Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri

Sunday we traveled down the spine of Italy along the Apennines to Naples where we stopped at the ancient city of Pompeii. I'm sure you are aware that this is the ancient city that was buried by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 7 AD. One thing you might not know is that Pompeii was the "Las Vegas" of the region during those days. There were pizzerias along a long strip, fast food restaurants, and 25 brothels. The city is also decaying at quite a fast rate and there isn't enough funding to continue supporting the reconstruction. I suggest you hurry up and book a trip here!!

We continued along the road winding along a narrow and curvy road along the Mediterranean Sea. The bus drivers in this country are truly amazing. Our Tony did a fantastic job getting us safely to Sorrento where we enjoyed a walk around the city center. We stayed in the "basement" of the most expensive hotel in Sorrento. 

We awoke on Monday to a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea from our hotel window! We boarded a ferry to the island of Capri where we enjoyed a boat ride around the island AND a chair lift to the very tippy top of the mountain. Each chair lift only seats one person so it was a wonderful last day activity to sit alone and reflect on such a wonderful trip while you listened to birds and enjoyed the lush vegetation and stunning views.

We are on the road back to Rome now for a last night before our long flight home tomorrow. I hear every room has a view of the Vatican....can't wait!!

Arrivederci Italy... Until next time :-) 

Fast food stop in Pompeii. The holes were used for the ceramic pots to heat the soup.

Boat ride around Capri

Chair lift to the top of Ana Capri

Orvieto and Rome

Thursday:

We spent most of today traveling from Florence to Rome. We stopped halfway at Orvieto, which dates back to around 700 B.C. where it started as an Etruscan city. This is this second such city we visited...Perugia was the first. After the Greeks came to the area (bringing their Olive trees with them) the Romans conquered the area and the region came under Vatican control. The cathedral of the city is most unique with a fresco covered facade. Inside the cathedral is a small chapel with frescos of scenes from the a Bible. It was here to Michelangelo got his inspiration for the Sistine Chapel.

We are staying in the "woods" of Rome in Casale di Romano, or one of the castle towns of Rome. In ancient times the richest families of Rome had sons that became the Pope. These castle towns were where their countryside villas were.

 

Friday:

We started the day as gladiators entering the Colosseum as a theater during the Flaviun empire, it eventually became the place all Roman citizens came to watch gladiators duke it out till the death. We watched the movie "Gladiators" on the bus during our long journey on Thursday. I really appreciated our tour director showing us this movie again so that we could get a reminder of what happened in this massive (50,000 once completed). 

We moved on to the Roman Forum which is where the ancient city was. I wish I could tell you more about this but unfortunately our local guide was not very good. It is a beautiful place though and what I can remember from previous visits is that this is the spot where Peter was in prison, the Roman senate was, and several temples were built for a Roman guards. I wish I could have heard more about Peter. I have now walked where so many disciples have walked, which is a very spiritual journey. I guess I can always Google it :-)

After our tour we headed to the Jewish quarter for lunch. Unfortunately I was feeling quite yucky and couldn't enjoy the pasta....that is tragedy status my friends. After lunch we walked to an island along the Tiber River and got a gelato, which settled my stomach. Gelato cures all people :-)

We ended the day by shopping around the Campo di Fiore, which is the spot where people were taken in ancient times to be killed for disobeying the pope.

Saturday:

Today we visited the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica. We had a wonderful local guide for the morning. She started by explaining a few things about Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel since you must be silent while in the chapel. A few tid bits:

1) It was discovered in the 1980 restoration that Michelangelo didn't paint the ceiling on his back. I'm not sure how they figured that out but talk about a neck cramp!!!

2) the center of the ceiling is the human hand touching the hand of God. The shape of the "humans" is actually the shape of a human brain. In all the times I have seen this I have never noticed that!

3) Bartholomew is depicted in the Last Judgement painting as holding his own skin since he was skinned alive. Michelangelo painted his own face in the skin as a representation of the Pope skinning his alive by forcing him to work on this project.

4) There was a cardinal that asked Michelangelo to cover up all the nudity in the paints. At the bottom right of the Last Judgement there is a naked cardinal with a snake wrapped around his body biting him in a most sensitive area :-/

5) The face of Jesus is the same face from a Greek statue of Apollo, showing that Michelangelo studied Greek art.

After we viewed the Sistine Chapel we continued on to St. Peter's Basilica. This was the first historical church I ever entered and it is still my favorite. There is simply no way to capture the size and beauty of this place with pictures. We first viewed the Pieta, which is the only work that Michelangelo signed. As the art teacher with us explains...it takes all your breath away.

In the afternoon we visited Trevi Fountain where we all threw our coins in the fountain to ensure our return to Rome. Next was the Pantheon, which has always been cool but never quite my favorite. On this visit we were treated to a concert by a small choir. It showcased the acoustics of the dome in quite amazing ways. I was literally running all over the church recording the sound from various locations. They actually sounded like huge choir when you were on the other side of the dome from them. We also viewed a church with a chapel that had beautiful Caravaggio paintings. The paintings are so real they take on the appearance of photographs. We ended the afternoon with a stop in Piazza Navona where a few of us enjoyed a glass of wine in a sidewalk cafe enjoying Bernini's fountain. 

Orvieto

Colesuem 

Bartholemew and the face of Michelangelo

St Peters

The Pieta

Trevi at night 

Florence

Firenze is the very definition of retreat for me. Every single night I sit on my couch and look at my tapestry of Florence that hangs above it. I've been know to have a glass of vino, or two, close my eyes and transport myself here. I always imagine I'm sitting at a cafe in a piazza watching the people go by with the Tuscan sun hitting my face. Today I didn't have to imagine :-)

We started with a walking tour explaining mainly the Medici family history of this city. Poor Medici's were always the dukes and never the kings. Google that if you want more explanation. We also visited the Academia museum to see "The David" as it is referred to in Florence. Ladies....this man is a beauty. It never ceases to amaze me the details in this most glorious example of the genius of Michelangelo. From the veins of his hands to the furrow of his brow the details are stunning.

After that is was an afternoon of shopping. Dad... You got your Italian coupon gift that was requested :) 

I didn't take many pics today. There are some days I choose to soak in the culture and enjoy a vacation away from the camera lens. You can't record the sounds of Florence that are so wonderful and I have about 500 pictures of the duomo...NONE capture it's true beauty. Come to Florence and see for yourself! But here is one quick shot I took at my first viewing today...

And one more of me and my fav artist. We met in 2010....

Assisi, Pisa, Monticatinni Terme

We started the day in Assisi with a wonderful local guide that explained the history of the town and it's namesake better than I have heard in my previous 4 trips to this town. As most of you are aware, the current Pope chose Francis as his papal name. Pope Francis has become very popular as a healer of the Catholic faith AND showing all Christians how to live a more simple life. Last year at this time Margie and I were amazed at the unity of religions in the Holy Land. Today we learned that In 1987 Pope John Paul II held a conference of world religious leaders (not just Christian) in Assisi surrounded by the frescos of peace to encourage the world to put aside things of this world and live in harmony. I can only hope the Pope Francis will continue this dialogue in an effort to stop judgement and foster love and unity among us all. 

The theme for my 40 days of lent two days ago (yes I'm behind) was retirement. Francis came from a wealthy family. He retired from wealth and chose a profession that satisfied him 24 hours a day and not just 8. Are you satisfied from the time you wake up until the time to go to sleep? In this trip I am. Yes I must work, and I am very satisfied at work, but how can I make my life more meaningful the rest of my waking hours?

One interesting fresco in the basilica depicted the very first crèche presentation. Each year at our church the crèche is presented to the crismon tree by a very special boy or girl. This the first time I realized it is a historical gift of the Christ child to God.

Our final stop in Assisi was at the church of St Clare. She was the first woman to follow St Francis and his belief in the simple life. I have made it a goal to study her more. Kim Hanson might could teach me :-)

We continued on to a surprise visit to Pisa. There isn't much to say other than it leans! It is a beautiful town though and we were able to see it at sunset....amazing.

The hotel pic is for Marvin (we are in a small town outside of Florence) and here are his answers to questions...

1) the grass is "winter grass" to keep the soil something something something (lost in translation)

2) the Italians put multiple families in a home most Americans would put 2 people in so that is where the population is.

3) hotels in the center of the city are quite tiny. If you stay in them longer than sleeping and showering, you are touring Europe incorrectly.

St Francis giving up the fight and choosing Peace

 

Assisi

Pisa at sunset 

The teacher salary will get you the wheels on the right

Typical european hotel. Good thing I get along with my roomie!

Arrival in Rome. Perugia, and Assisi

After traveling all day and night Sunday we arrived in Rome at 7:30 am Italy time. For those of you that have ever traveled internationally, this is the kiss of death in terms of schedules. You MUST stay awake all day in order to reset your body clock. We met our wonderful tour directors, Antonio and Luca, who had arranged a special stop for our group in order to keep up going....Perugia. This beautiful town sits high atop a hill in the beautiful region of Umbria. It was once the gateway from the Vatican state to other parts of Europe. There is another part of Perugia that makes it a bit famous which are universities. Why so famous? Ever heard of Amanda Knox?

I personally enjoyed sitting on the steps of the cathedral in the center of the city enjoying a most beautiful day and feeling wonderfully blessed that each time I visit this country I get the joy of discovering one more of its beautiful cities.

After devouring a little bit of heaven in the form of hot chocolate, cappuccinos, and Baci (Perugia's famous chocolates) we headed on to our stop for the first night of our trip, Assisi. We were greeted to stunning sunsets views of this hillside town. Tomorrow we will learn more about the man that made Assisi famous.

Now, after very little sleep in the past 24 hours I am headed to bed!

Perugia

View during afternoon rest time 

The upper and lower Bascillica just before sunset.

Italy 2014

I have never been good at keeping a travel journal. I kind of thought it was a waste of time for the first ten trips I took. However, the blog I did for the Holy Land trip last year truly helped me enjoy the experience even more. Therefore, I'm going to keep this blog going for Italy this year.

Read it or don't...it's really not about you, it's about me :-)

I have to start with a little background on the "lens" I'll be looking at Italy through. Lent started Wednesday. I struggled with things to "give up". Two years ago I gave up desserts and lost 10 pounds. Italy has gelato though so that wasn't going to work. I had planned on all alcohol but Italy's wine is cheaper than water so that wasn't going to work either. My Catholic friend Margie always reminds me it isn't about "giving something up" but rather making a change that will bring you closer to God. The Lenten theme at Crossgates UMC this year is "Know My Heart". It is based on Psalm 139 and one of my favorite choir anthems (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YFS54Obv0o). I ran across a blog post on Facebook on 20 things to give up for Lent. It apparently went viral so much that the pastor created a 40 days of Lent blog that you can receive daily devotional emails from. So of course I signed up. This guy is talking to ME. I don't know about anyone else but everyday it has been the EXACT message I need to hear. You can sign up for the emails here... http://gs4nj.org/news/enews-devotion/40-things-for-lent/. Be warned though, you aren't going to be giving up sweets, wine, soft drinks, etc. You will be giving up emotions that distract you from being the best you can be.

I somewhat jokingly say that I have to get my Italy "fix" every few years. Italy was the first foreign country I visited. This will be my 5th trip back to this beautiful land with its beautiful people. This year, more than ever, it will be a trip about retreating and "Knowing My Heart".

Now off to set several alarm clocks since I have to be at the airport at 4:45 a.m. tomorrow AND the time changes tonight :-/