Doing a Little Traveling

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Sunday, September 18, 2022

We woke up this morning to find that there was no hot water. It wasn’t a huge issue for us because we typically shower in the evenings. We let our host know. He said he’d come over in the morning and check it out.

The weather has finally broken! Instead of hot, humid, hazy, stagnant, sticky days with temperatures in the mid-80s we were delighted to see the temperatures drop into the mid-70s with clear skies and a cool breeze. It’s supposed to stay that way for the entire week. For us it’s delightful but for the Italians it’s rather cold. We’ve seen them wearing long pants, long sleeved shirts and jackets.

In the morning we headed up (and I do mean up) to the top of the Vomero Hill, one of the highest hills in Naples to see Certosa e Museo di San Martino. The building sits at the edge of the hill and enjoys panoramic views of the entire area. We joined a number of people along the embankment and took delight in the view and the breeze before heading in. The complex was founded in 1325 as a charter house for the Order of Carthusians by Charles of Anjou, Duke of Calabria, the son of Robert of Anjou. When Naples became a republic in 1799 the monks were forced to leave until 1804. By that time most of the monks in the order had left. With the reunification of Italy in 1867 it became a national monument. It contains an elaborate Baroque Church, a cloister and a museum. It is by far one of the largest religious complexes in Naples. Entry costs €6.00 per person. Credit cards are accepted. It might be the best bargain in the entire city.

The entryway to the church contains a number of beautiful frescos. Entering the church is a breathtaking experience. The building was constructed in the Gothic manner but the interior is decorated in the High Baroque style. Every square inch is adorned with frescos or inlaid marble. The many chapels running along the sides are outfitted with works of the finest craftsmanship. Each chapel typically has an elaborate marble altar flanked with sculptures. Above the altar are paintings depicting various saints. Along the walls you can find even more paintings and/or frescos. It was almost impossible to take it all in. Several chapels were outfitted with intricate wooden inlays. We were permitted to visit the back of the main altar. There we found gigantic paintings that were almost impossible to see from the front of the church including Guido Reni’s Adoration of the Shepherds from 1641. Even the passage ways were elaborately decorated. One hallway, that joined the church to the cloister, was designed in the exact style of Rome’s Sistine Chapel. We spent a lot time in these rooms trying to follow the stories or figure out the allegories. It was a lot of fun.

After exploring every inch of the church we walked outside to the cloister. It was a very large square that opened up to numerous doors that would have been monastic cells. It was a lovely place for quiet contemplation.

The museum was contained in a number of separate sections within the complex. Passage ways to/from each section often led to huge balconies that overlooked the city. We could easily see Vesuvius, Sorrento, Capri, Naples Harbor, and the city below. It was a priceless view.

The next section of the museum had a number of terracotta figures. Many had been damaged by earthquakes over the years. Another section contained numerous presipi (manger scenes). Some dated back as far as the Middle Ages. The paintings gallery was actually the weakest part of the exhibit. Most works were from the Renaissance period. Very few were by well known artists, many were in need of restoration, and most were lighted so poorly that they were hard to see. As we turned towards the exit we found another room with some modern works from the 19th and 20th Centuries.

If you ever go to Naples we strongly recommend that you visit the Certosa e Museo di San Martino. It will not disappoint.

Just outside the museum complex we found two shops that made fine quality cameos. One shop had more traditional designs and the other had more modern designs made out of many different colored materials. They were quite interesting and not ridiculously overpriced as you would expect.

Our next destination, Castel Sant’Elmo, was just steps away. We decided to fill our stomachs before entering. The only restaurants in sight were cafes serving coffee and pastries. We wanted food. We wound up walking down the hill for a few blocks until we found a piazza with several restaurants. We settled in for a lunch consisting of a pizza Margherita and a pizza fritte. We realized something interesting. The tomato sauces that we liked the best were always made with San Marzano tomatoes. They really do make a huge difference. They have a sweetness to them but also a little tang. They originated from San Marzano sul Sarno near Naples and trace their origin back to 1770. You can get that variety from most grocery stores in the USA but there is almost no chance that you’ll be eating ones that were grown near Naples, which are the very best.

We decided to try a tartufo for dessert. It’s an ice cream based dessert that originated in Calabria. The picture of the menu looked wonderful. What we got was a commercial, pre-made dessert. It was simply ok. It’s not the kind of thing most restaurants in Italy serve.

Entry to Castel Sant’Elmo was €5.00 per person. Credit cards are accepted. Oddly the name has nothing to do with Saint Elmo. The castle was built upon the site of a 10th Century church dedicated to “Sant’Erasmo”. Over time the name was shortened to Ermo and then Elmo. Most of the building was destroyed in the earthquake of 1456. The present castle got its unusual and controversial hexagonal shape, around the mid 16th Century. Many enhancements have been made over the subsequent years. It continued to be an official military post until 1976 when a restoration project was started. Today it is a major tourist attraction.

The castle is situated on top of the Vomero Hill and has a commanding view of the entire valley below. Using its long range cannon and unassailable vantage point the castle was able to coordinate coastal defenses with the seaside castles.

The lower portion of the seven story building is carved into the mountains tuff stone. The upper floors are constructed using blocks made from the same volcanic stone. We walked up a long ramp that leads to a bridge that crosses the now dry moat. Inside the rooms are very large with incredibly high ceilings. Long narrow slits were cut into the rock to provide cannon emplacements. Given that they are recessed there was very little chance that waring parties could hit them and knock them out of commission.

Aside from a few cannon there isn’t much to see inside the castle. It’s a just a very large empty shell. At various points the paths open to large balcony-like view points where you can enjoy magnificent views and fresh breezes. Once we got to the top we walked the entire parapet. It was fun trying to pick out all of the places we knew. At this level there was also a museum of 20-21st Century Modern Italian art. It was rather small and we went through it rather quickly because it was hot and there was no air conditioning.

The castle has the best views of just about anywhere in the city. It’s a fun little excursion.

On our way to the restaurant for lunch we noticed that there was a funicular stop nearby. There are several funicular lines in the city along with an extensive bus and metro system. We had intended to walk down the hill but decided it would be even more fun to ride. Getting tickets was a little challenging. We tried using the ticketing machine in Italian but couldn’t make it work. We admitted defeat and tried again in English. Still no success. Some kind person came over and gave us a hand. It turns out that there is an extra “confirm” button that needs to be pressed but the screen makes no mention of it.

The funicular reputedly affords great views of the city below. The trip from the top to the first station was through a tunnel before it finally opened up. Unfortunately for us we got off at the first stop. We’re determined to try it again and ride the whole way down just for fun.

By the time we got back we had hot water. Our host had visited the apartment and taken care of the problem. It’s not clear what the issue was.

Monday, September 19, 2022

Once again we woke up to find that there was no hot water. We messaged our host and he said he could come over with a plumber later this morning. We had a quick breakfast and walked down the hill towards the Don Carlo Opera House and bought two tickets to Herculaneum.

One of the first days we were in Town we checked out the opera house. Built in 1737 it is the oldest opera house in Europe. The 2022-2023 season started in September but from September until January they are only hosting concerts. The actual opera season doesn’t start until next year. We were VERY disappointed.

Herculaneum isn’t very far from Naples. The cheapest route is to take the train from the central station. Tickets are under $5.00 per person. The problem is that we wanted to get an early start and there is no convenient way to get to the train station. We could walk but that would take about 45 minutes. We could take a city bus to the train station but we’d still have to walk about 22 minutes to get that and a taxi to the train station would cost about $20.00 so we opted to take a private bus. They had convenient stops, ran on the hour, and would take us there and back in air conditioned comfort all for €20.00 per person.

The bus dropped us off on a street corner where there was a sign indicating which way to walk. So much for door to door service. It was just a five minute walk but it seemed longer because we didn’t know how far we’d be going. Tickets for Pompei and Herculaneum are €23.00 per person per site. You can get a combination ticket for both sites for €20.00 per person but it turns out you can’t buy that on site. Damn! We’d been to Pompei in 2016 and have every intention of going back but since we’d never been to Herculaneum before we figured we’d go there first. The site looked smaller than we expected. Herculaneum was a much smaller city than Pompei but it’s reputed to be in better condition. We picked up a free booklet in the welcome center and were on our way.

Herculaneum has a similar story to Pompei. It was destroyed in 79 AD when Vesuvius erupted. In just minutes the entire city was covered in ash and pumice thus preserving it virtually intact. You often hear that the town was rediscovered in 1709 when a local was trying to drill a well but the fact is that it was known about before that. Entry was gained through tunnels that were dug into the mound and some of the houses were looted. Excavations started in 1738 and have been continuing, on and off, since.

In ancient times Herculaneum was a town of about 5,000 people. It was said to be smaller and wealthier than Pompei; it was a popular seaside resort for Roman elite. Today it is about half a mile from the shoreline mostly due to material being ejected from the volcano. The town was buried in over 65 feet of ash.

To enter the excavation you have to walk down quite a ways. You cross a bridge, which corresponds to the ancient shoreline, and enter the city. Along the old waterfront you can see warehouses and boat storage lockers. The city was arranged in a set of east-west streets crisscrossing with north-south streets as was typical for ancient Roman cities.

There are a number of larger houses near the shoreline where the wealthier people lived. These houses were larger and had colonnaded gardens/courtyards surrounded by statuary. Along the road there were several “diners” where you could still see countertops with large tureens which would have been filled with various dishes. It was common practice to eat lunch at a restaurant every day.

All of the houses were richly decorated with statuary and marble. All of the walls, even in the poorest houses, were fresco’ed from floor to ceiling. Towards the back of the excavation was a large, colonnaded space used as a sports complex with large shrines to various gods. Nearby was a system of tunnels used as a fish hatchery.

Some of the houses had large frescos still on the walls but for the most part the best examples have been removed and are on display in museums. Very few actual artifacts are on display in the city.

The excavation also includes a museum. It is rather small and contains a number of interesting artifacts found on site including frescos, jewelry and statuary. Another building displayed an ancient boat that had been preserved along with fishing tackle and boating accoutrements.

We got back to the bus pickup point about 20 minutes early. The bus was 40 minutes late. We were told that there was a mechanical problem and that they would be using a spare bus. Not only wasn’t the air conditioner working but it felt like they had turned on the heat. During the ride back the driver drove like a maniac (re: like a typical Neapolitan) in order to try and make up some time. It was a rather unpleasant drive.

We had dinner at one of the many area restaurants before returning to our apartment. We got back around 4:30 pm and checked the hot water. It was working just fine. Our host had texted during the day and said he’d be there around 5:00 pm (so much for taking care of it early in the day). We told him the hot water was working and that he didn’t need to come over. We expect that this will be normal for the rest of our stay. We pity the next people to stay here.