Italy Diary - 22 Day Globus Tour - Page 6

June 1999

Day 14 - Sunday - July 4, 1999 - Excursion to Naples:

Up later than normal and to breakfast - we are, after all, for the first time on our own and not part of a tour group. After breakfast Kathi and I walk down the hill to the Sorrento train station and purchase two round trip tickets to Naples. Today, we're traveling to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, the depository of most of the remaining treasures from Pompeii. When first discovered in the 1700's, Pompeii was covered by almost 30 feet of hardened volcanic ash, cinders and stone. In 1748, a peasant digging a well in a vineyard struck a buried wall. Others followed suit and, digging tunnels throughout the ancient city, removed and clandestinely sold many of the statues and works of art during the next hundred years. Beginning around 1860, archeologists carried on a systematic uncovering of the city block by block but by this time, many of the original Pompeian works of art were already missing and lost forever. Much of what treasures remained were removed to the archeological museum in Naples.

Leaving at 11:07 AM, the train ride to Naples takes about an hour and passes through at least a dozen little working class towns that rim the Bay of Naples. The area surrounding Naples is obviously poorer than Rome and we are told has more crime, so we are on our guard. Our strategy to avoid trouble is to dress plainly, to remove all jewelry, to hide my camera and Steadicam in my backpack, to try not to talk aloud on the street and thereby reveal that we are not only tourists but Americans to boot, and to walk deliberately as if we know where we're going - even when we don't. And we both believe that following these guidelines helped us avoid problems especially in Naples. Later we learn that the ubiquitous white tennis shoes are a sure tip off that the wearer is an American.

We meet a nice family of four from Australia, and enjoy a conversation during which, we exchange travel tips. The lady in the group, Kathi notices, is busily working on her journal. Our train is part of the Circumvesuviano Line and our trip ends in the Naples train station at 12:10 PM. From there it is a few blocks walk to the Metro - the subway system which we take to the Museo. There are few people on the street and we walk quickly. Sunday is an excellent day to spend in a museum - no tour buses and very few tourists. Once at the museum, we first enter a separate exhibit called "Homo Faber" representing a day in the life of Pompeii. In the first exhibit room I take out my camcorder and begin to tape a fresco and am stopped by a guard - photography is not permitted here. This is unusual for almost all museums we've visited so far in Italy have permitted photography as long as you did not use a flash or a tripod. So, I put away my camcorder and camera and we examine the rest of the exhibits at leisure. Kathi pulls water using a model Archimedean wooden screw.

Leaving the special exhibit, we take a lunch break and popped around the corner to McDonalds. While I stay with my traditional fare (a Big Mac), Kathi has a shrimp salad and a chilled fruit cup. Even though ice in beverages is still the exception rather than the rule in Europe, you can always have your McCoke with ice! (Kathi begins to appreciate McDonalds for the first time in her life.)

Refreshed and ready for more exploration, we next enter the main part of the Archeological Museum which houses the permanent exhibit. This is a jewel and contains most of the recovered wealth of Pompeii. The excavated site is virtually a city of roof-less buildings, so it was necessary to remove most of the frescoes, mosaics, and statuary to a more protected place. The Pompeiian mosaics are breathtakingly lovely and tell the story of a highly sophisticated, patrician population. As their art illustrates, the men and women of Pompeii appreciated culture, technological ingenuity, and aesthetics. We have the legacies of Ovid and Pliny the Elder to enrich our understanding of the life of Pompeii prior to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. As a prelude to our upcoming visit to Erculaneo (Herculaneum), we enjoy seeing some of that resort town's artifacts as well.

Here in the museum, photography, with the usual stipulations, is permitted and I begin videotaping with a vengeance. Using Steadicam, Jr. is amazing - the camera seems to float and glide simultaneously. I travel up and down stairs, through hallways, around corners, through doorways, forwards, backwards, it makes no difference - the camera remains as stable as if it were on an elaborate tripod and dolly system. I am using, in addition to Steadicam, Jr., a wide angle lens attachment which allows the capture of a greater scenic area by the camcorder. The only drawback to the Steadicam, Jr. system is that the operator has to hold the camcorder and Steadicam, Jr. apparatus with only one arm. I quickly discovered, after holding it for hours and days and weeks with my right arm, that it was amazing how much pain could result. Nevertheless, I feel strongly that the video I am getting justifies the pain I am enduring.

Two facts strike me about the Naples museum: first, that it contains an amazing and staggering collection of ancient works, not only from Pompeii, but also all over the region. And second, that it demonstrates clearly what we had been told about Italian bureaucracy. Our Conversational Italian teacher had informed us that about fifty percent of the people in Italy were employed by the government and once you had such a job, you had it for life. All over the museum, we encounter numerous bored guards doing nothing but sleeping or nodding or smoking.

Everywhere we look we see statues, frescos, and artifacts that are familiar to us from photographs in textbooks, encyclopedias, art history books, etc. Certainly one of their most famous exhibits, the Farnese Bull, is an amazing grouping portraying an episode in Greek mythology. Its name comes from the Farnese Palace in Rome, where the sculpture was once kept. The Farnese Bull is a striking marble copy of a lost sculpture made in the 100's BC. Unknown Roman sculptors made the copy in the AD 200's and it was discovered during an excavation in Rome in the 1500's.

I shoot several hours of video in the museum before we have to leave at 7:30 PM. We take the Metro from the Piazza Cavona to Piazza Garibaldi, then the 8:15 PM train (il treno) back to Sorrento, an hour's trip. Back at our hotel, we enjoy a private picnic supper on our terrace.

Day 15 - Monday - July 5, 1999 - Kathi to Capri and I return to Pompeii:

Today, Kathi joins Marcy and Jay (the newlyweds from Boston who also have the extension in Sorrento) and returns to Capri for the day while I set off alone for a return visit to Pompeii. After breakfast Kathi, Marcy and Jay walk down the hill to the Marina Grande and purchase hydrofoil tickets (13,000 Lire each way) and then enjoy a morning cappuccino at one of the umbrella bars as they wait for the boat. After the boat trip over to Capri, they take the funicular back up to Capri Town and then spend a few pleasant hours window-shopping and exploring the winding high streets. Since this region is so well-known for its production of lemons, Kathi skips a traditional lunch in favor of a delicious lemon torte and, later, a fresh crushed limonata - so refreshing! They return to Sorrento on the 3:20 PM hydrofoil and then walk back up the hill to the hotel. Note: The last ferry from Capri leaves at 6:30 PM; thus, the day tourists leave so that the overnight island guests can better enjoy their very expensive hotels and restaurants in peace.

While Kathi was enjoying Capri, I set off to the train station and attempt to purchase one round trip ticket to Pompeii. What I get are three, one way tickets from Sorrento to Pompeii - there was a breakdown in communications -- or maybe my Italian isn't as good as I thought. Anyway, they don't cost very much so I just take them and leave without comment. I take my seat on the train and set out to Pompeii. Once there, I purchase a ticket and enter the city through the Marina Piccolo gate. I have brought my tripod with me today instead of the Steadicam and begin videotaping. I take my time and attempt to get some carefully set up shots. I shoot in the Basilica, the Forum and some of the back streets. Walking toward the Amphitheater, I discover just how big Pompeii really is - it's huge and dusty. And more importantly, it lacks restrooms. The only restroom facilities are near the entrance and when you get to the Amphitheater you are over a mile from them. Well over a mile.

Using my map I search for and finally discover "The Garden of the Fugitives," the site where eleven bodies (actually "casts") were discovered in the 1980's. This group of people (were they a family?) died together from poison gas and ash raining down on that fateful day in 79 AD. As usual, when their remains were discovered in the solidified ash, plaster was poured into the cavities. Once hardened and the ash removed, these eleven melancholy casts revealed not only adults but also children.

The most famous of all the casts discovered at Pompeii, the one used by the National Geographic Society in their magazine and TV documentary, is here in the "Garden." He is almost sitting upright, resting on one arm, looking straight ahead. It is a very strange position in which to die.

While I am photographing this somber scene, a man in his early 30's approaches, already engrossed in conversation with someone on his cell phone. He, preoccupied with business matters, continues to carry on his conversation as he stands and looks at the eleven white casts before him, oblivious to their significance. Minutes later, his wife arrives and she too, has no idea what she is viewing. The businessman asks his wife, "Are these real bodies?" and she replies, "I guess so." Well, I couldn't stand it any longer so I attempt to explain the import of the scene before us. When I finish explaining, the man thanks me.

Pompeii is so big that one can go down a street and find himself completely alone. I continue to photograph for a few more minutes before leaving the city through the entrance. Stopping at a souvenir shop, I discover a videotape playing on a TV monitor, "A Virtual Tour of Pompeii" This program was a computer generated reconstruction of Pompeii at its height of power and glory. Homes and buildings portrayed in this program are new and fresh and the viewer seems to actually enter many of these homes and tour them. I inquire if a NTSC (US television standard) copy of this videotape is available and it is, so I purchase it. Back on the train, I return to Sorrento using one of the extra "Sorrento to Pompeii" tickets I have. Luckily, no one asks for or examines my ticket.

Returning to the hotel, I meet Kathi and we dress for dinner. Around 7:00 PM, we walk down to the village, walking all the way down the curved road to the Piccolo Marina. We watch the sun set at Peter's Beach, near the marina, and, after climbing back up the incredible hill back to the center of Sorrento, we went to Zi'ntonia for dinner. Vincenzo had recommended this restaurant before leaving and said to specifically tell them he had sent us - we'd get better service. (Are you thinking what I'm thinking?)

As we enter the restaurant, we meet Gloria and Elayne as they were leaving. Kathi and I order from the fixed price menu (21,000 Lire each) and enjoy the food and ambience very much. The head waiter, Thomas, is attentive enough but, towards the end of our meal, I ask him about the photographs of a bearded Catholic priest which we had noticed everywhere we had been during the past week. Who was he and why did every place we went seem to have a photograph of him displayed? At that point, Thomas took a seat at our table and I knew I had asked an important question.

Thomas explained that he was called Padre Pio and he was a much-loved priest known for many miracles performed during his lifetime. Padre Pio was in the last stages of being canonized by the Catholic Church. As Thomas talked of Padre Pio and his life, we could feel the love and admiration he had for this Priest. Our fixe-price menu had specified a limited choice for dessert but after telling us about Padre Pio, our waiter brought us a special dessert not on the menu - dripping in rich chocolate and sinfully delicious!

This illustrates an extremely important but often overlooked aspect of travel which Kathi and I have discovered: to interact with and to ask questions of "locals," and in so doing, to gain a richer understanding and appreciation for their culture. It's also a great way to make new friends.

After a leisurely, hand-holding walk back up the hill to the hotel, we proceed out onto the main terrace to see the lights up on the mountains and those over the Bay of Naples. Tony, Marlu, and Karen swap stories with us about their adventures. Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time - all pursuing their own thing.

Bedtime at 11:00 PM - weary, but happy.