Napoli

Today was our day in Naples. Emanuele makes sure we get an early start because we want to get into the city before traffic starts to get bad. This city has the youngest population in italy, so most people were out late on Saturday night having fun, and will sleep in and have a late lunch. The first place we stop is a scenic overlook called the 'balcony' of Naples. It offers a beautiful view of Vesuvius, Sorrento, and Capri, although today is a bit hazy. As we drive through the city, Vincenzo and Manu point out the streets where they live, the soccer stadium, where V went to school and the hospital where his kids were born. They are both very proud of their city and later when I ask V, he tells me that they consider themselves to be Neapolitan, not Italian (and it would be the same for people from other regions of Italy, I presume). It also seems that Naples has gotten the short end of the stick since unification as a lot of industry was moved out of Naples to other parts of the country.

Our first stop is going to be the Archeological Museum but on the way we drive by old castles (of the fortress and canons type) and equestrian statues. The museum houses the collections of the Farnese family (who acquired most of their loot from having a family member as Pope) and the archeological digs in Pompeii, which will be our focus. At the time of the discovery, much of the frescoes and larger materials at Pompeii were simply carved up and shipped to Naples, so they were not as well preserved as they might have been. Still the museum has an incredible selection of mosaics ranging from the earliest crude examples to exceptionally detailed and fine pieces. The highlight is the large panel depicting Alexander the Great battling Darius, the Persian Emperor. We are also able to enter the recently opened Secret Cabinet, which houses the erotic art from Pompeii, including phallic symbols marking locations of brothels, as well as paintings of sexual positions used as a type of 'menu' and smaller decorative items that were worn for good luck. (Apparently, the room was kept locked away until recently due to embarrassment in earlier ages.) The museum's collection of bronzes includes medical instruments that still look similar to modern ones. Beautiful examples of glassware is highlighted by a blue cameo vase with incredibly intricate carving work. 

After the museum, we head to a restaurant on the waterfront pedestrian street or Lungomare. Lunch is bruschetta and salad, margherita pizza and a delicious dessert of ladyfingers, cream and Nutella. After lunch we get to meet Manu's fiancée, Danila, who is adorable, and then we are free to stroll for the next hour or so. I got a lemon gelato to cool off. 

A short nap on the bus ride back is always nice. In the evening we have a fascinating lecture on volcanic eruptions and the particulars of the one in 79 AD. The lecturer describes what happened from the descriptions of Pliny the Elder who perished in the fallout but who left notes for his nephew, Pliny the younger. She also told us about the evacuation plan set up for the cities and towns surrounding Vesuvius but a lot of people live very close to this volcano.

Dinner is at another nearby restaurant, with minestrone soup, snapper with a lemon flavour, and nougat ice cream cake. Everything was exceptional, particularly the fish, which was cooked to perfection.