Wow!  That Monte Tresa fig is stunning.

I know what you mean about being too big for the mules.  Even on one mission trip to Nicaragua I felt very bad for the small horses we rode atop.  It rained heavily later on and on the way down from this very poor settlement I did not trust the horses to carry my weight without falling so most of us walked down on foot and we all got very muddy.  At least it was only mud.

 That fig is what dreams are made from.  What an experience. The perfect vacation. 

Frank
Great thread, I'm loving your photos and hankering to get back to Italy and Greece.
Keep them coming

Beautiful pics, Frank.  Thanks for sharing with us.  Sounds like you had an incredible vacation.

Did the rest of the family enjoy the fig part of the trip as much as you?

@Pino - Aside from the Ponte Tresa fig, the others I tasted were pretty much in line with my Florida figs. Most were not fully ripened.

@Jeff - I don't know about brebas or other details regarding this tree. I must have spent a total of 5 minutes with it. The rest of my travel companions were waiting for me at the gas (BTW, it cost over 100 euros to fill up a compact car's gas tank !!)

@Andreas - next time I am in Greece, I know who I will call. Same goes for you if you are ever in Florida. That is a very nice looking fig you posted.

@Ed - yes, the vacation could not have gone better. The fig hunting part of the trip actually made for a great time for the rest of the vacationers as well(wife and a female couple). I can tell you that everyone was blown away by the Ponte Tresa fig, even the one member who had never tasted a fig other than a fig Newton.

One of my favorite activities while traveling is to visit the local open markets. We truly lucked out when we happened on a little town on the Eastern shore of Lake Maggiore called Luino. Every Wednesday they hold a huge open air market selling everything under the sun and people visit from miles around. The market covers the entire downtown area near the lake shore and it becomes so congested that it is almost impossible to go from stall to stall. Anyway here are some pictures of figs from the Luino Market as well as some from a Como market.                    

That market looks amazing. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is find those as well. For some reason they always seem better in other countries.

My daughter also loves figs so shes already signed up for this adventure for next year. I may be able to get my brother to join us as well. If not looks like just me her and her BF.. Time to go learn Italian. :).

Wow, thanks so much for sharing this with us!

Frank, your nose is exactly where a fig hobbyist's nose should be.

Epic!

What a great trip!  I've been following along in this thread for a while... I'm glad you had such a great trip, Frank!  Nice photos too, and a great fig diary.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

Again, I thank all of you for your comments and good wishes. I am glad you are enjoying the pictures.

Mike, every couple of years we like to take an "epic" trip like this to clear the cob webs and to recharge. The previous trip was to Ecuador and the one before that was on the infamous  Costa Concordia (before it went down). A common thread has always been figs. Time-wise, fig-spotting is only a small part of the vacation but it seems to supercharge the experience...creating indelible memories as well as other concrete benefits that last a lifetime. 

I have a few more pictures to post before I am done.

thanks for taking the time to post all the pictures. and thanks for the mini vacation. some really tasty looking figs. cant wait till we go again.

Sounds great Frank!  Those pictures in post #64 look incredible.  I'll look forward to seeing the rest of them.

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

Very nice figs, Frank!
I think though, to get that quality, the figs must be pollinated.
Any guess if they are Smyrma?

    

I took this picture in Corfu Greece from inside a bus. Look closely at the tree. What is going on there?

I can't see what is going on in the tree, but I see 2 men with man bags. 

Hopefully you didn't come home with one of these.   Well, I guess it would be a good place to stash some cuttings.  :)

LOL, ...man bags. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Mike, focus on the tree in front of the blue structure. This was a first for me. I didn't know it was possible.

Fig tree growing out of that other tree?

Thats what it looks like to me too. A fig tree growing in another tree?

Yes!
A fig tree growing out of the trunk of another healthy tree. I didn't think it possible. This is a parasitic phenomenon...not saprophytic.

The will to thrive has no bounds except when it comes to some of my rarer cuttings that will dry up, sprout mold and perish without a second thought. Lol.

Hi Frank,
Do you mean you didn't think it possible for a fig tree to do that, or for trees in general?  Lots of parasitic trees, especially in the tropics.

Meanwhile, my mouth is still watering over those beautiful jammy looking figs you've posted pictures of here.  Wow.

Mike 

Mike, I was indeed referring to the common fig. Have you ever seen such a phenomenon? No wonder you see them growing out of cracks in concrete walls and roads all over Europe.