Oman, an oasis suspended between nature and modernity

For the first time, Vale and I immerse ourselves in the Arab world, and specifically spend our holiday in Oman.

Yes, Oman, a Persian Gulf country unknown to mass tourism but which, to our good fortune, we had the pleasure of visiting thanks to our friend Daniela, who some time ago moved for work to this distant and different reality.

So on 5 January we set off from Rome, destination the Omani capital Muscat (with a stopover in Doha with Qatar Air); with us there's another friend of ours, Consuelo, an expert traveller on her second trip to Oman, a precious guide for us.

In Oman we actually spent only a few days, but all lived intensely, thanks to Daniela who, with her Toyota, accompanied us far and wide around the capital, and thanks to Consuelo who helped us get to know this land better, where most of the inhabitants are of the Muslim religion.

In Muscat we visited the great “Sultan Qaboos” Mosque, the only one open to non-Muslims, built in white Carrara marble and unique in its splendour. Here is the largest carpet in the world, coming from neighbouring Iran, and the chandeliers are also splendid.

We visited the palace of the Sultan “Qaboos bin Said”, who has been in power for about 40 years. Thanks to him the country has seen enormous development in these years, also thanks to the discovery of important oil fields in the 60s.

A visit to the Souq, the market located on the Muscat seafront, could not be missing; here you can buy typical local objects such as knives and other items in silver, or the famous silk scarves “pashmine” (which in reality, however, originate from India). All amid the most varied scents of incense.

The visit to the fish market was also lovely, where the fishermen display their catch, bargaining among enormous fish of various colours, from barracuda to squid, from prawns to the legendary king fish...

On the fantastic seafront you can admire the Sultan's boat, an enormous ship that in 2008 even reached Italy, docking for several days off the coast of Puglia; in fact, the Sultan of Oman has a close friendship with the Italian government.

Moreover, the trip on board the pick-up lent to us by Claudio, but driven by Pasquale (both colleagues of Daniela), an excellent driver who in just under 2 hours took us, through the Omani mountains, to Wadi Shab, one of the most characteristic places in this nation, could not be missing. The walk along the river (and then inside it) among the very high walls that lined it was splendid, an unforgettable place.

On the way back we struck up some Calabrian folk songs in honour of Pasquale, then moved on to Roman ones and, to finish, with a great anular ring by Guzzanti, sung loudly by the whole troop.

The food binges we had together were unforgettable, unsurpassable was the dinner at the Turkish restaurant where the king fish and the melon juice will remain forever in history.

Moreover, the period in which we were there is one of the best; in fact, the temperature was around 30° and so in our tour a few hours of sea on the beautiful beaches could not be missing.

A few hours before departure, Claudio took us to eat at the “Zozzone”, a barbecue run by Omanis on the beachfront where they cooked splendid meat and fish skewers on the spot; we ate it all inside the boot of the pick-up; in short, a fabulous evening.

We thank for this fantastic adventure Daniela, truly unique, who never let us want for anything and made us feel at home.

A standing ovation also goes to Consuelo, an exceptional guide who supported us and put up with us on this holiday.

A round of applause goes to Claudio and Pasquale, who accompanied us on this holiday, taking us to enchanting places and giving us precise information about the Arab world.

In short, the company was exceptional; we will hardly forget it.

The last thank-you goes to Valentina, who has been putting up with me for many years both at home and around the world, and with whom I share the emotions of these beautiful experiences.

Greetings from the travellers Claudio and Valentina,

OMAN 5 – 9 JANUARY