Day Tripper

Ristorante Anfiteatro, May 4, 2015, 12:30 p.m.

We have stopped for lunch on our day trip to Naples and Pompeii, so I'm just going to record a few observations while I have a moment.

Early mornings are difficult for us, but we managed to be in the lobby by 6:30 for the pick-up by the Grey Line people. On the bus ride here, the most exciting thing was seeing the rebuilt monestary at Monte Cassino. Amazing sight!  There it sits, high on a hill all by its lonesome, looking down on the valley below. I have seen so many pictures of the battle that imaging the Allied forces and their painful decision to bomb that treasure came easily to me.

Monte Cassino

Naples

On the Bus in Pompeii, 4:24 p.m.

Wow!  Pompeii is amazing!  

But back to my story. We arrived in Naples at about 10:30 or so, stopping at the bay to take some pix. I'm sorry to have to say it, but Naples is ugly. According to Claudia, our guide, the official unemployment rate is 43%, although she wonders how there can be so many cars in a town with that kind of poverty. But it looks impoverished. In fact, I could swear some buildings still had holes from Allied shelling in 1943. 

Our drive through Naples did not take long and soon we were cruising by Vesuvious, looking exactly like its many photos. It surprised me a bit to see how close some of the little housing communities were to the bottom of the mountain--is this really where you want to live?  With over one million people in Naples, it is unlikely everyone could get away in the event of a massive blow-out of the volcano. 

Our trip came with lunch at a restaurant in the actual city of Pompeii. I'm not sure where people of Pompeii must live, as the only buildings I've seen here are associated with the tourist industry, which, by the way, makes up the majority of GDP in this area. 

After lunch, it was a quick ride to the site of the ruins. Just as I liked the Roman Forum, I enjoyed the ruins of Pompeii. The crowds weren't bad; in fact, they helped enhance the feeling of a living city. When I imagined myself as a Roman woman before the eruption of 79 a.d., I saw myself in my Job's Daughters robe. I would have fit right in. 

Among the ruins we saw several temples to the Roman gods as well as little shops, the house of somebody prosperous, the Forum with its temple and its alter, and, most importantly, a brothel. The brothel had frescoes still visible on the walls that seemed like some kind of instruction manual. I guess if you're new to the process.....

A word here about dead bodies. The ruins of Pompeii have been under the process of excavation since the late 1700s. Of course, lots of the former residents have been uncovered. When the ash enveloped these poor souls, it caught them in whatever position they happened to be in. When the flesh melted away, a perfect cavatity was formed around the bones. Archaeologists pour plaster into the cavatity, thus creating an eerie re-creation of the deceased. We saw one recently excavated citizen being toted from the dig site back to the little museum area where the excavated items are examined and housed. And not just people have been found--check out my pic of the dog!

Heidi ande the Pompeii pop-up book 

Now we have left Pompeii and are driving back toward Naples. According to Claudia, there are no rules of the road here in Naples--it is survival of the fittest. I feel certain that my darling Anita would quickly adapt to that system. 

Tomorrow we say Arrivederci Roma.  That means late night packing of all the treasures acquired here. Among the many memories I will take with me are the sight of the ugliest faux gladiators in the world, Maddie's absolute fascination with the Forum, our little cafe on the corner that we visited at least once a day, amazing Pompeii, Heidi wearing her beautiful Murano glass bracelet, and both my daughters calling all police cars bee-doughs (based on the sound the sirens make). In spite of all that Rome has to offer, though, I still miss Berlin and the loved ones there. 

On to Paris....

The Day of Many Churches

Hotel delle Provincie, May 3, 2015, 9:50 p.m.

Oh, my dogs are barking tonight. After getting a much-deserved good night of sleep, Heidi and I left the sleeping Maddie and the laundering Reiner to traipse on over to the home of Heidi's new patron saint, San Lorenzo. 

Lorenzo, in case you didn't know, was martyred here in Rome by being placed on a grill--thus he is the patron saint of cooks. His church, one of the city's basilicas, is located just outside the old city wall. It's a pretty unassuming place from the outside, but it's a treat once you enter. 

This church gave me the experience I wanted from St. Peter's. Mass was finishing up as we left, and the parishioners were receiving communion. Beautiful music rose to the rafters, and visitors and parishioners alike were quiet and respectful. Behind the alter, a recessed area held the remains of Pope Pius IX. I don't know much about the guy, but he's wearing what appears to be a Santa shirt and hat and metal masks over his hands and face--in his lovely glass coffin.  Beneath the main alter lie the remains of San Lorenzo. His marble sarcophagus has palm fronds on top. 

After our visit to this lovely place, we started to walk back to our hotel when Heidi realized that there was a cemetery just behind the church. As we learned during our crypt and catacomb tour, the Romans buried their dead outside the city walls--and maybe they still do as these dead lay right up against the outside of the wall. 

Interestingly, the graves we looked at during our short stroll were elaborately decorated with pictures of the dearly departed. How happy for genealogists. This genealogist, though, stepped into a pothole and ended up with a scraped knee.  So typical!

Back to the hotel, we picked up Reiner and headed for the Coliseum Metro stop.  Maddie, nursing blisters from yesterday and wanting some healing time before Pompeii tomorrow, stayed back at the hotel to just "chill."  

The plan was to walk to the Pantheon, but Reiner chose a little bike rickshaw thing to tote he, Heidi, and me instead. Thank goodness the rickshaw had a little electric motor!!

The Pantheon was magnificent from the outside. Built originally as a pagan temple, it's conversion to a Christian church kept it free from the scavenging that plagued other pagan sites. While the crowds were large, the interior was big enough to accommodate everybody. There were even pews so people could sit down and contemplate. 

Burials in the Pantheon include the first king of the united Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, along with his son, the second king, Umberto. In addition, Raphael the artist is there, his casket lying beneath a statue of Madonna and Child that he himself commissioned. 

Two churches down, three to go. Our next stop was the official French church here in Rome, the Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi. Beautiful interiors with a French theme and the burial site of lots of French diplomats and such who died in Rome. The main star here, though, is Caravaggio. Three beautiful paintings decorate one chapel--ah, art!

Our next stop was the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. This spot was high on my list because of its resident corpse, my gal, Catherine of Siena. Her body lies under the alter, with a lovely marble sculpture on top. Strangely, the sculpture shows Catherine with her head. This makes for deceptive advertising as I know from personal experience that her head (with its smile that only I saw) resides in Siena. But now I can say I've seen the whole saint. 

Our last stop was at the Church of San Ignacio. This is Baroque craziness!  There is a beautiful fresco on the ceiling of St. Ignatius and the Jesuits spreading the word around several continents, including America which was represented by an Indian woman spearing men. Oh, hell yeah!!

A long walk took us to the Spanish Steps, pretty but way too crowded. We caught the Metro for home, rested after over six miles of walking, and had dinner at Il Tunnel. 

So tired now and a big day planned for tomorrow. After finally getting the beautiful church experiences, I'm content tonight.