Italy Diary - 22 Day Globus Tour - Page 7

June 1999

Day 16 - Tuesday - July 6, 1999 - Excursion to Herculaneum:

A leisurely morning as we begin our day with a late breakfast and a nice visit with fellow travelers, Marky and Noel, on the terrace of the hotel.

Once again walking down the hill to the train station, Kathi and I take the 11:37 AM train to Herculaneum (Ercolano), which is located on the outskirts of Naples. Because of its location, Kathi and I were once again on our guard against pickpockets and thieves. We were wearing rather plain clothes with no jewelry and had agreed to speak aloud very little while on the streets.

Once at Ercolano, we stop in the train station to use the restrooms which an elderly male attendant was in the process of cleaning. Something occurs here which I will always remember - two separate acts of kindness and caring. Leaving the restroom, I take the camcorder out of the backpack to clean the lens. The old man who is cleaning the restroom points to my camcorder and, crossing both of his arms close in over his chest, makes me understand that I should hold on to it tightly. I nod my understanding and, opening my backpack, fold the Steadicam and camcorder and place it safely inside. Putting the backpack back on my back, Kathi and I thank the gentleman and leave the train station.

Once outside, we look for but are unable to find any signs for Herculaneum, the archeological site. Seeing an older lady who is also leaving the train station, I approach her and ask, "Scusi, dove Ercolano archeologico?" She first attempts to give me directions in Italian, but, sensing that I am unable to understand them, she motions for Kathi and me to accompany her down the hill - she will show us the way. She also cautions us regarding our belongings - we discovered later that the unemployment rate in and around Naples is over 30 per cent.

As we walk quickly down the hill we have a delightful talk with this lady - all in Italian which she speaks slowly for us - she tells us about her father, who was a teacher, and other things about her life. We are able to understand most of what she says - how beneficial our Conversational Italian course has turned out to be! After walking with us for five blocks she stops, points to a specific window in a 4-story apartment building nearby, and tells us that is her apartment. She then points across the street to the entrance to Herculaneum and with that, she says, "Arrivaderchi!" Kathi and I say goodbye to the lady who has been so gracious and kind to us.

Herculaneum, unlike its sister city of Pompeii, is not tourist-infested. In fact, during the afternoon we are here, no more than 10 other people are on the site with us. Both cities were buried in the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Herculaneum, the smaller of the two cities, was a summer resort and must have been spectacular. It is more interesting in many ways than Pompeii due to its less-crowded condition and overall accessibility. And, since this city was covered in a much deeper layer of ash and cinders, much more of its archeological treasures remain on site than do at Pompeii. A visitor can still, near the end of the twentieth century, climb over ancient column pedestals and enter the rooms of 2000-year old homes: many of them still under original roofs! The mosaic tile floors are still there as well as many of the frescoes: somewhat faded and cracked, but glorious! The rich reds and blues, as well as the highly-lacquered blacks (like our gondola in Venice), tell tales of a highly-evolved lifestyle and gracious living.

We had a wonderful day together in this magical place - wandering down streets and into houses, seldom encountering another person. Climbing the hill back up to the train station, Kathi and I were apprehensive but, fortunately, nothing untoward happened to us.

We returned, hot and tired, to the hotel around 6:45 PM for dinner in the room and nice long showers.

Day 17 - Wednesday - July 7, 1999 - At the hotel in Sorrento:

This is our last day on the Amalfi coast and we are both feeling our age! I am dividing my time between photography around the hotel grounds and relaxing at the pool, and Kathi is sitting and writing in the hotel's ballroom.

After a very laid-back day, we dress and walk down the hill to have a private farewell dinner in Sorrento. Upon Noel's recommendation, we dine at O'Parrucchiano, on the Corso Italia, 71. Our table is outside under a huge grape arbor with lemon trees and tropical plants almost surrounding us. It is a beautiful place with good food and pleasant service. After dinner, we walk back up the hill to our hotel and have a last dance on the incredible terrace overlooking the Bay of Naples.

Day 18 - Thursday - July 8, 1999 - Sorrento to Rome:

Up and to breakfast for the last time in the Sorrento Palace's dining room. At 7:30 AM our bus leaves with the extension group from our tour: Karen and Frank, Marcy and Jay, Markie and Noel, Tony and Marlu, and their children Jessica and Justin, Elayne and Gloria, and Kathi and me. After about four hours of travel and the customary restroom and cappuccino stop, we arrive in Rome shortly before noon. We check into the Parco Tirreno on the Via Aurelia on the Northeast outskirts of Rome - not far from our first hotel, the Jolly Midas. Our room is a suite with a small balcony, but in a very ordinary hotel. We have experienced many highs and a few lows on this trip, and this hotel would definitely be on the lower end.

Kathi and I, as soon as possible, walk about 5 blocks to the bus stop and take the bus to the Flaminia subway station, and from the subway station we ride to the next stop, the Piazza di Spagna. Exiting the station we walk around the corner and we are at the foot of the famous Spanish Steps. Wandering around for a while, Kathi and I spot several Globus friends at the top of the Spanish Steps. Two of our friends join Kathi and me and explore the city, stopping for some cappuccino in a stand-up bar near the Termini Station. We walk along the Via Veneto and later find that our tastebuds are crying out for some non-Italian food. We stumble upon a Chinese restaurant, and entering, we enjoy chicken, pork, shrimp, calamari, and sweet and sour soup.

Tomorrow the last of our Globus group leaves for the US. Only Kathi and I stay on for three more days in Rome - alone, all by ourselves. Marky and Noel will be off to Russia next month and Gloria and Elayne are going to Siena for a few days and then on to France and England. What a group of travelers!

Kathi and I return to our hotel room, first stopping in the gift shop to examine their wares. Then to sleep.

Day 19 - Friday - July 9, 1999 - The Vatican Museums in Rome:

Up at 6:30 AM and to breakfast in the hotel's dining room. Of all the hotels we've stayed, this hotel has the absolute worst breakfast. There is a pink juice that is unidentifiable and unpalatable along with something that looks like scrambled eggs but doesn't in any way taste like them, with bacon that is so raw as to be inedible. I opt for a hard roll and some pastries.

Kathi and I are both anxious to get back to the city so, after breakfast, we walk the five blocks to the bus stop to catch a bus to the Vatican. We will not have to transfer to the subway today, since the Vatican is on this side of the Tiber. We stop at a Tobacconist to purchase a book of ten bus tickets. Each ticket is 1,500 Lire and is good on any bus for 75 minutes and includes one Subway transfer. Unfortunately for the Italian government, there is no one checking to see if you punch in with your ticket as you enter the rear of the bus, so most, if not all, riders don't pay.

Once at the Vatican Museums, Kathi and I wandered through the thirteen separate museums for hours. I am running low on videotape - how would I know that 22 hours of videotape which I brought with me would not be enough?

The first museum we enter is the world famous Egyptian Museum which contains many mummy cases and artifacts included in Egyptian tombs, Ushabti, and funerary jewelry. It contains marvelous artifacts to see.

Later, Kathi and I stop in the beautiful Sistine Chapel to admire Michelangelo's recently restored 34 ceiling panels. When Kathi first saw the ceiling on her first trip to Rome in the early 1970's, it was dark and lusterless; but now it is bright and vivid. Her favorite panel is the Libyan Sibyl. The colors are so lifelike and the people depicted appear 3-dimensional. It is a moving experience. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling while only in his 20's (1508-1512). He returned in his 60's to paint The Last Judgment: Saints on the right hand of God, sinners falling into the pits of Hell on His left hand, and Michelangelo's self-portrait on a stretched, elongated skin hanging midway between the two. Interestingly enough, one of the sinners bears the face of a Cardinal whom the artist detested. A snake has his fanged mouth over the sinner's genitalia, and the Cardinal's agonized expression indicates that he knows his fate!

Leaving the Sistine Chapel, Kathi and I walk through other museums and finally arrive in the Pio-Clementine Museum - one of the highlights of the day. Here we see the famous sculpture, "The Nile."

Kathi has been telling me about the famous "Laocoon" grouping for some time and when I finally see it I am certainly not disappointed.

The sculpture grouping was executed in the early part of the 1st century AD by three Rhodes sculptors. Pliny the Elder (killed in Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD) declared it to be the most perfect sculpture in the world. Apparently, it was - because Michelangelo is said to have been really inspired by it 14 centuries later.

The sculpture tells the story of a priest who, upon seeing The Trojan Horse, suspected a plot and shot arrows into the horse. This so angered Athena that she sent a serpent up from the sea to kill Laocoon and his sons. It is indeed a powerful work of art.

In the same courtyard as the "Laocoon" is another statue which I found interesting because of its added grape leaves. Many of the statues still have fig leaves on them, many never did, and a few had at some point in the past had fig leaves placed on them but they were later removed and one can still see the discoloration where the fig leaf had been. Fig leaves were added by some of the more modest popes, and taken off by later popes.

After leaving the museums, we walk across the street to a coffee shop and Kathi has a cappuccino and then we return to the hotel to drop off the backpack with the camcorder and Steadicam, Jr. I had run out of videotape and there was no use in carrying the heavy backpack if I could not use the camcorder. We take a bus back to Flaminia, and ride the Subway back to Piazza di Spagna. We browse and stroll along the Via del Babuino, an incredibly exclusive shopping district. Kathi looks for and finds the shop called Etro (one of the places mentioned in the book, Born to Shop) and purchases for me a pair of French knot silk cufflinks.

I notice, but Kathi does not, a small but important detail concerning our entry into this exclusive store. Kathi and I are dressed in some rather comfortable but plain tourist clothes - I havw my camera vest on and am in shorts, Kathi also in shorts. When we arrive at Etro, a man dressed very smartly walks to the door in front of us and I hear the distinct "buzz" that occurs when an electric door lock is released. Kathi and I walk right in a few steps behind the gentleman who has been admitted. After leaving the store, I point out to Kathi that this store, like many other exclusive stores, has their front door locked and only unlocks it for certain patrons, e.g., those who "look" like they belong there - and if the gentleman in front of us - for whom they unlocked the door - hadn't been there, it is debatable whether or not they would have unlocked the door for the two of us, dressed as we were that day.

We next meander along the Via del Corso before reaching the most elegant McDonald's we've ever encountered. This McDonald's is rather famous both for its decor and for being just a block away from the Spanish Steps. It has marble floors, wonderful greenery and statuary tucked away in marble alcoves, clean American-style restrooms, and, more importantly for Kathi at least, a gelato/cappuccino bar. Kathi could not believe it. It certainly is the largest McDonald's I've ever seen with around 15 cashier/serving lines - all with lines about 10 deep. But be careful, unless you specifically ask for it, they will serve you mayonnaise with your French fries instead of catsup. Kathi and I order "take away" as it is called in Italy and walk the short distance to the Spanish Steps where we enjoy our dinner at sunset watching the view, other people and holding hands. Incredible!

Around 9:30 PM we return to the subway station, ride one stop to the Flaminia station, board our bus and ride back to the bus stop, and then walk back to the hotel, arriving around 10:00 PM.