Updated on October 7, 2016
The First visit to Napoli!
On the 28th of april Domenico had a surprise for us – a trip to Napoli. Me, Nuria, Radek, Domenico, Alba and friends of his, we all got into a long waited van and rode to Napoli, soon enough catching the first sight of crazy Napoli italian traffic. So we listened to Domenico telling us stories about Napoli. I lost track of time, because everything everywhere caught my attention. 
Small streets, clothes hung out of the windows to dry, plants everywhere, small shops, display cases with pastries that during first minutes Radek, with a happy face, was already enjoying. Also many different artists, musicians and overall very interesting people that gave a „you no doubt will have the time of your life here” vibe.
We walked through the streets and heard a street musician playing. A minute later Domenico, Alba and their little girl were dancing and it was very sweet moment that made musicians and all of us smile. So we kept wandering. Radek bought Il Piccolo Principe (The Little Prince) that he had been searching for a long time. I looked at the second hand books thinking that I need to learn Italian well as soon as possible so I can read them all sitting in one of the Napoli’s charming cafes.
Later we said goodbye to Domenico’s friends and me and Nuria wandered around more with no destination in mind. After some time I decided to put my camera away because I realized that Napoli is not something you can capture into photos and later look at them thinking what a great experience you had. Napoli has to be enjoyed with all senses and you need to immerse yourself in its charming chaos.
So, what is the more to say… Oh, we tried our first Napolitalian pizza! Yum! It is definitely worth the drive! Hope to write about our next adventure very soon! Ciao, ciao!
Updated on October 18, 2016
A day with German students
On Saturday we woke up at 7 am and took bus from Massa Lubrense center to Nerano. There we helped to Domenico and Francesco (who is cooperating marine biologist with Punta Campanella MPA and MARE project) care about 36 German students.
At first Domenico introduced presentation about MARE project, biodiversity and specifics of local flora and fauna. We volunteers with Francesco prepared wet suits and flippers for snorkeling. Me and Nuria went to snorkel with Francesco and first group of students. Was water cold? Yes! But I really enjoyed snorkeling.
We observed Posidonia, kind of seagrass. While I was snorkeling, I got caught in a trap among big stones with 15 sea urchins, nice view. After snorkeling we cleaned a beach and some German students were very helpful with. After lunch break groups swapped. I stayed to listen to Domenico lesson about turtles and Elza went with second group. Nuria helped whole day to Francesco.
We finished at 5:15 pm and on the way home we visited Franco’s Bar and took a rest with beer (for girls) and pie (for me). Franco is unique small bar full of art created from washed litter ashore and not for sale paintings by Franco. We have already been there a few days ago for the first time when seventy years old Franco narrated us about his life, health, painting and living in London. We came home at 8:30 pm. Simply, we spent another fine day.
Updated on October 18, 2016
It’s time to know more about Ieranto bay!!
It´s time to go there, to hike around, to spot the details, to meet Salvatore, to swim into the bay… Thus, Domenico, Francesco, Macchia (Francesco´s little dog), Elza, Radek and I (Nuria) go to spend the afternoon at Ieranto bay. During the walk Domenico asks us to pay attention to ten different things, those we would like to know more about… at the end of the day he will solve our doubts.
While trekking both Domenico and Francesco explain to us a lot of things about the mountain, the way of living here in the old days, agriculture, soils, fossils… In our way we find a lot of signals that give us hints about how life was some years ago in this part of Naples: how people used the mountain and the sea to survive… A way of living that it is now obsolete.
Actually this is a special place in the peninsula. While being touristic destination, it conserves the charm of the past; there are not buildings, just some old houses, so people can enjoy the nature. We pay attention to the flora. It seems that some of the trees do not want to be awaken in the most tourist period of the year, and they prefer to sleep in summer when the weather is more extreme and return with their leaves and flowers in September when people go back from holidays to their routine lives. 
Carbonate soils led to the formation of a special mountain with many caves eroded by the sea and the wind. These soils retain water that a lot of microorganisms use to survive.
A sign hanging from an old door reminds us that this was the place where Norman Douglas started to write the book Siren Land in 1908 describing this part of the world.
We walk until Ieranto bay, but first we stop to meet Salvatore, a “pirate” who runs an amazing place with an incredible view to the bay from where you can spot Capri Island at the horizon. He seems very friendly and gives us cold water straight from a well inside his house.
Finally we get to a pebble beach to snorkel. Before exploring the sea, Domenico and Francesco find some strange thing at the shore: eggs from a marina snail (Janthina exigua) they are a nice surprise, as it is something new for the rest of us.
Then all of us, even Macchia, go into the sea to get a better glimpse of the life we can find in this beautiful place. Soon we see jellyfishes, muraenas and other fishes, posidonia seagrass, starsfishes, ctenophora, anemones, corals, bivalves, marine polychaetes… another world is under the sea and seeing all of this makes me think a great sentence: “it does not mind how long you walk or how high you climb, if you want to see more than the 70% of the world, you have to take a look underwater”.
After a couple hours we get back, a bit more tired but knowing a lot more about all of the things that this part of Italy can show us. Before arriving to Nerano, Salvatore gives us some coffee and some smiles that make us stronger for the road. Once in Nerano we get to in Franco’s bar to talk about all the things we have seen.
Radek, Elza and I make questions about trees, fruits, animals, human signs… that Domenico solves for us. With a lot of new information we finally go back home after a really good day, being happy to be in such a great place and knowing that we have the opportunity to further explore it in the coming months.
Updated on October 7, 2016
First hike
On Monday we started our first Italian class. Most of the week has been waking up at 7.30am and going to Italian class
(or for me, more like falling out of bed and then trying to get ready in 10 minutes) but this week we had the chance to go on a hike, get to know the area around us and be in touch with nature. So at Thursday we met Domenico at Sorrento and drove to Santagata termini where we met Franceso – a marine biologist and a guide in project Mare. Before going up the mountain we stopped at a local place to see how mozzarella cheese is made and we had the chance to taste it. Best mozzarella I’ve ever had no doubt! After that we went up the Monte Son Costanzo and had lunch just by the church with a beautiful view of some of the protected areas.
After that we went to the south side of the mountain and Domenico showed us Ieranto bay from above. Our goal was to be more in touch with nature so we spent time to understand which parts of peninsula are natural and which have been changed by humans. I knew that just looking at the place can’t be everything that Domenico had planned for us and I was right. After spending few minutes just observing how beautiful everything is Domenico gave us a task – to spend an hour by painting Ieranto Bay. Painting is not something I know how to do well but with every day I can feel that the tranquility, calmness and ‘la dolce vita’ is really changing me. I feel more relaxed to try new 
things. So all of us found a spot where to paint, me being typical Elza, chose the most dangerous and steep part of the peninsula to hide out from the rest of the people and spent an hour painting and noticing details.
After that we went to the other side of the land and learned about the differences between peninsula sides. Walking in the paths just seems so surreal. The paths are very steep, all the time you can see the turquoise blue sea and wild flowers and it is very beautiful.
So after the hike Domenico and Francesco took us to a very special bar and funny enough, it changed my idea about a happy 
life.
We go into so called Francos bar and the first thing I see is an old man painting. Then you start to notice more. Plastic bottles, Mona Lisa painting, snorkels, picture of the Pope, picture of angels with panties wrapped around and different types of plastic bottles. Then finally bottles of beer, limoncello, cakes, chupa chups, shampoo, anything you can imagine and it’s so bizarre and so amazing and when the old man starts talking it gets even better. He has a story for everything and his art, which he 
doesn’t sell because it’s not about money, reflects pollution of the sea, racism and many other problems. We spend 5 minutes or maybe an hour (it’s impossible to count the time in Francos bar because it seems to disappear here) talking to this charming man. Soon enough I feel Domenico pulling me away by my bag pack and telling us that we have to go because it’s already evening. So we depart, I feel like I have learned a lot from this day and understand even more that I am in the right place. So we get back to Massa Lubrense just catching a glimpse of sunrise and we return home probably with the best tiredness in years.
Updated on April 30, 2016
Dear friend, i send you my first impression of project M.A.R.E. (Elza – Radek – Nuria)
Dear Baiba,
Excitement mixed with adrenaline is what I am feeling for the first time in my life going to a different country. I wait for the stress to appear but all I feel is excitement and certainty that I am sure about my decision – leaving my home, my favorite places, home and family, everything I know to fly off to a completely different country. I get in the train happy and proud of myself that I haven’t yet got lost or missed a train. So I arrive at Naples, 20 minutes later than expected and I get out of the train and like a slap in the face – cultural shock. The traffic is a mess, everything is loud, everyone is screaming, I can’t find the person who is supposed to be waiting for me – Domenico, so for a moment I get a little bit stressed. Then few minutes later I see a guy with a wide smile coming my way and I recognize – it’s him. So I meet with Domenico and his wife and kid. They all radiate kindness and I lose all of the previous stress.
It’s too late to go to the house where I will be living so I stay at their house. We have some pizza and an Italian beer – much better than my friends told me it would be. Later I get in the bed and fall asleep in five minutes.
Next day we go to some markets and buy some stuff for the house (they say it’s by the beach so of course I can’t wait to see it) and after buying everything we go to the house and it is beautiful.
I go inside and everything is white and blue and so exotic – I immediately feel attached to it. Me, Domenico and Alba spend some time cleaning the house and they both are so relaxed and beautiful, lovely people that it makes me feel at ease even though I know them just for few hours. So I am the first that has arrived and after few hours they leave and for two days it’s just me and the house. So I unpack, walk around, look at the beach, watch the sunset, watch the stars and think about the fact that I am now living in Italy and I am not a tourist but now a part of the
city. I spend my two days observing everything. The sea, olive and lemon tree gardens, all the locals who live on the mountains and every day walk the overgrown roads. You can really feel the time here… What you can also really feel here is your leg muscles hurting from the steep roads. After walking just 5 minutes up the road I realize that maybe I shouldn’t have said that I am good climber giving the fact that I live in a mild environment in Riga but hey, maybe this is the summer workout that I needed for a long time!
So in the evening I meet with Radek, I have no expectations because I only know that he is from Czech Republic. Then suddenly through the door comes this bearded, tall guy who has ‘adventurous’ written all over his face and we connect easily and talk until 2 am. Next day is our first day of Italian language course which I spend not understanding anything but the teachers, an incredibly beautiful woman and then extremely active and funny guy, are the best I have ever had the opportunity to meet. So after the lesson me and Radek walk around in Sorrento and we get to know each other and have a laugh and later we come home and see that the door is open and music is playing. Radek shouts Nuriaaaaaa and a minute later the Spanish volunteer – girl with tanned skin, nice smile and wet hair comes out of the bathroom and greets us with, hello, I’m Nuria.
So the last few days have been interesting experience. I have had to overcome myself in small steps and I think they will just get bigger and bigger. It has been interesting and terrifying and fun and sad and exciting to be here just for a week but it has just begun.
I started this letter after I tried my first Italian sentence “Ciao, vorrei una birra per favore” in the Angelo bar, about 15 steps from our house and I’m ending it at the kitchen while Radek is
brushing his teeth and planning to go to bed. So tomorrow we are going to hike and I don’t know what to expect but I sure am excited to find out. Of course I expect that not everything will be easy and this is something that me and Nuria talked about while having a drink but we both agreed that we want to take the most of this project and enjoy the time that we have in this beautiful place that for 9 months we can call home!
Your ELZA
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Dear Anna,
12 hours I spent by travelling and i am finally here, 1600 km far from my home. I arrived at 9 pm on Sunday 10th April 2016, my boss Domenico and his wife picked me up in Sorrento and we moved to Marine della Lobra, which is part of Massa Lubrense. Elza, Latvian girl, welcomed me. Nuria, Spanish girl, arrives tomorrow.
The first night was unexpectedely cold. We live in a small house on the seaside. The plan for next 4 weeks is simple. Every day go up hill where Massa Lubrense center is situated and go to language school (by bus, but usually we hitchhike) in Sorrento and learn italian language. After lunch break we have time to explore peninsula. What is our job? The following nine months we will deal with marine biology, ecology and protection of biodiversity, care about 40 km long coast. We enjoy our time here also because local people are kind and helpful. I look forward to first trip on Thursday and first snorkeling on Saturday. Here and now, all of us have faced up to realization of we spend almost one year of our lives here.
Radek Rath Malý
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Dear Olga,
I arrived to Sorrento one day after I had planned. My plane to Rome was delayed for a long time so I lost the train which connect Rome with Napoles. For this reason I spent a night in Roma. Finally, and after taking two different trains I arrived Sorrento where Domenico was waiting for me. It was really nice to meet him in person. I contacted him a long time ago and finally I could be in Italy with him.
He carried me to my new house in Massa Lubrense. The way to get there seems very beautiful. Sorrento has too much buildings 
and in this way you can see more green areas and a lot of lemon and olive trees. Once in Massa Lubrense, the place seems very quiet, nice and completely integrated with the sea, something that I really enjoy.
Domenico showed my new house and I can´t believe it. I really love it, the house is almost in 
the sea, you can see the sea since every window, and the terrace is awesome, I image myself eating, working, studying whatever in the table of this terrace, with so amazing views, and I can´t be happier.
Domenico and I went out to talk about the project and know a little more about this new experience and in that moment I saw some fins since my new home! it´s amazing. They are a big group of dolphins!!! I think it´s the best welcome I could imagine. I would like to share this place with my family and friends.
My new housemates are not at home, they are in the Italian course, I lost the first day for being late. I undo my luggage and put some of my things in the bedroom I am going to share with Elza. While I Have a shower my new housemates come back home. How I had imaged all of us have really different backgrounds, cultures, languages… but it will be interesting know more about them and share this experience.
The next day start the Italian course, I like it, the teachers are fun and I like their way of teaching. I have a lot of things to learn but I think I can do it, for me its easier than foe my patners for being Spanish. That afternoon I walk around the town, I feel I can be really good in this place, for sure I would like to meet new people, to know more about Italian habits, to learn about MARE project… but the first impression is pretty good.
I´m looking forward for the rest!
See you soon,
NURIA
