From Sicily to Sorrento
On Sunday, we left our hotel to go to the archaeology museum in Siracusa (Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi). We were able to spend an hour in the museum on a guided tour, seeing artifacts such as the Venus Anadyomene. Afterwards, we boarded the bus bound for Taormina. Taormina is an interesting town, and is divided into two sections: one on sea level and one up a mountain. We stayed on the mountain, and we therefore needed to take our essential baggage into a funicular to the top of the mountain and walk with it to our hotel. The remainder of our things remained on the bus for the day, since we only spent one night in Taormina. After we located the hotel, we had the chance to explore the town of Taormina and enjoy its beautiful beach. We ventured to the nearby island Isola Bella, which you can walk to from Taormina through an area of very shallow water. In the evening, a group of us students held a picnic dinner on the balcony of the hotel, overlooking the town, the sea, and the amazingly beautiful Mt. Etna, an active volcano. The picnic was followed by the World Cup finals – Netherlands vs. Spain. We were able to watch the game from a special TV on the balcony of the hotel, and we cheered Spain to victory. This was sadly our last full day spent in Sicily.
Taormina At Night
On Monday, we took our luggage back down the funicular and boarded the bus out of Taormina. Our next destination in Sicily was the same as our first: Palermo. Along the way we made two stops, the first at the Strait of Messina. This strait is famous both in mythology and throughout history for it is the body of water that separates Sicily from mainland Italy, and one can see the other across the strait. In mythology, it is guarded by monster Scylla and whirlpool Charybdis. After the Strait of Messina, we drove to the town of Cefalù. Cefalù is a relatively small town, and we were able to have lunch and explore the town before finishing our journey back to Palermo. Arriving back at Palermo was surreal, for we knew we had therefore concluded a trip around the entire island of Sicily. Once in Palermo, we boarded a boat bound for Naples, which we were to spend the night on. The boat was beautiful, and we stayed in a cabin with bunk beds. I said my final farewells to Sicily as the boat pulled away from Palermo. Sicily is a beautiful island, and I will miss it during the next stage of our journey through southern Italy.
Alleyway in Cefalù
On Tuesday, the boat arrived in the Port of Naples. From there, we took a bus to the nearby city of Sorrento, where we would be spending the next week. This was a free day given to us so that we could familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area. A few of us ventured to the nearby outdoor market to both buy souvenirs and get a feel for the culture of the area. Unlike in Sicily, almost all of the natives in the area speak English, and we encountered more American tourists in a few hours than we did in our entire week in Sicily. Unfortunately, as in Taormina, there is no Internet available in the hotel. I have high expectations for this section of the class, as we soon will be visiting the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which we passed on the bus from Naples to Sorrento in the morning. I have always been fascinated with the site of Pompeii, and sighting Mt. Vesuvius on the bus was an incredible experience.
Capri
On Wednesday, our group took a day trip to the island of Capri. Capri is stunningly gorgeous, with beautiful beaches and amazingly clear, blue water. The town is absolutely incredible, as it is filled with tourist attractions, magnificent scenery, and an interesting historical background. I was able to take a boat tour around the perimeter of the island and see the natural rock formations that surround Capri. I have an interest in rocks and minerals, so I found it interesting when the tour guide explained that the island is made of limestone. There are famous caves, or grottos around the island, and the boat tour took us to the entrance of the Green, White, and the famous Blue Grotto (Grota Azzurra).
On Thursday, the class took a bus to Naples (Napoli) to see the Naples National Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli). The exhibits were breathtaking, and the ones we focused on had a heavy emphasis placed on mosaics from towns surrounding Mt. Vesuvius, including Pompeii and Herculaneum. Our guide in the museum explained to us the different styles of art used by the people in Pompeii, of which there were four before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The artwork, both in the mosaics and the statues we saw in the Farnese Gallery afterword, was fantastic. Unfortunately, another gallery focusing on an Egyptian collection was closed for renovations, so we were unable to see it. I feel that seeing this collection today will better prepare me for our lecture and tour of Pompeii, which will take place tomorrow.
Pompeii
On Friday, we traveled via public transportation to the site of Pompeii, the town that was infamously destroyed in the 79 AD explosion of Mt. Vesuvius. The train we took kind of reminded me of the LIRR we have in New York, and it traveled across the nearby towns, connecting them even across city boundaries. The same train connects Sorrento, Pompeii, Naples, and other nearby places. Before I came to Italy, I was most looking forward to seeing Pompeii. In fact, the trip to Pompeii was what first caught my attention about the program and caused me to look into it further. Today it shattered my expectations, and was even more amazing than I thought it possibly could be. It was by far my favorite part of this class, and I doubt it will lose that title anytime soon. For the first few hours, our professor took us to some of the most interesting sites and lectured about their classical relevance. Afterwards, we were allowed a few hours of exploration on our own. The site is absolutely huge, and after six hours of walking around in the hot sun, my group barely made a dent in the wonders of it all. The amazing part is that, according to my professor, about one quarter of the city is probably still not yet excavated. Excavation is continuing currently and hopefully more about the mysterious city can be uncovered on account of it. Pompeii is amazing because it is still preserved although the eruption destroyed it and virtually wiped it off them map for centuries. You can easily identify areas that were homes and shops, and can enter many buildings along the way. Temples dedicated to Jupiter, Apollo, Isis, and other gods are still standing, as are theatres and an amphitheater around the town. Some of the mosaics preserved on the walls were incredible as well. I enjoyed my professor’s lecture immensely, and enjoyed breaking off into smaller groups to explore at our own pace afterwards as well. Overall, it was an amazing experience to finally see Pompeii, and I was thrilled that it not only met my high expectations but also surpassed them.
Lemon And Orange Grove
Toady is another free day to make up for the fact that Pompeii was absolutely exhausting yesterday. We spent some time in the orange and lemon grove across the street from our hotel, and then headed over to an Internet cafe where I am finally submitting this blog post. We are heading back to Rome in a few days, and I will have Internet there once again.