The port of Ancona

First impressions were grim – the port seems to have been on a steady decline since its founding by Greeks in 4thC BC. Many things contributed to this first impression – rainy and windy weather, travelling on the train through many tens of kilometres of dismal conurbation of the low cost seaside holiday kind, and then a few kilometres of semi-abandoned industrial plant and a functioning oil refinery before reaching Ancona itself.  Then the bad drag from the station for a kilometre past abandoned and seedy arcaded, filthy buildings with rubbish all around the broken footpaths, then up a huge hill to the hotel. 

Once we’d cooled off and began to contemplate the scene a little more calmly, the magnificent setting, typical of a Greek choice of location, was evident. And as we wandered around the port and the town a little, there was a sort of porty charm. Clearly there has been great mercantile wealth in the place - many very solid and lovely buildings are evidence of that. The Byzantine influence is also evident in some of the buildings. And of course there are small amounts of buildings from Roman times and even a tiny amount of the Greek walls of 4thC BC. But it is also evident that there is now little wealth with which to maintain the buildings in keeping with their original grandeur.

Our conveniently located hotel

Roman port buildings

The setting, as we leave on the ferry

 

The port itself is enormous and quite active. There was a very complicated arrangement for getting a ferry ticket issued, checking in and embarkation, more designed for trucks than foot passengers, and perhaps more logical for that purpose. I liked the security check – quick glance at the passport and a dismissive wave negating any requirement to put the luggage through the scanning equipment – fair enough I guess, as it would have forced the officer to put out a cigarette. But Mutton Dutton, the former PM cum surfie and Border Force would have been appalled.

The ferry has been great fun – huge, fantastically well-equipped and very comfortable and provided us a good night’s sleep. We woke up as we were passing Kerkyra (Corfu) and coming in to Igoumenitsa, where the ferry disgorged about 30 prime movers pulling 40 and 60 foot container loads. Then a little parade of small vans and then the motor bikes, and half a dozen passengers. We went up to the swimming pool and open deck area to watch the unloading and reloading, and found that the kennels on the ferry are on that level. The dog owners had their four-legged friends out of the kennels and were giving them their morning walk on the deck.  We are now running alongside another ferry down the west coast of Greece with land in sight pretty well all the way – mainland on the left and islands on the right – lovely. The sound of komboloia in use accompanies us.

Sitting area in our cabin

Vast lounges,. few passengers

Coming into Igoumenitsa at dawn

Leaving Igoumenitsa

Me and the dogs on the deck - can't see any dogs though