. After we brought some real OBSIDIAN and sulphur.  It was brilliant.  

The volcanic creator at Mount Etna.

A picture in the street made of salt.