The days in between

Believe it or not, we did take some time to relax, despite the multitude of things to see and places to go in the area. We tried for some 'down time' every other day and on those days we relaxed at our apartment, on the balconies, or took walks up to Parco Virgiliano near our place, or down to the beach at the end of our road. If in the city, we couldn't help but pop into any church with an open door, since usually, behind those doors, we were treated to amazing duomos, frescoes, lavish paintings and marble carvings.

Up the hill to the Monastery

On a whim, after looking at the Certosa di San Martino Monastery looming over us from Piazza Plebiscito, we decided to take the funiculare up to the Vomero neighborhood to check it out. The monastery is said to 'command the most perfect location in the entire city' from a view perspective, which attests to the wealth and power the monks once enjoyed. I read that the monks, in the 17th & 18th centuries, commissioned the greatest artists of the time to embellish the church and chambers and there is now at least one work done by each famous artist of that age. We were blown away by the church and we sat on the benches taking in the views of Naples and the Bay for a long time before finally heading home hoping to get ahead of a looming dark rain cloud. On our way home, we hopped off the bus in Piazza Vanvitelli for a great lunch of burgers, homemade chips, and salad at one of my favorite English pubs, before bussing it back home to Posillipo for a relaxing night on the balcony. From one of the terraces of the monastery I took a picture showing our neighborhood of Posillipo nestled along the bay, as well as a 'bird's eye view' of Piazza Plebiscito and then the main downtown of Naples...just try to count all the church domes..amazing!

Rome in a Day

We drove the 2 hours up to Rome and opted for an on-off bus tour which allowed us to see all the key sites and get on and off at our leisure to explore more areas on foot. We had lunch in Piazza Navona, my favorite, and from there walked to the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon where we were taken back by the beauty of the sculptures and the architectural skills of the ancient Romans. We walked the perimeter of the Collosseaum..not wanting to wait in the huge lines to get in, and indulged, as usual, in a few scoops of gelato before hopping back in the car for our journey home. My parents just 'couldn't take it all in' since every where you look there seems to be a sculpture, monument, gorgeous piazza or enormous structure to look at. We'll be spending some more time in Rome before they leave, and they'll be sure to go back again to experience even more of Rome during a future visit to Italy.

Rainy day in Amalfi

Being quite comfortable at our apartment, we kept putting off a drive to the Amalfi coast, and then the day we chose, we ended up getting rainy and foggy weather. This bad weather took away some of the awe of the Amalfi Coast views, but we still had a fun day as we drove over the mountain into the town of Amalfi where we toured the Amalfi Duomo/Cathedral, shopped amongst the ceramic shops where I finally bought my olio and aceto set (Oil and Vinegar), stopped for espressos and pastries--indulging in our usual chocolate filled cornettos and cream filled pastries, and then headed back home along the switchbacks, made treacherous not only by the rain but by the abundance of huge tour busses trying their luck around the 90 degree turns at the same time we were..mamma mia..thank God Josh is so comfortable behind the wheel!

7th century BC Paestum

3 intact Greek Temples sit just about an hour and 45 minutes from our apartment, and wow, are they impressive. Some friends have said that if we've been to Paestum we can knock the Acropolis in Athens off our list, since in their opinion, the Paestum temples of Hera & Zeus, Neptune and Ceres are just as impressive.

Boat to Capri

After staring across the Bay of Naples at Capri from our apartment, we decided to take the boat over to check out "Glamourous Capri", the island which since the 1960s has brought the international jet-setters and hollywood film stars to it's shores. The boat ride is a quick hour cruise from Naples' 'port' road which we ended up having to bus and walk to after Josh dropped us off at one ferry dock that I thought had Capri boats, but come to find out, it didn't. So, we got to the correct dock in time for the 9:10am boat, and docked at Capri with plenty of time for a full day of relaxation and exploration in the sun--people watching, gelato eating, window shopping, and taking various modes of transportation--from the funiculare up the cliff amongst the lemon trees, to the great wooden motor boat ride around the island to the Blue Grotto. We had 3 pit stops all in all...one for espressos and pastires in the morning at Marina Grande along the seaside coast of the island where the ferry landed, then up the funicular to for lunch and walks through Monte Solaro and Capri Town where you can take in amazing views of gardens, lemon tree groves and the sea--littered with yachts from all over, and then back down to Marina Grande for our gelatos before hopping on our motor boat ride to the Blue Grotto. The boat ride was a perfect excursion..just enough wind to keep us cool, and exceptional views of the island from the water perspective. Blue Grotto is 100% overrated in my opinion and not even worth the 15 or so Euro I paid for a 5 minute row boat ride into the grotto, but at least I can check it off my list as far as 'must see' attractions, although in my opinion, just look at the picture of it on a postcard as there isn't much to glimpse inside. Capri was a fun day trip and it was great to get back home and look across the bay at where we had just been and reminisce on the good time we had over there.

Duomo and Botanical Gardens

My friend Stephanie served as a great tour guide taking us to The Duomo in Naples and the Botanical Gardens, which are by appointment only, so we felt special being able to go there and picnic on great sandwiches that we had picked up at the Salumeria outside the gates. We explored the sites with Stephanie, Brandy and Adrienne, taking out time absorbing the amazing marble-work and frescos at the Duomo and neighboring churches and chapels, and than meandering through the serenity of the Botanical Gardens. All in all a great day taking in the sites, while my folks got to also experience what it is like navigating the Napoli metro system with a stroller. This city isn't big on elevators and ramps, so lugging the stroller up and down staircases of stations, and of the busses and trains themselves becomes part of the overall 'living in Napoli' experience. The extra hands of my parents made all the difference!

Old vs. New

It's amazing to drive 1/2 an hour from our apartment and be delivered into the ancient world of Pompeii. We had a fabulous day exploring Pompeii, walking the ancient cobblestone streets, viewing temples dedicated to different Gods worshipped 2thousand years ago, drifting through the Forums imagining how the residents would go there to do their shopping amongst the market stalls and engage in various civic, religious and political activities, taking in the amazing residences covered in frescoes and mosaics, and enjoying the many gardens scattered throughout the city. The most moving part was viewing the plaster casts of the bodies that had been made when archaeologists poured plaster into cavities that were left when the remains of Pompeii citizens who died when Vesuvius erupted had disintegrated into the earth, leaving air cavities that could be filled to make exact casts of how the people were when they were suddenly overcome by the forces of the volcano. I found the plaster cast of the pregnant woman laying on her belly, and the casts of what looked like a couple and their children to be some of the saddest ones to look at. There was even a cast of an unfortunate dog, curled up in an awkward position, obviously suffering from the heat or ash of the volcano.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera this day. I had been to Pompeii before and had thought I'd be dropping my parents off for a day in Pompeii themselves, but last minute, I decided to join them, and was glad I did. Being 'stroller-less' since Josh was watching Evan, gave us the opportunity to explore a lot more of Pompeii's uneven, un-stroller-friendly streets, so it was a whole new tour this second time around. When we initially got there, I also thought it was cool to be having coffee in an Autogrill restaurant that they built right on the ancient grounds. So..here we were walking out of the Forum, dating from 79 AD, to round the corner to be in a modern cafe where we could order our cappuccinos, americanos and pastries--such a juxtaposition between the ancient and modern worlds.

We explored Pompeii for about 3+ hours then got our well-earned gelatos on the way out before heading home to relax. What a great day!