Paestum

Paestum is an often overlooked archaeological site in the southern Amalfi Coast. To say it's breathtaking isn't an overstatement. Paestum is located just south of Salerno.  The Greek temples are so massive, and in such good condition, it's staggering to know how old they are and that they're still standing. It's proof of the architectural genius of the Greeks. It's such a beautiful setting, as well, with a backdrop of mountains and fields and trees surrounding the ruins.  It is made up of 10 hectares of land that houses 3 temples and remnants of a city.

We visited the museum they have onsite and the boys were very interested in the primitive tools on display. The museum ran video to show you how the tools would have been constructed and then the actual artifact on display.

The Greeks founded the place in 6^th century BC and called it Poseidonia and then later changed it to Paestum.

We walked through the ruins which don’t have any real restricted areas.  At a glance, the houses look like rubble, with just the outline of the foundations showing, but upon closer look, you will see intricate mosaic tile floorings in many of the houses, and you can really get a feel that people lived there that took pride in the aesthetics of their homes.

Paestum boasts three of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples anywhere, including Greece itself (or Turkey, for that matter). The temples of Ceres (more properly, Athena), Poseidon, and Hera are all Doric in style and in remarkably good shape. In addition, Paestum also has remnants of the Roman settlement, including a well-preserved main road (no one built roads like the Romans). 


We came back home for dinner and were joined by the family from Wales for a few nightcaps while the boys played together. The boys said their goodbyes and exchanged email addresses.


Next stop, ROMA !

Naples

Discovered in a Villa in the ruins of Pompeii

We thought that we should build on the boys' interest of Pompeii  by visiting the Museo Arch Nazionale of Naples.  In 1800, the king of Naples decided to fund the excavation of Pompeii and in return, he insisted that the loot (treasures in antiquity) be removed from Pompeii and shipped to Naples to be housed at the Museo.

Not sure if his intentions were as perfect as the result but the Museo is housed with 1,000s, literally 1,000s, of masterpieces dating from the period surrounding the building and ultimate death of the city of Pompeii - approximately 400BC to 79AD. 

You can reference our earlier Pompeii blog for more specifics on 'how' many treasures did not disintegrate during the eruption.  


The drive to Naples (or nipples as the boys liked to call it.  And when I reference boys, I almost always include Calvin) was 111 kms from where we were staying.  This distance can take anywhere from 1-3
hours in Italy, depending on the traffic and road construction.  Italy’s road planning and construction is difficult to understand.  We have been on four lane highways where we see a car every 10-15 minutes and we have been on two way streets connecting cities 100kms apart with cars lined up bumper to  bumper the entire way. Our trek involved the latter and it took a full two hours to get to Naples. Now most 'bad' things and some 'good' things in Southern Italy are blamed on the Mafia - I'm not sayin' I know  for sure, but I'm guessing the four lane highways to nowhere connect the  'connected' and the two way streets to major centers are not four lane highways due to some level of resistance to our friends in Sicily.

 If the major road ways are difficult to comprehend, you should try driving in downtown Naples (actually, you should NEVER try driving in downtown Naples). Calvin has driven in a lot of large, congested cities in the world but nothing compared to our day in Naples.  There are no lines on the roads which should serve as the first indicator of impending chaos.  As many cars as could fit within the two curbs jousted for position as we drove into the city Centro.  Horns are used with such frequency that they are rendered useless and only a few tourists seem to react.  The car shakes constantly as if you are driving in a blender with 1,000 year old cobble stone streets for roads.  You need to manoeuvre around tire shredding potholes.  There are almost no parks in Naples, and with a few million residents, it has the highest population density in all of Europe.  Vespa’s’ filled with entire families dodge in and out of free spaces as they form between vehicles like water filling crevices in the roadways.  We watched a couple on a Vespa with their two children negotiate their way forward with perfect precision. The dad drove with the baby on his lap while chatting on his cell phone and the youngest (approximately 5) sat between dad and mom while mom carried his tricycle on the very back of the Vespa. 
 
We finally found a parking spot and had to cross two streets to get to the Museo but it was more than worth it.  There were coins,  necklaces, bracelets, rings, frescos cut from walls of mansions, statues from parks and wealthy homes, 50 years of  records and contracts (actually wax documents) used to track the business of  the local banker included legal agreements, rental agreements, loans,  etc..  We have been taught that the renaissance painters introduced us to perspective in their works of art but the artists of the first century BC used perspective in their mosaics, paintings and sculptures nearly 1,400 years prior.  Not only was the city of Pompeii relatively intact but you could rebuild the lifestyle of a local Pompeian from the items recovered.  We know how much the average person made each year, saved each year and how much things cost.  Records show us how much it cost for a loaf of bread, a tunic, the cleaning of a tunic, treats at the local fast food joint where you could get ice cream, an afternoon at  the gym and sauna afterwards as well as an hour at your favourite  brothel.  If we had brought a tote bag we could have taken some of the treasures home with us.


Most of the stuff was not bolted to the walls but hung freely for all to touch (which we didn't) or pocket (which we didn't).  There were security guards everywhere but most could not make the run from one side of a room to another without an oxygen tank and almost all were focused on their crossword puzzles.  Seriously, every security guard we saw was completing a crossword puzzle - perhaps they handed them out at the beginning of the day and there was some bonus associated with the most complete or correct.  We did note that most security guards were one shave away from a Tony Soprano look alike. We spent a few hours wandering around this Museo admiring the work of artist's creations from over 2,000 years ago - Uffizi and the Louvre have nothing compared to this. 

When it was time to leave the Museo, we had to tiptoe our way through a group of protestors.  Not sure what they were protesting.  There were 30+ Museo patrons gathered near the exit awaiting the removal of the protestors but the security guards never appeared (no surprise to us).  

Hunger is a great motivator so Calvin picked up Devin and started to tip toe his way through the protestors  Aidan, Noah and I followed to the heckling of the crowd which we didn't understand anyway but I did recognize a few swear words from my childhood  playing with the Italian kids on the streets of Toronto.

We were hungry and were planning to trek to the world's first ever pizza restaurant for lunch.  Yes, pizza started in Naples and the restaurant credited with starting it all is Antica Pizzeria del Michele. In June 1889, to honour the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, the Neapolitan chef Raffaele Esposito created the "Pizza Margherita," a pizza garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, to represent the colors of the Italian flag. He was the first to add cheese.  The sequence through which flavored flatbreads of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean became the dish popularized in the 20th century is not fully understood.

We highly recommend this Museo but only after you have visited Pompeii so you can better appreciate where these works of arts resided prior to the Museo and how fortunate we are to be able to view them.

We did go to the "first Pizzeria” and once we realized we needed a number, we stood in line for about 40 minutes before being seated.  A simple Margherita pizza (that was delicious by the way) at a modest restaurant at a modest price was a great ending to our day in Naples.  If Pizza was not born here, it was perfected here.  

 As we have mentioned, Italy is an interesting place and Naples might win the award for the 'Most Italian' city we have visited.  There is not a lot of tourism here and unless some things change, there will likely not be more in the near future. Find a tourist bus or metro, take it into the city, visit the Museo and a nearby pizza joint and get the hell out of there.

It took us 30 minutes to navigate through 2 kms of streets to get to the highway.  We made our way to the top of Mount Vesuvius for an incredible sunset.  It was just us, a couple from Germany and the usual pack of stray dogs admiring a tremendous sunset (the dogs came up to us, sat at our feet and watched the sunset with us – most refined) and view of the valley below.  In the east, a storm cloud built and we could see a lightning storm in the distance after the sun had set in the west.  Another great ending to a crazy but wonderful day.   
 

Day trip to the Amalfi Coast

 

The closest port to us is back in Salerno, which was a one hour drive north of us.   When we stayed at the Novotel in Salerno, I had overheard the front desk agent, Gianluigi , telling one of the other guests about a boat trip along the Amalfi coast.  We decided to go back and see if he was working, even though we had checked out a week before. When I approached the front desk, Gianluigi greeted me with, “Mrs. MacInnis, so nice to see you again”.  Impressed is an understatement, I was shocked. Anyway he was incredibly helpful in getting us sorted out for a boat trip to the town of Amalfi and then Postiano.

The only problem was the boat left in 10 minutes or we had to wait for the next one, three hours later. We drove to the port, found a parking spot and hoofed it to the boat. One of the older men sitting on his boat in the marina saw us running and yelled something to us in Italian. I think it was “Run faster you fools!”

We made it with all of the other passengers waiting and staring at us. The boat trip lasted 30 minutes to Amalfi and then a further 40 minutes to Postiano. The trip was beautiful and one that I have wanted to see since we arrived in Southern Italy.  

The towns up on the side of the hills roll down to cliffs that drop off into the Mediterranean. We disembarked in Postiano and walked around the town for a couple of hours exploring the very expensive shops and art galleries. Postiano makes some amazing Lemoncello and grows massive fragrant lemons.

We had some frozen lemonade and we all agreed it was the best we’ve ever had. Sweet and tart and refreshing…I think I should do a commercial for them.  I found a shop that was having a big sale on all their white cotton clothing and picked up a pretty dress for next to nothing.  We hopped back on the boat, sat at the front and sailed back with the sun on our faces. 

Dinner that night was in a small restaurant called DaNello’s. The owner took care of us and we had a great dinner of pasta carbonara, grilled prawns, and veal scallopine. We have been cooking most of our meals so this was a great treat. Of course we had to have gelato at the local gelateria and lemon is still my favourite.

11 days in Santa Maria Castellabate

Our new place was a 1 hour drive south of Salerno. Santa Maria Castellabate (SMC) is in a mountainous and remote area with a quiet coastline. The town itself is quite small and runs along the coast. Not a lot of tourists but the ones we did meet were all from Great Britain. We are staying in a 2 bedroom apartment up on a hill with another great view of the Mediterranean (a prerequisite).

There are about 12 apartments in this complex that share a large swimming pool but only a few were occupied in September.   We are starting to enjoy the peacefulness of the price reduced mid / low season.  This place is cheap enough for us to eat out at restaurants more…..who doesn’t love that, especially when the food in Italy is awesome and there is no dishwasher in our apartment.  It’s only a 15 minute hike to town so we plan to go as often as possible.  

One of the other families on holidays was from Wales.  Lisa, Graham, Nathan - 10 and Josh - 7.  The five boys became quick friends as kids do, and spent many hours in the pool together or playing ping pong.

Calvin and I enjoyed many long talks in the pool with Lisa and Graham discussing each of our countries economics, beer choices, leadership, laws (he’s a solicitor – sounds more exquisite when he says it). 


We ate every meal on the terrace and the weather was heavenly. On our first night we were caught off guard by fire floating through the sky.  Of course, it wasn’t floating fire but there were many paper lanterns floating in the night sky at our eye level, just above the town below.  

We discovered the following day that according to Christian tradition, on September 8 of an unknown year somewhere near Nazareth the Virgin Mary was born and over the centuries, the farmers would come into town to celebrate her birth. 

In order to arrive to the religious services on time, many started their journey before the break of dawn. The farmers needed lanterns and these were often carried at the end of stick, candles protected by a frame made of thin cloth. That tradition continues today so that on the eve of the 8th (yes, we are over 1 month behind in our blogging) of September, "pilgrims" carry paper lanterns at the end of a stick as they make their way through the streets of various towns in Italy (Italians love to have festivals).  After a brief speech by the local Priest in the square, the lanterns are released into the heavens and then there’s a big party in the square (Italians love to party).  What a beautiful ending to our first night.

We all agreed that since Devin and I were so lucky to enjoy our birthdays in Europe (Devin will turn 7 in Paris, poor guy), we would grant Aidan, Calvin and Noah a European birthday while we are away. Aidan’s 9 ¾ birthday in September, Calvin’s 44 ¾ birthday in October and Noah’s 12 ¾ birthday in November. So for Aidan’s “birthday” we decided to test our new cooking skills and make fresh pasta in a Bolognese sauce and tiramisu.  


Noah wanted it to be a surprise for Aidan so he and Devin set up a movie on the laptop in one of the bedrooms and the three of them went to watch.  After about 15 minutes of movie time, Noah and Devin began excusing themselves every 10 minutes to come out and help me make the meal.  Somehow, Aidan missed the frequent and lengthy departures and was completely surprised by his homemade birthday surprise. 


Devin wasn’t as crazy about the coffee flavour in the Tiramisu in Florence so we decided to soak the lady fingers in orange juice instead. Other than that we made it exactly like Chef Giovanni showed us and it turned out great.


The pasta was a different story… right off the bat our eggs started running all over the counter and the dough was a little too tough so once we cooked the pasta it turned out more like gnocchi. The Bolognese sauce was great and the tiramisu better than Chef’s, according to the MacInnis boys. Aidan had a great 9 ¾ birthday.
Lightning Storms and Power Failures!

In the middle of the night Devin felt his way along the walls to our room in total blackness. The power had gone out and you couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face. Calvin and I couldn’t get back to sleep so we decided to go out on the terrace and sit in the complete dark. The stars were so bright and the whole town below us was out of power as well. We could see the police cars patrolling around and the odd light from a car approaching the town.

Aidan woke up at about :00and joined us on the patio.  Noah could hear us talking and made his way out at about 3:30am so the 4 of us sat in complete darkness and enjoyed the quiet night. The next night the lightning storm started at about the same time of night and this time Noah and Calvin went up to the parked car to get a better view of the flashes across the sky over the sea. At about 5am the storm was right over top of us and the loud clashes of thunder were almost deafening and the rooms lit up with the flashing lightning.


This storm lasted for about 5 more hours and it was a good one. Hard rain beating against the shudders reminded me of good ole Vancouver. In rained all day so we used it to our advantage and made some good advances in schoolwork. By dinner time the rain had stopped but it was cold so we ate in and then pulled out our hoodies from the backpacks and headed down to the town to watch the waves and next storm brewing over the horizon. You would not have wanted to be out on a boat in those waves but it was very intense and powerful so we stayed for a bit to take some pictures.

Road to Pompeii

The road to Pompeii from Fucecchio took 5 hours and that included many road stops. Our plan was to find accommodations for the next couple of nights near or at Pompeii and then move on to our next booked accommodation on the coast in southern Italy.  We arrived on the Amalfi Coast during rush hour and it was hectic. We drove around for quite a while looking for a place to stay for the 2 nights and it proved quite difficult.  We first drove near Pompeii and it was scary.   It’s not like there were scary looking dudes around, it was just the setting….the sky was grey and the sun had just set but you could see the garbage everywhere….and I mean everywhere.   Along the side of the road.  On the road.  On lawns or reasonable facisimile for lawns.  On the playgrounds.  There were abandoned cars on vacant lots.  Garbage cans overflowed with chairs, plastic bags, diapers…you name it.   OK, enough about the garbage ….but you really are not prepared for how nasty it looks.   We discovered later from some of the locals that the Mafia (Sicilian Mafia that is…like in the Godfather) was not too impressed with the recent elections and specifically the mayor of Naples who was not responding as expected to Mafia pressure.  The garbage collection and most unions are controlled by the Mafia so they turned off garbage collection.

Most hotels were booked and others were really expensive for a tiny room.  At 10 pm we finally settled on Novotel in Salerno and it turned out to be great. Modern rooms, great swimming pool, decent size room for all of us and a nice Italian buffet for breakfast. We crashed almost immediately, until the fireworks outside woke us at midnight. We never found out what the occasion was but they were pretty.

Pompeii is somewhere both Calvin and I have always wanted to go and so we decided to hire a personal tour guide to really immerse ourselves in the history of Pompeii. Her name was Mema and she turned out to be very passionate about the ruins and was eager to share it with us.

A little history, if you are interested…Pompeii was inhabited by the Romans and in 62 AD it suffered an earthquake that damaged many buildings. They started to rebuild after the earthquake which was a prelude to the tragic day in 79 AD when Vesuvius erupted and buried the town in 20ft of pumice and ash. Over 2000 people died and the town was preserved, quite intact and petrified in time... until 1748 when some excavating began. Paintings, mosaics, carbonized loaves of bread, and a whole city of buildings survived.  This a picture of one of the four wood ovens in one of the dozen bakeries around the city.   Much of the city is still being excavated but I was shocked at how large it was. 

We saw bath houses with ancient lockers and steam rooms, a “fast food” shop with circles cut out of the counter to keep the food chilled, cross walks across the roads to keep your feet clean from the animal mess on the road, speed bumps down two lane streets to slow chariots (you could actually see the grooves from the chariot wheels) and a brothel complete with graphic frescoes on the walls.

There were also several bodies on display still in the same position they died in. The archaeologists used the hollow cavities in the pumice as moulds and then filled them with cement to make the displays. There were water fountains at all major intersections. 

The water fountains came in different shapes and sizes and with different figures representing the neighbourhood and used as the means to identify a location as the streets had no names.   This must have been an archaeologist’s dream to be involved with this project. Mema’s favourite line was “we (pause for affect) invented everything. Do you see these grooves in the door ways of these buildings?  These are the pocket doors for local shops – we invented pocket doors… we… .pause…invented everything”.  

You have heard of ice cream, well, the locals would trek to the top of Vesuvius to get some snow and after layering it continually with straw, the ice would last for weeks, we made refrigeration…. “we…..invented everything”. 

Do you people have air conditioning in Canada? Well, you can see from this building that it had two walls with a hollow center where cold air was pumped into the spaces to flow into the interior of the home, we made air conditioning.  “we…invented everything”.  I am pretty sure they stole that one from the Greeks but the Italians are definitely great builders. 

The mosaic on the left was uncovered at the entry to a large villa in central Pompeii.  It's of a large dog and the inscription, in latin, read: "Beware of Dog".  Not sure if Mema went with "we....invented dogs" or "we....invented home security" but I know it ended with "we...invented everything".  She was so awesome.  She took us to all the main sites when you could spend days wandernig the streets if left to yourself to roam.  Her passion was infectious and we felt as if we were Pompeian as she said ciao to us.  

For four hours it was if we had turned back time walking the streets of this large city nestled beside the sea under the shadow of great Mount Vesuvius.  It became a shrine to all that was Roman. 

We finished up at the amphitheatre.  There were a few theatres but the amphitheatre was most impressive.  It was reasonably intact after the excavation but the locals pillaged the materials for building their houses.   It was a long day in the hot sun but it was an amazing experience.  This was on our bucket list for a reason and it significantly exceeded our expectations - it is incredible how advanced ‘we’ were 2,000 years ago and you are left to wonder how far we really have come. 

We went back to the hotel to rest before going out in Salerno for dinner. Salerno is a big busy port that was demolished during WWII and has not been brought back to the glory days since but it is young (very young) and vibrant.  We had a great dinner in an Italian restaurant where there was not an English word to be heard.