Around Naples

<p>This morning it was back to Bar il Fiorello for cappuccino. True to form the proprietor just put plates in front of us: fresh ricotta biscuits, sfogliatelle and shots of cafe di nonno, which is some kind of high powered frappuccino thing. After that we were served our cappuccino, and cold espresso shots. Full of high octane caffeine, we set off for the Capella di Sanservero.
This baroque chapel for the princes of the Sansevero family crypts was designed by the artist/architect/alchemist Raimundo di Sangre and features his famous "Veiled Christ" sculpture. It completely baffles me how these sculptors were able to make marble almost look liquid. The marble flows so fluidly over the body it really does give the impression of a thin veil over the body. Theres also another sculpture that features a fisherman's net over the subject and that's carved out of marble too! Simply amazing.<br>
Today was rainy in Naples and we were brave little travelers. We saw the Museo Nazionale ( where they have all the artifacts from Pompeii) and then walked down the Via Toledo, which is the main street through Napoli. Its crowded, really crowded. The police are everywhere since it leads right into the banking sector. There are some beggars and the third worlders about.<br>
We walked toward the port and toured the Castel Nuovo, a 15th century stronghold of the many dukes and barons who ruled Napoli. As we left under the dark grey sky, heading back up the street, I was treated to a furtive ass grab by a teen age boy. When confronted, said boy took off running down the street. Look, I know I'm a little too bootylicious but COME ON. NON TOCCARE!!!!! My auntie warned me but since all the men have respectful so far I guess I was spoiled. Most of them just stare.<br>
After a small dinner we headed in for an early night. Tomorrow we go to Sorrento! </p>

Napoli Above and Below

After a bittersweet morning leaving Rome, we jumped on the Regionale train to Naples. We passed miles and miles of gorgeous and green farmland. Campania is like the central valley of California used to be. Lush with farms and agriculture. We passed the station in Gaeta where we saw the Mediterranean sparkling in the morning sunlight.
Pulling into Napoli Centrale was like being thrown into havoc. People everywhere, nothing orderly like the other stations we've been to. We finally hopped onto the line we needed to Museo station. Our first glimpse of Napoli traffic scared the crap out of me, and I'm from Southern California! I asked a little old man outside the station in Italian where we could find a street and then he told us to just cross anywhere. What??!!! Really??!! Taking our lives in our hands we ran dragging our luggage behind us. Our hotel is in a 17th century building on a piazza with an old church.
The streets are narrow, high buildings keep it a little cooler at ground level. Cars and Vespas plunge headlong into the foot traffic and you better move or they'll just keep going.
We picked up my cousin and decided to get pizza at a place one of my other cousins recommended as the best place in Napoli: Sorbillo. Omg this place was good! We stuffed ourselves silly for about €8 each. Now that's a deal!
Afterward we decided to do the Napoli Sotteraneo tour underground. A great lesson on the Greek origins of the city, and a trip thru some extremely narrow tunnels with only a candle to light the way. So awesome! Boy Wonder and I did the narrow tunnel trip to see two Greek cisterns that are still filled with water.
The day cooled to a beautiful evening and we went in search of grub. We stopped at a little cafe for a quick panino and this is where we discovered that old Italian just love me.... ha ha. We ordered only sandwiches and a coke. What we received were sandwiches, slices of ziti pizza, little cakes filled with banana and sour cherries and a limoncello granita to top it all off. All this and we only paid for the sandwich! I guess being nice to sweet old guys and speaking very imperfect Italian pays off...lol.

Trapped in the Vatican (aka The Ceilings and A Church too)

So today E and I were on a mission to see the Sistine Chapel. Boy Wonder was pooped so he stayed in the room while we went.
Line to get in the Vatican Museum went very fast. Actually inside the museum is another matter entirely. You're herded like cattle on THEIR pathway. There is no express lane to the Chapel until you're right there. So we spent a lot of time looking at ceilings and being trapped in between tour groups. As we got into the Chapel we heard "no foto!" And of course no one was listening. E and I took our obligatory pics and got the heck out of there so we could browse the rest of the museum. This is when we found you can't get out until the end. Done browsing after a couple rooms? Too bad, visitors! Abandon all hope of an easy exit all ye who enter here! It takes you right back to the Chapel whether you like it or not.
Ok. So the Chapel IS pretty great. Its easy to see why most people think no one can top Michelangelo. I mean, the guy both paints AND sculpts, he even worked with bronze! I don't think we can deny the man was blessed with huge talent.
We saw some interesting classical pieces, 14th century tapestries and the Borgia Apartments. They do have a contemporary art collection (Blech) which I'm sure someone other than myself can have appreciation for. All in all we felt we got our €15 worth.
Back on the train we headed over to the Cavour stop on the Line B to go see San Pietro e Vincoli church. This church has the holy relic of the chains that bound St. Peter before he was martyred. They also have a beautiful though lesser known Michelangelo sculpture of Moses.
Tonight is our last night in Rome. I will sincerely miss this place. The food, the people, the crazy parking jobs. I definitely will be coming back someday!
So without further ado, the ceilings:

Two Days of Rome

Its been a packed couple of days here in the Eternal City. Yesterday (Sunday), we were all too exhausted to drag our butts out of bed early enough to catch Mass so we did the next best thing: went to St. Peter's Square and were blessed by Pope Benedict at the noon angelus. That's sort of a hard act to follow so we headed to Castel Sant'Angelo to check out Hadrian's Tomb/fortified castle of the popes. Its a pretty neat place! And a welcome respite from the heat. Soon we walked across the Ponte Sant'Angelo, which is lined with beautiful marble statues of angels and third world street hawkers, and sat ourselves to eat at Il Fico. They serve real bufala cheese which I'm totally in love with. After lunch we hit the Piazza Navona to see Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers which is AMAZING. Its crowded, and there's gypsies working the crowd so be on the lookout. It was a beautiful late afternoon so we kept going, eventually getting to the Pantheon where we sat outside, drank wine and people watched. Walking the gauntlet of trattorias finally got us to the Trevi Fountain just as our camera batteries were dying and the sky was deepening to a gorgeous sapphire blue above the fountain. There's indonesians working their racket with faux pics of you for cash and people everywhere. It was a fight to throw a coin in and dip in a hand. Later on I had the nerve to ask the handsome Italian army guy posted near our hotel where we could find a good restaurant. After some searching we found it: da Enrico. We were the only Americans in the place! And it was damn good too.
Today we were on a mission. Our last day on the Roma Pass and we had to make it count. First stop, Trevi Fountain for day time pictures. However, on our exit from Barberini station, we noticed cops EVERYWHERE. A helo circled overhead at a mild hover. We figured it was the spat the Italians were having with the Germans and the ECB over banking. All the banks, monuments and the parliament building we very heavily guarded by local police, the army and the Carabieneri.
We went about our business, saw the beautiful interior of the Pantheon, almost got into a fight with a rose hawker on the Spanish Steps, and got over to St. Peter's just in time for our tour of the Scavi Necropolis. Down we went into the excavation under the basilica. Down to the Roman burials, then to the Constantine era burials and finally to see the burial place of St. Peter. Absolutely at a loss for words, it was so interesting. Very strict dress code too. Afterword we walked right into St. Peter's with no line. How do you describe the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? It glowed. It was peaceful. Its size literary floored me. Michelangelo's "Pieta" was so moving in its simple marble. Pope John Paul's burial site is now a mini-chapel. Michelangelo's bronze altar covering in the center of the apse loomed dark and imposing over everything. And as if that wasn't enough, beams of the late afternoon sun shone down into the church. E and I decided to stay for the Mass while Boy Wonder wandered around. The grand scale of this church is unmatched in anything I've ever seen. The only thing I've seen that even comes close is Westminster Abbey in London and its just not the same.
After getting some gifts at the store we got cleaned up and headed for dinner at Da Enrico again.
The power was out on that block but it was still open. Our waiter Alvio totally spoiled us since the fridges weren't working and they had to get rid of the cold stuff. We finished a bottle of wine while we ate the best tastiest cacio e pepe ever. Afterward he brought us fruit with champagne on it and the limoncello.  Suffice to say I was a bit tipsy on the walk back!.
Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and we have to tie up some loose tourist ends.

Ancient Rome Kicked My Butt

After arriving in Rome yesterday we checked into our hotel. Its in the same building as an apt complex, and only has five rooms. Pretty much only Italians stay here but the room is nice, good bathroom, and its right next to a metro station in a residential neighborhood three stops from Termini.
We decided to go see ancient Rome. Roma Pass in hand (which you can buy at the PT/TI in Rome for €30) we bypassed the massive line at the Colosseum. Rick Steves advice for the win! This place is unbelievable.  You can see the rebuilds but a lot of original as well. The floor in the middle is also gone and reveals the myriad rooms that existed beneath to hold animals and slaves that would fight the gladiators.
The Arch of Constantine sits right next to it and is carved of scenes glorifying him. I call it the I Love Me Arch. Although to be fair, he did make it possible for Christians not to be thrown to the lions anymore so that's good. It was funny to see the cops chasing the illegal sellers. _
Walking across the domus aurea, we went down into Trajan's Market area. Remains of temples, old churches, the curia and a couple more I Love Me arches for Titus and Augustus. It was hot, damn hot. Thank goodness those Roman fountains still work but walking around in that saps your your will do anything but lay there and pant. We were constantly refilling water bottles.
Walking to the Palatine Hill where the wealthy Romans and Senators had their homes, a little kitty cat who "left a gift" in the ruins, decided it wanted to make friends. We saw the house of Augustus (on the very top of the hill, of course!), the huts of the Romuleans and the Museo Palatino which had some cool classical art.
Rome is an interesting place. It owns its past and sells its present based on its past. The pagan old blends with the mystical new and they're forever intertwined. Historians like me blend with the religious pilgrims and they all come seeking truth.
After a well deserved nap, we walked around and found a small osteria with locals to eat. Boy Wonder had a seafood risotto that he loved. I had a four cheese fettucini that was pretty awesome.
Who knows what's in store for tomorrow?