Sunday, June 21st; Villa Arianna

Today was supposed to be a rest day. So, right after Breakfast we headed up for a hike on Mont Faito. This is a mountain on the south side of the Bay. There is a Funivia or tram that goes close to the top of the mountain. A short walk takes you over to the Chiesa San Michele, a little church that is fed by a road and winds through a small community.

From there are some of the most magnificent views of the Bay. You can find a few photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27702618@N04/sets/72157620164725576/

In the afternoon, we went over to the Villa Arianna. Our task for the day and for the other students was to tour the scavi (excavation) and familiarize ourselves with the villa. Some of the students would be working here emptying the root cavities so that plaster could be poured into the cavities to record their shapes. These moulds would later be studied by botanists and phytologist so that they could determine the plants that had been there at the time of the eruption.

Tomorrow we will visit Villa San Marco....

Roma Day Two:

Thursday was our “hop on, hop off” bus tour which allowed our first stop to be the Basilica of San Pietro. I had never seen the grottoes were the Popes are entombed. It was interesting to see them all in their little places, some very simple and elegant and ranging to those who were lavishly sculpted or decorated. We even got to see Pope John Paul who died in 1979 and the latest Pope that passed in 2005. I am not catholic so the names of the Popes escape my memory almost as soon as they appear. We also wandered around the main sanctuary as well.We then mounted the bus again and rode around viewing the Castello Sant’ Angelo, the Porta Pia, The Borghese Gardens, and left the bus once again at Santa Maria Maggiore, another church that I had not been able to see. Another leg on the bus and we were at the Coliseum where we had lunch and walked over to one of my favorite churches, San Clemente, but it was closed for a couple of hours and we could not wait. So, we trekked it back over to the bus and headed for home being able to see the Forum, Emmanuelle Vittorio monument and other sites until we reached out getting off point. Whew, time for a nap.

Roma Day One Evening:

One of the reasons I had chosen our hotel, was first the location. It was very near to the apartment that we had on the Universiti di Maryland study abroad. So, not only was I familiar with the area, it was really centrally located within the city. Thirty minute walk to Piazza del Popolo or the Piazza di Spagna, twenty minute walk to Vatican City and the Fontana de Trevi, or a ten minute walk to either the Pantheon or Trestevere which is where we chose to eat our first Roman meal. The Piazza di Santa Maria in Trestevere is one of the most popular evening locations in all of Roma. Everyone from locals to the tourists flock there in droves to get away from the more touristic locales in the city. It is an old section of the city that has a charm of its own, less chaotic that the city center and where people are at ease and more comfortable in the city. They are not your first time tourists in town who are looking to place check marks on their list of “must sees”. We had a very nice dinner enjoying the night and a short walk back to the Hotel where we found our way to the second reason I had chosen our hotel, the rooftop terrace from which there is a fantastic view of the city at night.

The terrace is also the only place that you can get wireless service at the hotel. The Hotel provides free internet service to anyone with an Ethernet cable. Otherwise, you can rent their keyboard for access through the flat screen television or you can take your chances with trying to access a wireless point from the roof. I suggest the Ethernet cable route, though, as you can access directly in your room.

Roma, Day One, Arrivi:

Roma:
The trip from Milano to Roma was better and much shorter than the flight, though once again our travel time was more than we expected, 2 hours and 17 minutes longer. Though, first class tickets made the length much more bearable. So, 16 hours and 17 minutes later we were in Roma. I was a strange feeling. In my travels, though not extensive, I have at least been enough places that I have gotten use to the disorientation upon arrival in a new city or country; however, arriving in a city in another country and feeling strangely at home is a new experience for me. After having been in Roma for a grand total of a month and five days, it has become fairly familiar to me, at least enough to know what to do, where to go, and how to converse enough to get my point across.
It was great being there again and seeing things that I had studied in school with knowing glances rather than wide-eyed astonishment. There were a few places that I thought I remembered their location, but I was either mistaken or the place was no longer there. Either of which there were a few places that I would have liked to find and didn’t.
It was a different experience being with my wife as a tourist rather than a student. We took a “hop on, hop off” bus tour that neither of us would have taken if Eva had not been pregnant. I would suggest it as a way for people to see the city at first glance because it goes near enough to all of the attractions that most tourists would want to see without the walking distances. But, on the other hand one must see the city by foot as well.
There is nothing like getting lost in an Italian city, wandering the back streets, peeking in the little stores, walking by the open workshops of artisans like furniture makers, upholstery shops, painter’s galleries, etc. This is where one gets the real “flavor” of Roma.
Eva was a trooper, usually going on little more than three hours sleep; she walked much of the city along side of me. There were things that we would have taken in if she had not been pregnant, but we saw much of what we wanted and she walked to most of it.
By the way, the Hotel Campo dei’ Fiori was all that we were told it would be. The staff was helpful, informative and very friendly. Single guys staying here would have to meet Valentina, and the single girls might swoon at the presence of Marco, with whom Eva and I dealt with most. The rooms were very comfortable though the air-conditioner in our room struggled to keep the room cool even with the drapes closed during the day. Softer beds helped with our sleep patterns though we were still getting our clocks adjusted to the new time. I can sleep in most places, but my growing back problem now causes me more difficulty that I have ever had. It’s terrible when age starts to creep up on you aided by a few bounces of the pavement from the unprotected perch of a bicycle seat.

Ciao from Milano

I knew that the trip would be a good one when I realized that I had left my credit card in my other pants and had forgotten to get it. I did have my Passport and I did have my Drivers License so everything else was an added bonus. Luckily the credit card could be sent to the hotel in Rome and we had Eva’s credit card with us. My frustration was then compounded by a circumstance at the airport. I always more try to get the exit row when traveling, but American has made those seats harder to get. So, when I heard the gate attendant ask for people who wanted to switch to those seats I immediately jumped up to get in line. Patiently awaiting my change at comfort, a man jumped in front of me and took the two seats. I guess that’s what I get for being polite.
Overall the passenger list was a group of winners: people jumping in line, blocking the gate entrance, trying to board with the wrong group, etc. It was like half-price day at the fair; everybody and their dog out for the “blue light special” at KMART. All around, they were inconsiderate people and NOT your seasoned travelers. Eva and I decided that we would not travel on a Saturday again.
Then as we taxied out to the runway, we learned that once again American was the “On Time” airline as we waited for 45 min to an hour to take off, mostly due to something mechanical was being checked on the airplane causing us to lose our place in the queue. However, we were soon in the air and I was on my way to Italy, albeit via a stop at JFK.
Luckily, we made up enough time to land and have a few minutes to transfer to our next flight, but as we were disembarking the plane, there were passengers that were instructed to make their way quickly to their plane as it was past its departure time. They just had to change terminals to get there. I made sure when booking our flight that we were in the same terminal so we would not have to change. Therefore, after a short walk ten gates down, we were there just as they began boarding; and with a little better class of people.
The best part of the trip is always the overnight plane trip. Yes, no leg room, little sleep and little to no air-conditioning. I have never been able to sleep on a plane and it’s even worse when I can’t get cool. And, this time was no different. So, I got to see “Last Chance Harvey”, read about bakeries in ancient Pompeii, work part of a Sudoku puzzle and sleep in small spurts.
Finally, we were on the ground, though not yet the complete travelers’ experience. Not without the 170 km/hr trip in a taxi from the airport into the Centro Historio and our hotel. It’s always a unique experience traveling by taxi from the airport in any country. I would have felt more like Jason Bourne, if I had been driving. All I know is that the driver must have needed a bathroom break or trying to make Mario Andretti proud as he was trying to get there in record time.
The rest of our stay in Milano was very nice. The Hotel London was close to everything we wanted to see and right off the main pedestrian area. The staff was very friendly and most spoke English very well. If not for the rock hard beds that we are not accustomed to, we really like the hotel and well worth the price. The even had wireless internet that after a quick call to the maintenance man, worked like a charm. They must not have had it set up very long but they had a wireless point on every floor and the air-conditioner kept the room at a brisk 18° C.
In Milano, we saw the Sforza Castello, the Museum at Universiti di Brera, the Duomo, and the Galleria as well as much of the pedestrian scenes and shops. The food was as good as I have had anywhere in Italy at all places where we had the good fortune to eat.