Arrivederci Roma

Kids made it home yesterday and we miss them already. We paid for our months berth and headed out. Today we sailed about 100 miles which took around 13 hours. We were pretty tired when we finally reached the Island of Ischia. The sun was about to set and the full moon was already out but we found a small area near the Port of Ischia and set anchor. It was very tight amongst all the fishing boats and pretty rolly due to all the ferry traffic so we set a stern anchor as well. We went to bed listening to three different karaoke bars and it must have been amateur night for sure :)

This morning we were up early thanks to the early ferry schedule and as we headed out we got a glimpse of the beaches and the early morning aquasize class. We rounded the corner and got a good view of the castle. In mythology the island was said to be inhabited by Typhoeus, a hundred-headed monster who was the father of Hydra.

Ice, Ice, Baby

OK…so we found one more thing to do in Rome…The Ice Club.  The only  bar in Rome entirely built out of ice.  The temperature is –5 degrees celsius.  We had done a lot of touring in the heat and humidity so when I saw the poster for this I just knew we needed this treat.  You walk in the door, pay your 15 Euros per person, they give you an insulated cape to put on and some gloves.  Then you enter the chamber where you all have to get inside before opening the opposite door into the ice bar.  Your entry fee includes a free drink in a take-home glass made of ice…needless to say it didn’t make it home…haha.

Then you sit on pieces of fur and enjoy the colorful show with lights and music to dance to.  What a ball!!!!

   

The true picture of Roma

OK, it’s our last day to do the walk,bus,train, metro thing into Rome and we were off.  What do most people think of when they think of Rome?  The Colosseum is my guess.  On our way there we passed the Vittorio Emanuele Monument.  It was built in the late 1800’s to honor the first king of Italy.  We also passed a headless Busker:

The Colosseum was started during the Vespasian empire around A.D. 72 and inaugurated in the Titus Empire in A.D. 80.  So off we go, into the land of Gladiators:

 

Off to the Pantheon.  This is one of only a few Ancient Roman buildings still intact.  It was built in 27 B.C.  but reconstructed by Hadrian in the early 2nd century A.D.  It is a perfect sphere resting in a cylinder.  The walls are 25 feet thick and the bronze entry doors weight over 20 tons each (that is about the size of Jay Sea Dee).  Today it is a Catholic church but until the 5th century it was a Pagan temple dedicated to Roman gods. 

We’re done sightseeing in Rome, but there is one more thing I have to do…Death by Chocolate Gelato!!!

The Vatican and St. Peters Basilica

Back in Roma, we decided to head out to the Vatican.  The Vatican guards are actually Swiss, hence the uniforms (see photo #1).  The map they include with your entry ticket is horrible so have a map of your own as your guide.  There are many, many museums and you must pick and choose your time wisely or you could be here for days.  We started with the Egyptian museum and headed to the Raphael Rooms and on to the Sistine Chapel.  I was surprised to find out that most of the frescoes are actually paint mixed into the plaster which is how the color remains so intact.  There are no photos allowed in the Sistine Chapel but we found a Dali piece in the rooms just prior.  At the back right side of the Sistine Chapel is an exit door specified for groups but you can sneak out that way and be only yards away from St. Peters Basilica.  Otherwise it is almost a mile walk to get back to the front of St. Peters.  So be aware of this before you purchase your audio guide to the Vatican Museums as you will have to go back to the front (instead of sneaking out the back) to return the machines and retrieve your ID. 

The line for security into St. Peters Basilica was the worst part.  But we had the Rick Steve’s audio guide that kept us entertained while waiting.  They really do a good job at adhering to a strict dress code here:  No shorts for men or women, all shoulders must be covered and skirts must be down to the knees.  You do have to pass through the “Fashion Police” after security.  The sun was passing through the windows at the back of the Nave which just made you go ahhhhhh.   My favorite piece in St. Peters is La Pieta by Michelangelo.  It is carved out of one piece of marble and he was only twenty-one when he did this.

The Amalfi Coast…what a wild ride

If you ever want to see scenery of a lifetime and scare you passengers, drive the Amalfi coast.  We started out in Sorrento, passed through Positano(the Verical City…see photo#2), Amalfi and got off the coastal ride right before Salerno.  Look at the photos of all the Vespas and Scooters that just weave in and out of the cars.  And God Bless the Bus Drivers (see photo) who have to pass each other on a one lane road. 

 

Sorrento and Capri

I chose to make our base in Sorrento for the two nights of sightseeing.  We stayed in Hotel Antiche Mura which is located right off Piazzo Tazzo and only a ten minute walk from the marina.  After our Pompeii tour we were all hot and sweaty and raced to the pool before its 7:00pm closing.  I would recommend this hotel for sure…great location, great amenities, and great service.  They even had a triple-room so all the kids could share only one room!  Sorrento was well known in Roman mythology as the legendary abode of the sirens (wicked mermaids who lured seamen to their deaths with their songs).  Ulysses resisted their call by having himself bound to the mast of his ship and stuffing the ears of his crew with wax. 

Next morning we were quick to catch the early morning hydrofoil ferry to the island of Capri.  For a few Euros more, you can ride the fast ferry which only takes about 15 minutes.  We wanted to be early to see the Blue Grotto before the rest of the crowds arrived.  To our dismay, the sea swell was too much and all the tours of the Blue Grotto were cancelled for the day.  This would be John and my second attempt at seeing the Blue Grotto only to be turned away by the swell of the sea.  Third times a charm…right?  So we hopped on the funicular to the town of Capri.  We walked around town for a while and decided we wanted to see another town, Anacapri.  We made the mistake of walking the narrow winding road used by auto traffic until we found a bus stop for the rest of the climb. 

 

We couldn’t stop there…we wanted to go to the top.  So we got on a chairlift for a twelve minute ride up to Monte Solaro…what fun!!!  And the views were breathtaking!

 

Road Trip…Pompei

Just to change it up a bit I had reserved a car (a Lancia Musa) and a hotel room so we could get out of Rome for a few days.  Our first stop was Naples.  This was just a pizza lunch stop since Naples was where pizza was invented.  It was market day…or maybe every day is market day…and it was crazy with stalls selling just about anything you could think of.  Parking was a bit of an ordeal but we managed and we also managed to find a great little pizzeria for lunch.  After lunch John searched some of the nearest stalls and found some real treasures…John treasures…like a digital micrometer and a current probe…oh boy!!!!  The girls and I were a bit disappointed as everyone was already closing up shop for siesta time.  Jonathon was approached by a man selling an IPad for only $100 Euro.  He really wanted it but I ran away with the money so he was out of luck…sorry Bud.  Off to Pompei:

With Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background, we stepped into the large market-place staring down the street in awe.  You tend to let your mind wander to that day…August 24, A.D. 79 when Mt. Vesuvius blew its top and buried Pompeii and the 2,000 residents that chose to stay after the ash cloud gave its warning.  I had never thought about it before but the bodies you see are actually plaster casts.  The archaeologists found spaces as they dug with bones in them and realized this was where a person had died and so they poured plaster in them to re-enact the burial pose.  Viewing these was one of our favorite parts of Pompeii.

We saw a bathhouse, a brothel with erotic frescoes and beds of stone, the House of the Faun, the Fast Food area and a mill/bakery.  We viewed much, much more and there are actually a lot of very well restored areas. 

 

I enjoyed the House of the Tragic Poet with a mosaic of a chained watchdog and a warning:  Cave Canem (“Beware of Dog”).

The ruts from all the chariots can still be seen on some of the roads:

All in all it was a great place to see.  There were many tour groups and some places tended to be overcrowded however.