Pompeii

Pompeii is certainly the oldest place we have visited.  Evidence shows that it was inhabited in 700 BC.  In its final years Pompeii suffered two major insults with the first being an earthquake in 63 AD followed by the disastrous eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD which buried the entire city in 15-20 feet of ash.  It then laid undiscovered until the mid 1700's when excavations began.  Today much of the city has been uncovered and it is absolutely incredible what remains after almost 2000 years. Many walls are intact with interesting frescos which shed some light on life so long ago.

Eric and I had a guide arranged which we found invaluable. He was a wealth of information and made sure we saw the best there was to see.  We started in the brothel where frescos accompanied by numbers still adorn the walls. As most were illiterate at the time this was their way of ordering. Can't you see it, they just go and order say number two for the service they desire.  Was quite amazing to walk down the Roman roads that were trod upon over 2000 years ago.  Fountains and beautiful tile mosaic floors have been uncovered intact.  The town was dotted with wine bars with beautiful marble counters which survived the destruction.  One of the town bakeries still has intact flour mills and what looks very much like a pizza oven.

Something that brought the tragedy home was the bodies that were preserved by ash and even show their facial expressions at the time of death.  Really makes one stop and realize what happened here.

Brothel menu

Fountain made of shells and tiles

Inside the main square

Family gathering place with fountain in center

Mosaic on floor of largest home in Pompeii

Shrine hat survived intact for 2000 years

Roman road with raised stones for when it flooded

Wine bar. How civilized

Bakery complete with flour mill

Caught in the moment of anguish 

Praying

My Vesuvius in the background

Rome

It is hard to put our feelings about Rome into words. On one hand it is a magnificent city full of history and astonishing ancient sights and on the other hand it is absolutely chaotic.  One has to be constantly on guard for pickpockets and traffic and there are hawkers everywhere.

We started our time in Rome with a fascinating tour through Ancient Rome.  I was in awe upon arriving at the colosseum.  Built by the Romans as a venue for gladiator fights it is standing proof of their great engineering skills and quality of workmanship.  What have we built that will still be standing in 2000 years.  Passing through the Arch of Constantine we visited the Roman Forum. This was Ancient Rome's civic center and anything important that happened in Rome happened here.  Though only fragments of buildings and columns remain it is a place that seems to draw you back in time. We then passed through to the Plazza del Campidoglio which sits atop Capital Hill.  This was once the political center of Ancient Rome and remains the home of the city's government.  In the 1530's the pope of the time called on Michelangelo to reestablish the square to a grand center. Approaching from a grand staircase with numerous statutes and a large fountain the whole area is welcoming.

The Pantheon is antiquity's best preserved interior. Built two millennia ago the 142 foot high and wide dome has astounded architects through the ages.

An evening stroll took us past the beautiful statue of the Four Rivers designed by Bernini centuries ago.  The Spanish steps cascade down to a beautiful fountain and are a definite gathering place both day and night and hundreds of tourists and locals do the wide set of 135 stairs.  The narrow streets radiating from the square are mostly traffic free and are a shoppers delight.  Dotted with many restaurants the area is a reprieve from the crazy drivers of Rome.

Much of the next day was spent exploring Vatican City. Declared a country of its own it is the smallest in the world.  The Vatican Museum is immense and has four miles of displays.  One cannot help but be impressed with the multitude of ancient statues, frescos and paintings.  The museum ends with the magnificent Raphael rooms which were once the apartment of Pope Julius II.  One then enters the Sistine Chapel which is the Pope's personal chapel and also the place from which the new pope is elected.  The chapel is famous for the painted ceiling done by Michelangelo done over a four year period showing the story of creation.  The Last Judgement was painted many years later, also by Michelangelo and covers the whole wall behind the alter. The art was stunning, but crowded with people, there was nothing about the chapel that felt like a church.

 St Peter's Basillica is the largest and richest Catholic Church in the world and can accommodate 60,000 people.  It is extremely ornate with perhaps its most famous work being The Pieta by Michelangelo which is kept behind bulletproof glass since someone attacked it with a hammer breaking off Mary's nose which has been repaired. St Peters square completes this country of just over 100 acres.

Amongst our exploring was a trip up to the top of the Victor Emmanuel  Monument which gave us a wonderful 360 degree view of the city. Sitting at small cafés people watching rounded out our visit to Rome.

The Colosseum in Rome

Inside the Colusseum

Ruins of the Forum

Interior of the Pantheon

Statue fron the first century

One of the beautiful ceilings in the Vatican Museum

The Pieta by Michelangelo 

Dome of St Peters

Old market in Rome

Aerial view of the city

Bridge across the Tiber

The Spanish Steps

Assisi & Orvieto

Assisi is famous as the home of Saint Frances. He was a simple friar from the countryside who lived a life of non-materialism and preached a lifestyle of slow down and smell God's roses. In 2013 the new pope took his name.  Assisi flows from the top of the hill where sits a ruined castle down to the magnificent Basilica of St Frances. Assisi is a walled hilltop town and every twist of its winding pedestrian lanes revealed another sight.  The climb up to the castle was steep but rewarded us with panoramic views.  The Basilica though fairly plain on the exterior was incredible inside.  It was built over the grave of Frances on what used to be called the Hill of the Damned but is now called the Hill of Paradise.  The interior is frescoes from top to bottom and is a visual feast. The Bascilica has three levels with a upper and lower Bascilica and then the tomb of Frances.  No pictures were allowed so memories are held within.  The town of Assisi is still a very religious pilgrimage and the town had many visiting monks and nuns strolling the streets. The area is known for its truffles and we had a taste of both the white and black. Delicious.

We then carried on to our next destination which was an agrotourisimo outside of Orvieto called La Rocca Orvieto.  It is a working winery and olive oil producer but the facilities are definitely country resort.  Our apartment had a magnificent view over the fields and surrounding countryside with a beautiful pool sitting below.  We were treated to a local wine tasting and the food served at each dinner was delicious.  Eric and I hiked up La Rocca which is a steep large rock at the top of the hill which gave us a wonderful view of the hilltop town of Orvieta.

Orvieta sits 1000 feet above the valley floor and is accessed by a funicular. It's three claims to fame are the cathedral , Classico wine and ceramics. The inside of he cathedral has a warm golden glow due to its windows of alabaster.  The Chapel of San Brizio features Luca Signorellis brilliant frescos of the Day of Judgement and Life after Death.  For us he highlight in this cathedral was the Pieta carved in 1579 by local artist Ippolito Scalza. Sculpted from a single piece of marble it was absolutely beautiful and moving.  

On way up to castle in Assisi

Castle ruins

View from castle

Picturesque streets

Pride in ownership

Roman architecture still in use

Funicular to Orvieto 

Orvieto

Cathedral in Orvieto

View of Orvieto from La Rocca

View from our deck at la Rocca

Wine tasting in cantina

Siena

Siena from 1260-1348 was a major banking and trade center. With a population of over 60,000 it was even bigger than Paris and then it got hit by the bubonic plague and it's population was cut by more than half and Siena never recovered its position of power.  Situated atop of three hills Siena's thriving historic center with red brick lanes cascading off in every which way it is a joy to explore.

We took a guided tour through one of the districts. After a visit to their lovely church we were treated to a dinner at their local club where we ate amongst all the local Italian families.  The food was fantastic and was really fun to be in the midst of the locals enjoying a soccer match on the huge screen.

As only residents and cabs are allowed cars in the city it is so pedestrian friendly.  il Campo is the heart of the city.  It fans out from City Hall to creat a large amphitheater.  This is where Siena's contradas or neighborhoods join and is the gathering place for tourists and locals alike.  Lively restaurants and bars circle the perimeter and we spent a delightful couple of hours sipping an Aperol spritz and people watching.  The square is the location of the famous Palio horse races which are held two days a year and each neighborhood sponsors a horse which is even taken into their local church to be blessed before the race.

The Duomo in Siena is absolutely stunning with art by Michelangelo and Bernini.  The most outstanding feature of this cathedral were the inlaid marble floors with mosaics depicting the stories of the bible.

Eric and I also toured the old hospital in Siena which is over 1000 years old and just closed and converted to a museum in the 1990's.  It goes three stories underground and as it was a Red Cross hospital it saved Siena from any bombing during the war.

Narrow streets with overhead arches

Alter of local church

Local glass maker explaining the process he uses

Cathedral in Siena

Il Campo

Underground part of old hospital

Mosaic on floor of cathedral

Frescos in cathedral which are over 500 years old and have never been touched

Eric in his happy place

Pisa and Lucca

Leaving the beautiful Cinque Terre we headed to one of Italy's most recognized monuments, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  The tower is really only a small part of he architectural complex that dominate the Field of Miracles.  Pisa, once a major sea port, from 1000 to 1300AD, silted up and became removed from the sea leaving it it's cathedral and university. The tower with its 15 foot lean was built over two centuries by at least thre different architects. The lean has increased over time due to the wet area it sits on but with work done in the 90's it will hopefully survive for many more generations.  The Cathedral and the Baptristy through not as photographed are stunning. The cathedral was started in 600 AD and added to over the years to make it one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.  The pulpit designed by Giovanni around 1250 is exquisite.  The baptistery leans six feet to the north and is the largest in Italy.  The pulpit was created by Nicolas Pisano, Giovanni's father and is thought to be the worlds first Renaissance sculpture. The acoustics in this 250 foot high dome are amazing.

From Pisa we continued on to Lucca. Surrounded by well preserved ramparts this is Italy's most impressive fortress city.  Lucca has kept its walls intact and traffic out to creat a picturesque town with Romanesque churches around every corner. We rode bikes around the 2 1/2 mile loop on the top of the ramparts which not only fun gave us wonderful views of the city within and outside the walls.  Charming winding streets led us to a delightful family owned restaurant in a small courtyard off of the lane.

The Baptristy 

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Pisa Duomo

Inside the Cathedral

Riding the ramparts of Lucca

Bell tower from the ramparts