more Sorrento

Sorrento is a pretty little town, and very popular with tourists. This scene is not too far out of date. They do raise lots of lemons, and support the trees with a framework like the one shown. They make a liquor called Limonocella, made with lemon juice, alcohol, and sugar. Pretty tasty.

Every town has squares and plazas, not all so green as this, but they're the centers of commerce.

This square is completely surrounded by a former monastery, now a music academy

One of the students about to give a vocal performance. He was good. Note the cigarette....maybe he's developing a raspy voice for the blues.

Doing local folk dances

People of southern Italy are very religious, and superstitious, they tell me.

The fishing port

The fishing boats

Mending nets

Reinforcing the keel

One fellow told me Sorrento is not volcanic. That may be, but this popular local building stone tells a story: Those dark blotches are bombs of pumice, embedded in solidified volcanic ash. Maybe they brought it from somewhere else.

Napoli

Naples, or Napoli as the Italians say it, was founded by Greeks over 2500 years ago. They called it Neopolis, New City. Today it's a gritty but bustling place, not so overrun with tourists as Rome.

Napoli. Birthplace of pizza!

Plenty of grafitti, all right. But what's that?

They prefer gigantic doors and windows:

Here's a hoot: you can buy toilet paper emblazoned with your (least) favorite politician!

Museum of Archaeology

Many of the antiquities of Rome were lost to plunderer between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance. In the mid 1500s the Farnese family owned fields and vineyards around the Palatine hill, once covered with Roman palaces.

They began excavating a certain area for garden decorations, which turned out to hold many treasures: it had been the Baths of Caracalla. Over the years the politically-powerful Farnese family enlarged their collection, which eventually was mostly moved to Napoli, now housed in the Museum of Archaeology. It's really kind of mind-blowing.

This is Hadrian (conquered England)

Julius Ceasar

Aphrodite

Hercules after a tough job

Pompeii
Another fabulous group of antiquities in the Museum of Archaeology in Napoli comes from the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were quickly buried in ash from the exploding volcano Vesuvius.

The artistry and technical sophistication of the artifacts is astounding. It's fair to say the Romans in AD79 were on a par with Europeans 1500 years later, which demonstrates that knowledge and technology can both progress and regress over long periods of time.

Greek writings which otherwise would never have been known were recovered from papyrus rolls which had been buried and incinerated, using a clever technique devised by an Italian doctor in the 19th century.

This is a mosaic, with shards of ceramic so small it's like a painting. There are lots of these.

Look at that bronze valve. Some of these other things are complex locks and keys

Surgical instruments

I guess you recognize this stuff

Lemonade, anyone?

Is this a chemistry set?

Now for the home decoration dept.

Kind of makes you feel they were pretty modern, doesn't it?

Rome

Much of the time Rome looks like swarms of tourists, but a look beyond reveals a lot of interesting scenes, and characters.

I supported the local arts by giving this fellow €0.50. He was pleased.

I think I found the Jewish Quarter.

Note how these blocks are tapered. They will be hammered in until they're tight and even.

Street cafes are everywhere

This artist was intent

Here's what he was painting. These guys were playing jazz standards, and they were good. Sax is a lead instrument. (Hear that, Philip?)

No water shortage in Rome, apparently. these things just run. They're sure welcome when you're thirsty!

Historically, and to this day, many citizens in Rome have gotten their water from public fountains just like this. Good water was brought from distant sources by aquaducts built at enormous public expense.

It was infrastructure, roads, water supplies and sewers (and of course, armies) which enabled Rome to become a colossus. Public investments, greater than ever in history.

Friendly conversation.

Scenes like this make Rome, and other places in Italy, charming. The people are warm and gregarious. They kiss each other on both cheeks in greeting.

Sorrento...catching up.

It's been a difficult to keep up with posting lately, internet access has been spotty, and I was not feeling well. I'm now in Sorrento, south of Naples, at a beautiful campsite overlooking Naples Bay with Mt Vesuvius looming in the background. Let me relate how I got here:

May 1, Labor Day for Europe and my last day in Barcelona for awhile, I became very ill. I managed to get to the airport by tram where, thanks to having camping gear, I was able to sleep in a corner. Felt almost normal by takeoff at 6AM.
(Note: Ryanair could learn a thing or two from Southwest Airlines about how to enhance the 'customer experience'. Enough said.)
This shot was taken from the floor of the Barcelona Airport

Rome is chaotic, confusing, dirty, ancient, chic, charming and delightful by turns. It's also expensive, and full of tourists. Still, it's not hard to find amazing sights, especially inside basilicas, which are not overrun, despite being free. They are filled with amazing artwork.

These photos are from Santa Maria del Popolo, at the Flaminio gate through the third-century Aurelian city walls.

Reminder of mortality

On a lighter note, It pays to find a nice little Trattoria frequented by locals for some tasty dishes. This place was great, and not expensive.

After walking to exhaustion for a couple of days I took the train south to Naples, thence by tram to Sorrento.

Sorrento is the Malibu for Naples (and for Germans too, apparently) full of boutiques and beautiful vistas.

The ancient city of Ponpei, buried by Vesuvius' eruption, is a few tram stops away, though many of the antiquities have been removed to the Archaeological Museum in Naples, which I plan to visit.

This is looking across at Vesuvius tonight

Looking towards Sorrento

On Sundays they restrict a section of the main street to pedestrians only, and people flood into the road.