Day 30- Back'a Napoli

(originally posted to my facebook page July 11, 2013)

Headed to Herculaneum this morning after a quick stop at the sanctuary church in Pompeii, which is actually a very nice late 19th to early 20th century interior clad in mosaics, beautiful marbles, and painted murals. It's quite rich. Many guide books will steer you away from the modern town of Pompeii. I say they're nuts! Very pleasant place to stay in my opinion.

19th century interior of the Sanctuary Church of Pompeii

Herculaneum was easy to get to from the train, and as soon as we got in I knew I was going to like it. It was so much more relaxed than Pompeii, and it's like Stabia in that a lot of it has roofs and walls that have been completed to their original height. Because Herculaneum was covered in hot mud flows rather than the volcanic ash that hit Pompeii, it's roofs were left more intact, and wood beams (and furniture, and even some loaves of bread!) were carbonized but left in place, so you can see exactly what was there. 

Buildings on the left were facing the sea in Roman times. The wall at right is the depth of the mud and ash that covered over the town and entombed it for almost 1700 years!

There are a lot of good frescoes and mosaics, as well as gardens and other details. 3 or 4 of the best houses were having restoration work, but it was nowhere near as devastating as at Pompeii. You really get a sense of how the houses were perched on a ledge above the sea (as at Stabia) even though they are now facing a large wall of the mud deposits that covered them (the total thickness is something like 70 feet!) I would recommend this over Pompeii, at least until Pompeii reopens more of the site.

the Atrium of the House of the Wooden Screen gives an idea of  the size and enclosure of the preserved houses in Herculaneum. The house is named for the screen seen in the middle of the room as it was found- the wood is carbonized but intact, with bronze bosses still in place.

We had stashed our bags in a very friendly Tourist Info office up by the train station, and on our way back we checked email to find that our place in Rome would not be available for another day. We decided to spend a night in Naples so that we could visit the Archeological Museum early, then head back up to Rome. Got in and found a place pretty easily and then spent the next 3 hours dealing with the damn bank, who managed to screw up our accounts royally, despite all the prep work Marianne had done to avoid this before hand. Very frustrating, but I think she prevailed in the end.

Atlantes on a building in downtown Napoli. 

So we set out kind of later than expected to do a little exploring and find something to eat. 

Naples is purest anarchy. If you have never been here it's hard to describe. It's dirty to be sure, and danger is lurking around train stations and dark alleys (I got pick pocketed here on our last trip) yet it also has an allure and a spirit that is still going strong after 2500 years of continuous occupation. Most of the cliches of New York Italians come either from here or from Sicily. Waving hands while talking loudly, disrespect for authority, but also very public signs of affection- everything is happening in the streets in Naples. There's pretty good street food here too- even though I can't eat the pizza (wheat allergy), it sure smells good. I did eat fried zucchini flowers and rice balls (arancini) from a street stall, and they were great. The street bars near the Piazza Dante were overflowing with young faces drinking and chatting, and we both remarked how this is something America could really use. It's almost like the high school quad continued through life. You can check in with friends without the pressure of having to make some event- it's just there every night.  

Bustling street bars are all over Napoli- great town to visit,  just don't dangle your wealth in hands reach.

I think Naples has some kind of informal contest to see who can get the most people and objects onto a scooter. We saw young teens driving three at a time, couples with young kids wedged in between, or the kid in front standing and holding on the bars, dogs, five gallon paint buckets, and of course talking on the phone. While zipping down these narrow alleys that pass for streets. Two way streets! Got back to our hotel fine after getting a bit turned around near the station. You never want to pull out your map when you need it worst!