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MERCI BEAUCOUP!
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Well, as stated earlier in my travels....travel companions, although glorious to be with, do not lend to consitent blog posts. As it happens, I am actually in Greece right now :)...having a light cheese plate, glass of white wine and listening to Mark and Adam talk about the importance of the UN.
I left Italy yesterday on an Alitalia flight from Rome to Athens. Since my last post I spent 3 nights in Sorrento, 2 nights in Positano and 3 nights in Rome. My time in the Almafi Coast was the most furthest south of Rome I have ever been. I, of course, had seen many pictures of this beautiful coast line prior to my arrival...and it was just as impressive in real life. The Limoncello was pretty amazing too :).
The ruins of Pompeii are about 20 minutes outside of Sorrento.
Our first full day in Sorrento we took the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii and explored this well preserved Roman city that was buried under 20 feet of ash when Mt. Vesuvius errupted in August in 79 AD.
Frescos in Pompeii.
In the glass cases are casts of a few victims found when the site was being excavated.
Of the 20,000 people that lived in Pompeii at the time, 2,000 were buried alive.
These are just a few of the people that didn't run fast enough. The casts are created around their ancient bones, so if you look close enough you can still see their teeth, skull and toe bones.
One of the victims had teeth that were quite nice.
\The crew :)
Mark, Rosie and I in the forum in Pompeii.
I certainly look short compared to those guys :)
After my time in the hammam in Algeria, I have been dying for another similar experience.
This roman bath is akin to the hammam, but unfortunatley the last time steam dripped from these walls was at noon on August 27, 79 AD.
It sure was lovely...even in ruins.
The fountain I am standing next to was bought for the public bath by 2 politicians of the day.
Still today you can see their names in bronze in the fountain...I am not sure it that was their way of garnishing votes, but seems like a pretty neat contribution nonetheless (campaign finance laws were probably a bit more lax back then :) ).
Some of the incredible detail in the bath in Pompeii...this, of course, was the bath for men. Something tells me the women's bath was a bit less ornate.
A picture of Sorrento from the port.
On the island of Capri :).
Maria Carey's house is apparently behind me...somewhere in the distance...not that I cared :).
We took a chair lift up to this point....oh lord was it chilly on that thing! My feet hurt when I had to hop off after the 15 minute ride up in the wind. Not sure it was worth the 8 Euro....live and learn.
Shopping in Capri!!
There may be a Valentino dress in that little blue bag :)....how could I resist??
I was in Capri....plus I look really cute in it :). I swear!
A view of the port in Capri before we headed back to Sorrento....to celebrate Mark's birthday!
We went to a lovely one star Michelin restaurant in Sorrento called, Il Buco.
Campagnia does a good job with thier food and I really enjoyed the wines that night...but having just come from Emilia-Romagna it was tough to compare (if I am to be honest)....although the lemon risotto was enough to bring me back. The company and conversation really made the evening that night. We stayed for 4 hours...I think I was in tears laughing twice during the evening. Finally around midnight we were gently pushed to the door....who knows, we may still have been there :).
The beautiful town of Positano.
After Sorrento we spent 2 nights here in this little gem.
We didn't have a hotel reserved, but Rosie and I stumbled upon a "residence" that opened one of thier apartments to us. It was 2 bedroom, 2 bath with a kitchenette and a balcony with an amazing view of town and the Mediterranean (which pretty much looked exactly like this picture).
This is Boo Boo.
He is one of the stray dogs in Positano that gets taken care of by all the towns people.
He has been given a little collar so he doesn't look stray...which keeps him safe from the dog catcher.
The people of Positano take turns bathing him to keep him clean as well.
We saw this little guy all over town just enjoying his freedom...he refuses to stay at any one person's house.
For one night he adopted us and followed us to dinner. He is just taking a little nap here as we eat our pasta next to the sea.
The dome of Positano's main church.
The church next to the town's only bar.
During the high season, locals don't frequent the only bar in town (the orange building next across the street from the church) because it is overrun by tourists. Since we went at the end of November, tourists were few and far between...which meant the locals had been able to reclaim their bar :). It also meant it was much more convenient for them to go pray before and after a drink. :)
Next fermata...and final stop in Italy: ROME
Here she is...uh, maybe he is.
Anyway no introduction is needed to this magnificent Catholic tribute, religious shrine and tomb to St. Peter.
I had been at the Vatican 16 years ago...and my experience was much more intimate and awe-inspiring then. Back then I was one of a few walking the Sistine Chapel with my little audio guide. It was me, St. Peter and Michelangelo as I stared up with amazment and revery at the ceiling that has inspired art movements and millions of people....God seeking and secular. This time was SOOOOO different!
We were in Rome during a low season, yet the line to get into the Vatican Museum was 3 hours long...in the rain. We opted for the 45 Euro tour that got us to cut in front of the line (it costs 15 Euro to get in, so the plus 30 Euro to get our wet feet out of the puddles was well worth it). Once inside we were part of a sea of humanity being moved from room to room....
The ceilings in the tapestry room.
The tapestries in this hall were once hung in the Sistine Chapel.
Okay, just have to break for one second....as I write this, the song, "I Had the Time of My Life" just came on over the stereo in my little Athens hotel bar. So appropriate!!!!
In the Hall of Maps.
This hall has all the regions of Italy painted on its walls.
Believe it or not, I was the only one on my tour of over 30 people from all over the world who had Italian heritage....so when our guide got to this hall he yelled out for the Lady from Torino...and then preceded to show me the map of the region where my relatives are from. This is a picture (although a bit blurred) of that map (Piemonte).
The Rafeal rooms were amazing...which is an understatement.
This is Rafael's tribute to philosophy...one of the four disciplines taught at University at the time.
Plato and Aristotle take center stage in this masterful piece.
The "surprise" is the prominence of Michelangelo....he is the gentleman in purple in the front of the painting with his elbow on the table lost in thought. History says that Michelangelo was very secretive about his Sistine Chapel project...yet right before completion, Rafael snuck in to look at it. He was so taken aback by its glory and mastery that he wanted to acknowledge Michelangelo as the master he was.
By placing him with such prominence in this piece, Rafeal is acknowledging that Michelangelo was in a league of his own...the best of the best. Big compliment!...but deserved.
No pictures of any kind were allowed in the Sistine Chapel...but really no pictures need to be taken as so many perfect images have been captured over the years. Who isn't familiar with the image of God giving life to Adam...after all it is the centerpiece. The disappointment of this sacred place was the fact that we were packed in like sardines....shoulder to shoulder we all stood. Guards would yell for us to keep moving, to be quiet, or "Madame, NO PHOTOS"....frankly, it was a HUGE disappointment to me given my experience of 16 years ago. I didn't feel the sacredness of such a holy site or the respect it deserved from its temporary visitors. The Michelangelo I stood with as a twenty-something year old was as lost in the crowd as I was...God seemed far away as Japenese tourists sneaked their iPhones out for an illegal image. I forgot where I was...and really just wanted to get out. It was a shame. I guess even in the Eternal City...things change. Not always for the better. I will not be going back to the Vatican again....unless children compel me to in the future. :(
One thing that is always neat about the Vatican is their Swiss Guard.
Be be qualified, you have to be Swiss, between the age 19 - 25 and Catholic.
They only allowed pictures "with distance."
So here is Mark and I giving them their distance :)
In Rome we stayed steps away from the famous Spanish Steps (no pun intended!).
I stayed up in the loft while Rosie and Mark slept below. The Philipino caretaker of these 4 rooms, Norman, was quite the detail man. He meticulously rolled up all my electronic cords and folded my clothes each day!!!! He also was persistant about setting me up with "Mr. Fabio" (a friend of the owner, Mr. Stefano)...but that never transpired :)
Dinner at a wonderful and homey trattoria.
A prix fixed menu was served with vigor and personality by Mama Paola.
We felt like we were in someone's home....just with a lot, a lot of other people!!!
I couldn't get enough of the home made potato chips...oh, yes! You didn't misread that...these delights aren't "to die for"...but rather, "to kill for" :)
Ah, the Trevi Fountain!
Now that I think about it, I didn't cast my mandatory 2 coins..uh oh...does that mean I won't be back to Rome!!!!! Yikes!!!
Final Photo from Italy:
In case there were any doubts that Italians eat pasta :)
This just made me laugh...and it is a picture from a LITTLE store in Positano...beyond the pasta there wasn't much more in the small space :)
One thing about Italy, it ALWAYS charms and enchants. It is a place that I know I will come back to time and time again and will never get tired of its food, people and melodious language. I will also NEVER get tired of Italian men calling me "Bella" or "Bellisima"....frankly, I need to bottle a few "Ciao Bellas" and unbottle it whenever I may be feeling down....cuz there is nothing more uplifting than those 2 words from a tall, dark, handsome man with an Italian accent :).
Ciao Italia!!!
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