Middle East Part 1... Discovering Syria

Leaving for the Middle East and in particular for Syria was a rather fascinating experience... since I had always been fascinated by these places and, although I travel a lot, I had no idea what it could be like. I understood well that this country is paradise for architects and archaeologists... as it's crammed with Roman, Byzantine, Egyptian, Babylonian remains... and any more you can think of! A myriad of temples, dead cities, amphitheatres... that are a feast for the eyes, especially during the visit to the magical city of Palmyra, in the scorching Syrian desert! And how could I forget Apamea, with its endless colonnade... Bosra and its magical amphitheatre, the very ancient remains of Ebla and the beautiful convent visited in Maaloula... all this not to mention the numerous castles found there...

first of all the fantastic Krak des Chevaliers, probably the most famous Crusader castle in the world! But also Saladin's castle at Al-Haffa and the desert castles... something that personally I've never seen anywhere else I've been! Speaking of the cities, I was lucky enough to visit them all... starting from Hama and its norias, up to Aleppo, for many the most important in Syria, with the fantastic citadel, the national museum, the mosque and its bizarre Suq, where on entering it feels like being at the centre of the world, for the amount of things you'll see, an endless view of little shops, traders trying to do business, thousands of people coming and going, scents of everything and an endless variety of things to buy... that only the Middle East can offer! And finally Damascus... which disputes with Aleppo the title of oldest city in the world! I spent 3 very intense days there...

lost among the alleys of the city, the warmth of the people who always stop you and ask if you need help (just like in Italy!!!!) and its little shops... it's impossible to count them, and above all to go home without having bought anything! The Umayyad Mosque is spectacular... gigantic and full of the faithful and non-believers, it keeps the head of John the Baptist in a green-coloured chapel. Its minarets are also very beautiful! The last stop was the visit to the archaeological site of Palmyra... one of the most important in the world. The city is spectacular, it has really remained well preserved, and there are ruins scattered here and there, very beautiful like the famous temple of Bel, the theatre, the main street and the night view... very beautiful to see if you go. I close my travel story with a quote about the historic Euphrates river...

truly imposing in the view! The cuisine is spectacular, all based on meat, spiced and not, although the house speciality is the so-called "mezze", i.e. the starters... which are very numerous!! Syria is a country that deserves to be seen, above all, if as said you're a lover of history or archaeology, but also if you want to understand that our civilisation is quite another thing compared to theirs... a completely different country where I think I saw hundreds of things I couldn't even imagine before... including being able to eat camel meat skewers... delicious by the way!! But above all watch out for the drivers... compared to them Formula 1 drivers are rookies, hehe... they're madmen who don't know the highway code and commit every kind of infraction, but incredibly they never crash!!!