Morocco

October 2022, five days in Morocco. There were five of us: Francesco Lietti, his girlfriend Martina, two other friends and me. All by car, with just one thing properly arranged in advance: the night in the desert. You land in Marrakech, drink your first mint tea, watch a horse carriage go by, and the next day you’re off.

The Atlas and the kasbahs

The first day on the road took us through red and white mountains, lost in the middle of nowhere at 40 degrees. At Aït Ben Haddou, the kasbah seen from above and a man with two white dromedaries in the riverbed. I wanted one.

The best of Morocco, though, went past the car window: a lorry loaded with hay well beyond its own outline (everything OK there?), a pick-up full of terracotta tagines, a donkey with baskets. Then the kasbahs of Skoura above the palm grove, Tinghir, and the Todgha Gorge, with the river running between towering rock walls.

A night in the Sahara

At Merzouga a tented camp among the dunes was waiting for us. Footprints in the sand, a sky full of stars and, the next morning, a ride on a dromedary, the most stylish one of the trip. Not far away, in the middle of nowhere, a monumental staircase standing alone in the desert. Why not.

Marrakech again

The last day in the medina, among the shuttered stalls of the souk, a chameleon that ended up on my arm in front of the sacks of spices (shall we take it home?) and the snake charmers, who aren’t too keen on being filmed: the photo was taken on the sly and came out a bit grainy. Before the flight, a stop at a golf course with palm trees reflected in the pond. Then “adiós Marrakech”.

Practical notes

• It’s worth booking the night in the desert at Merzouga before you leave: we did, and it was the only thing booked in advance.
• Distances are long and at the end of October we still found 40 degrees: expect whole days in the car.
• The snake charmers don’t like being photographed: ask, or leave it.