Holiday instalment #11-Naples and Pompeii

We were up bright and early on our second to last day in Rome as we were heading south... doing a tour to Naples and Pompeii.  Our bus set off in early morning traffic heading towards Naples first. 

Along the way we saw Monte Cassino - and the replaced monastery in the distance.  This was special for Peter as his father was there in WWII - and involved in the Battle of Monte Cassino.  We also cross the Appian Way.... this was the original Roman road that led from Rome to Brindisi in the south east of Italy.  Parts of this are still visible and used today.

Once we got to Naples we meet with a local guide who took us on a quick walking tour of the city... we saw the Castle Nuovo, the Piazza del Plebiscito ( Square of the people) and the Opera House (Real Teatro di San Carlo) where famous singers like Caruso, Maria Callas and Pavarotti sang.  Quite spectacular.... as well as the harbour

Next we headed to Pompeii where before having lunch we visited a Cameo factory to watch a demonstration on the hand carving of the sea shells that goes into the making of a true Cameo.  Of course I had to have one.... very expensive as they are all hand carved, but I decided that I would wear it for my daughter's wedding, so got one that can to either a brooch or a pendant.  It is simply gorgeous.

Then it was off to explore the ruins.  Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried by ash during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD...Excavation started in the 1700's and is still going on today. 

Some of the mosaics are incredible... as you can see above... that one looks 3D but is just a single layer of tiny little bits of colour.  On the temple photo you can see Vesuvius in the background.  It was quite stunning how clever the people were - the roads had stepping stones in the middle so you could cross without getting wet feet, but the chariots could still travel down them - the wheels passing each side of the stone. They also had running water - through copper piping...

All in all the day was fabulous.... we finally arrived back in Rome around 8.30 that night and ended up visiting the Trevi Fountain and finding a little restaurant to eat at about 10.00 at night.   The owner of the restaurant had a bit of a party going on with some friends and there was lots of singing and laughing - made for a fun end to a fun day.

And so the holiday was nearly at an end.... just one more day to spend in the city and then the long trip home.... more next post....
thanks for visiting

Holiday instalment #10- Rome - the ancient City

Back again...

Rome is a city of so many contrasts.  Parts of the city are SO old - over 10 centuries BC... can you imagine that!   We did a walking tour around the oldest parts of the city... parts that are still being excavated.  Totally mind blowing... to think I was walking on the same paths that Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and all those other famous Roman's  walked on... yes some of the paths we walked were the original stones....

 We walked through the old city, saw a small stadium where there would have been sporting events, saw the forum where the senate sat, and the final photo shows the shrine where Julius Caesar's body was cremated.   Following on from the ancient city we arrived at the Colosseum.  This is a stunning piece of architecture.  For it's size and the time it was built ( 72AD) it took only about 6-8 years to build, mostly with the assistance of the slaves captured during the Roman conquests.  It was partially destroyed in the middle ages by devastating earthquakes....

You could almost see the gladiators and the wild animals... the atmosphere was incredible.  I thoroughly enjoyed this tour we did... having a great guide helped as she gave us some insight into the lives of the ancient ones.  We did have a few minutes of rain while we were walking.... some thunder as well.... but within 10 minutes it was  all over.

My next instalment will show you some more ruins and another Italian city - Naples and Pompeii.   See you then....

Holiday instalment #8 - Rome part 1

Another amazing city... an other amazing 6 days....
We arrived into Rome mid afternoon on a Saturday and once again had an adventure finding our hotel..... We had booked into boutique hotels on this trip, so trying to find them was certainly part of the fun.  We were staying at the Garda in Via Lomardia.   Our travel agent told us it was near the Spanish Steps so we took the Metro to that stop... it gets you to the bottom of the Spanish Steps .... and to get to our hotel you needed to be at the top!!!!  There was no way we were carrying the cases up those stairs.... so a good walk up hill ( about 1/2 kilometre) we found it....

We walked back to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain that afternoon - totally amazing... such tourist spots. Plus the fountain at Piazza Barberini.  We visited a number of times over the days we were there. 

Sunday we took the Hop on Hop off bus around the city.  A great way to get orientated.  We hopped off at he Piazza Novena and walked to the Pantheon... so much bigger and better than the one in Paris..  Totally incredible.  The centre dome is a huge hole and round the edge are amazing chapels.

 We then walked along the river Tiber and made our way to the Vatican City and visited St Peter's Cathedral.  The square was much smaller than I thought it would be, but the cathedral was so special.  Being Catholics, going to St Peter is like a pilgrimage... and to make it even more special, 4 pm Mass was about to be held at the High Altar.  We decided to go....It was in Italian so I couldn't understand the sermon, but knew what to do, when and took Holy Communion.  Very very emotional for me.  

So the start to our stay in Rome was great... plus the weather was perfect... I even got a touch of colour on my shoulders and face.... much much warmer than England or France. 

Come back tomorrow for another episode of the Turley's tour of Europe.

Holiday instalment #7 - Venice -city of glass and lace

More about the Venetian part of our holiday....

We started the day by going up to the top of the Bell Tower in St Marks Square ( know as Campanile di San Marco in Italitan).  You get an amazing view of Venice from up the top -

 After seeing this, we went into the Basilica di San Marco  ( St Mark's Basilica).  It is just beautiful inside.  We went upstairs and saw the Horses of St Mark.  The original horses made in around 1254 are housed in the Museum inside the Basilica and reproductions are outside

We had to come out of a side door from the church as by the time we had finished the water was starting to rise and flood the main entrance.  There were boardwalks over the water to get in and out.

Venice is made up of a few islands other then the main city area and two of the islands are quite famous.   Murano for it's beautiful glass and Burano for it's fabulous lace.  We took a tour of the two islands and a third called Torcello where there is a beautiful old church and was the first of the Venetian islands to be inhabited.

On Murano we watched a master glass blower at work.

I purchased a small elephant to add to my collection and got a lovely red glass bracelet.

Burano is famous for it's handmade lace and also for it's wonderfully colourful fisherman's houses.  We visited a Lace making shop and watch one of the elderly ladies hand stitching the lace.  One piece might take up to a month to do and might involve up to 7 ladies each doing a certain bit.... all the work was stunning but as you can imagine, quite expensive.  I picked up a couple of small round doilies, just to say I bought something.

The next day we left this wonderful city and caught the train to Rome....

This was us, waiting to catch the ferry to the station at 8.00am in the morning.  We enjoyed the train trip - talking to an interesting Australian couple who sat next to us from Florence onways... catching up with some Aucklanders we meet at the Bell Tower the day before and finding out that the All Blacks beat Australia in the rugby...

Arrived in Rome around 2.00... quite a different city with even more adventures.....
so till next time.... thanks for visiting