Italy in Tunisia?

When I first arrived back in June I tagged along on one of Alo's work trips. We went to Kelibia and Hammamet.  They aren't too far away and a nice scenic drive from Tunis.  On the way you see the countryside filled with olive tree farms and tons of grapes. So the interesting part of the trip was Kelibia - first off because it has the most gorgeous beach - but second of all because when you walk into the hotel the staff immediately tells you to change your watch an hour ahead because you are on Italy time. What??? I mean have you ever heard of such a thing? So we go ahead and put our stuff down and Alo heads to his training and me to the pool :) Just getting a towel was a challenge in itself! NO one speaks any English - no one. So since I didn't have my handy french dictionary or my phone to translate towel it was harder than one would think. Not to mention the staff loved laughing at me - hello - that's rude! ha. Long story short I finally found a towel (located at the front desk - weird) and was on my way to the pool/beach. Everyone at this resort is Italian and it's owned by Italians - hints why you are on Italy time. It's like a cheap Mediterranean summer vacation for Italians and they don't even have to feel like they left their own country.

The camel even smiled for the pic!

Close by in Kelibia we visited Le Fort.  Unfortunately I don't have much history on the fort because they don't provide any on site and even Wikipedia is lacking on this one. I translated a french site that said it dates back to 300 BC. Some of the original parts were built by the Romans, but mostly by the Byzantines which was constantly expanded and reshaped by its successive occupants, especially in the sixteenth century when the Ottomans faced repeated assaults from the Spanish. They say when it's a really clear day - you can see Sicily off in the distance from top of the Fort.