Yes, I am back to the Italy story, just like TV shows don’t air new episodes from Christmas until February. Haha! :)
So… After getting a good night’s rest after a long but phenomenal day at Pompeii, we had planned to go back after we ate breakfast and showered. After all, we had a lot of picture-taking to catch up on! However, a look out the window made us question that plan. It was raining. Turns out that it was supposed to rain all day. We decided against Pompeii since it was all outdoors and much of the walking would have been on wet, slippery stones, and also since who knows what rainy pictures would’ve turned out like.
I was really really disappointed about this at first. I had pretty much had my heart set on going back to Pompeii for pictures and to see all the stuff we’d missed. Plus, I don’t exactly get excited about walking in the rain no matter where I am. But Emily made the suggestion that we check out the National Museum of Archaeology since that is where the majority of the artifacts discovered at Pompeii are displayed. We made that our plan, and though it made me happy to think about seeing that, I was still let down.
We began our walk in the light rain, and Emily tried to console me. Neither one of us was feeling the best that morning, so it’s kind of humorous now to look back and think about the two cranky tourists. Haha! It wasn’t that bad, we just had to see something to be excited about before our moods would improve. And guess what? We only had to go three blocks!!!
Castle Nuovo is a huge old castle right on the bay of Naples. It was visible from three blocks beyond our hostel. We had to walk a little further so that we could actually get there, but I got excited quickly because it was the first real castle I’d ever seen. I have always loved learning about castles and I love stories and movies that take place in castles or during the times when they (and the people who lived in them) played very important roles.
When we got closer, it just got even more enormous. We got to walk through the doors and over what used to be the moat. Now that a city has been build around it and it’s on a hill, the back part of the castle moat (that part that faces the sea) was torn away and the moat is a parking lot. Haha! I guess that works when it’s built on a hill and modern advancements begin to take over. ;)
We got to walk in the doors and look around a bit. We could look into the courtyard but we couldn’t really go anywhere. It said there was a museum tour, but we didn’t know what was in the museum or if they had an English tour. So we took some pictures, I marveled at everything, and decided to continue the long walk to the museum because there was much more to see.
All along the way I couldn’t help but be captivated by all of the architecture. It was so amazing! Every building looked so cool! And there were many fountains and statues and arches and paintings on or around buildings. Wow! Truth be told, we didn’t talk a whole lot because we were just taking everything in and pausing to snap pictures.
We passed the Gallery of Umberto I, which is full of shops, but it’s enclosed with a glass roof. It covers about 4 blocks and the inside gallery part would be the “roads” which have marble floors, incredibly details architectures, arches, details, and just everything that makes you say, “Wow!”
We also passed the Opera House, which was quite tricky to get a picture of because of its size and the strange way the road curved just there. I didn’t get a picture of it, but I did stop to take a mental note of the setting. As we walked we passed the Piazza Dante that had a big statue and then was open in front of a very long building that cured in almost a half circle. It was so unique! There were people selling things, people waiting for the bus, other tourists snapping pictures, and other people shopping, walking with brief cases, or just going about their daily business.
When we got to the National Museum of Archaeology, we found out that it was closed. Just our luck. It pretty much fit right in with how things were going on the trip. The extra long ferry ride, batteries dying at Pompeii, the rain changing our plans, and now the museum being closed. We stopped and got a good laugh. Now everything was just beginning to be funny and we were just happy to see whatever we could because it was all new to us anyway.
The guy who ran the hostel was an outstanding host. He’d given us tourist maps with places to see, told us the easiest ways to get there, and told us what roads would show us the most. He also gave us a suggestion. He’d said if we got the chance, we should take the Napoli Soterranea (Underground Naples) tour. He said a lot of people miss it but it’s only two hours and it would be completely worth it. Well, we had heard a little about this from the Europe guidebook Emily bought and from my internet research and had wanted to see it any way. So since all the other advice he’d given us had been right on, we decided to go for it. Why not? It wasn’t possible that everything in Naples was closed on Wednesdays. Haha!
There was one other main attraction listed on the map between the museum and the tour. It was labeled as Il Duomo. It was a massive and intricately ornate cathedral. We were so happy we stopped! It was called St. Gennaro Cathedral because St. Gennaro is buried there. First, I have to tell you that there were no pictures allowed in the cathedral. This was too bad because there were many photo-worthy things in there! But it was also good because I probably would’ve run out of room on my memory card. Hee hee! :)
Not only was there the main cathedral, there were two other large side chapels that were just as, if not more, ornate and detailed than the cathedral itself. There were also many little areas where people (priests and saints) were buried. And there were, of course, relics, since it was Catholic, after all, and it was very large important church in the city. In the front, there were steps leading up to the altar area, but on each side of those steps, there were steps leading down through a door. There was a sign that said the tomb of St. Gennaro was that way. So we went down there. It was pretty impressive. His tomb was there, in a room under the altar, and there was also the tomb of a cardinal. It was interesting.
Overall, we were very happy that we stopped here. It was absolutely spectacular! There was artwork everywhere! On the walls, on the ceilings, on the domes, on the tombs…there were paintings, statues, moldings, and when it was all put together just made your jaw drop in awe. I can’t even imagine the time it took to build all of that, and then, there was a big sign that had talked about the re-design of the building under the order of some cardinal. So then, it had been changed, some things had been saved, and others had been created.
Of course, the process of keeping up a building like this must be massive, and there is also a restoration process to go with because of the age of the work and items. So in some spots, you could see where they were doing work. That was fascinating because you could see doorways that were covered up to create walls in the re-designed part. There were small window that were the same way. And then, you could see where chunks of the wall had been removed or fallen away and parts of a fresco were missing only to expose another, older, fresco underneath. Crazy!
Throughout the entire day, I couldn’t help be enthralled with the history of the city. I would go back again if I ever got the chance. Though it’s not the cleanest city and though its reputation isn’t much (thanks to the mob), the history and culture of the Neapolitan life is fascinating! The city went through a major World War. Not only did it make it though WWII, but it was a place that was hit hard. Their life and history were drastically changed forever because of it. Yet, they made it. It is an area that has survived earthquakes and massive volcanic eruptions. It is an area known for strict Catholic faith, and yet a ridiculous amount of superstition. Everything about that city made me want to learn more. My curiosity wasn’t just piqued, it was on overload. lol :)
Anyway, let me pause there because that was the first half of our day of exploration in Naples. We explored more in the afternoon and continued our adventures in the city the next day, but this is long enough and I’m at a good breaking point. Now I’ll work on the photo albums so that when I continue I can post those links. It’s always nice to have pictures to accompany a story if you ask me. :)
Stay strong, stay safe, and until next time, keep the updates and comments coming. I love them! They always bring a smile to my face. :) My life here is so exciting on a daily basis and knowing that everyone is safe and happy at home is a blessing that only adds to my joy.
So… After getting a good night’s rest after a long but phenomenal day at Pompeii, we had planned to go back after we ate breakfast and showered. After all, we had a lot of picture-taking to catch up on! However, a look out the window made us question that plan. It was raining. Turns out that it was supposed to rain all day. We decided against Pompeii since it was all outdoors and much of the walking would have been on wet, slippery stones, and also since who knows what rainy pictures would’ve turned out like.
I was really really disappointed about this at first. I had pretty much had my heart set on going back to Pompeii for pictures and to see all the stuff we’d missed. Plus, I don’t exactly get excited about walking in the rain no matter where I am. But Emily made the suggestion that we check out the National Museum of Archaeology since that is where the majority of the artifacts discovered at Pompeii are displayed. We made that our plan, and though it made me happy to think about seeing that, I was still let down.
We began our walk in the light rain, and Emily tried to console me. Neither one of us was feeling the best that morning, so it’s kind of humorous now to look back and think about the two cranky tourists. Haha! It wasn’t that bad, we just had to see something to be excited about before our moods would improve. And guess what? We only had to go three blocks!!!
Castle Nuovo is a huge old castle right on the bay of Naples. It was visible from three blocks beyond our hostel. We had to walk a little further so that we could actually get there, but I got excited quickly because it was the first real castle I’d ever seen. I have always loved learning about castles and I love stories and movies that take place in castles or during the times when they (and the people who lived in them) played very important roles.
When we got closer, it just got even more enormous. We got to walk through the doors and over what used to be the moat. Now that a city has been build around it and it’s on a hill, the back part of the castle moat (that part that faces the sea) was torn away and the moat is a parking lot. Haha! I guess that works when it’s built on a hill and modern advancements begin to take over. ;)
We got to walk in the doors and look around a bit. We could look into the courtyard but we couldn’t really go anywhere. It said there was a museum tour, but we didn’t know what was in the museum or if they had an English tour. So we took some pictures, I marveled at everything, and decided to continue the long walk to the museum because there was much more to see.
All along the way I couldn’t help but be captivated by all of the architecture. It was so amazing! Every building looked so cool! And there were many fountains and statues and arches and paintings on or around buildings. Wow! Truth be told, we didn’t talk a whole lot because we were just taking everything in and pausing to snap pictures.
We passed the Gallery of Umberto I, which is full of shops, but it’s enclosed with a glass roof. It covers about 4 blocks and the inside gallery part would be the “roads” which have marble floors, incredibly details architectures, arches, details, and just everything that makes you say, “Wow!”
We also passed the Opera House, which was quite tricky to get a picture of because of its size and the strange way the road curved just there. I didn’t get a picture of it, but I did stop to take a mental note of the setting. As we walked we passed the Piazza Dante that had a big statue and then was open in front of a very long building that cured in almost a half circle. It was so unique! There were people selling things, people waiting for the bus, other tourists snapping pictures, and other people shopping, walking with brief cases, or just going about their daily business.
When we got to the National Museum of Archaeology, we found out that it was closed. Just our luck. It pretty much fit right in with how things were going on the trip. The extra long ferry ride, batteries dying at Pompeii, the rain changing our plans, and now the museum being closed. We stopped and got a good laugh. Now everything was just beginning to be funny and we were just happy to see whatever we could because it was all new to us anyway.
The guy who ran the hostel was an outstanding host. He’d given us tourist maps with places to see, told us the easiest ways to get there, and told us what roads would show us the most. He also gave us a suggestion. He’d said if we got the chance, we should take the Napoli Soterranea (Underground Naples) tour. He said a lot of people miss it but it’s only two hours and it would be completely worth it. Well, we had heard a little about this from the Europe guidebook Emily bought and from my internet research and had wanted to see it any way. So since all the other advice he’d given us had been right on, we decided to go for it. Why not? It wasn’t possible that everything in Naples was closed on Wednesdays. Haha!
There was one other main attraction listed on the map between the museum and the tour. It was labeled as Il Duomo. It was a massive and intricately ornate cathedral. We were so happy we stopped! It was called St. Gennaro Cathedral because St. Gennaro is buried there. First, I have to tell you that there were no pictures allowed in the cathedral. This was too bad because there were many photo-worthy things in there! But it was also good because I probably would’ve run out of room on my memory card. Hee hee! :)
Not only was there the main cathedral, there were two other large side chapels that were just as, if not more, ornate and detailed than the cathedral itself. There were also many little areas where people (priests and saints) were buried. And there were, of course, relics, since it was Catholic, after all, and it was very large important church in the city. In the front, there were steps leading up to the altar area, but on each side of those steps, there were steps leading down through a door. There was a sign that said the tomb of St. Gennaro was that way. So we went down there. It was pretty impressive. His tomb was there, in a room under the altar, and there was also the tomb of a cardinal. It was interesting.
Overall, we were very happy that we stopped here. It was absolutely spectacular! There was artwork everywhere! On the walls, on the ceilings, on the domes, on the tombs…there were paintings, statues, moldings, and when it was all put together just made your jaw drop in awe. I can’t even imagine the time it took to build all of that, and then, there was a big sign that had talked about the re-design of the building under the order of some cardinal. So then, it had been changed, some things had been saved, and others had been created.
Of course, the process of keeping up a building like this must be massive, and there is also a restoration process to go with because of the age of the work and items. So in some spots, you could see where they were doing work. That was fascinating because you could see doorways that were covered up to create walls in the re-designed part. There were small window that were the same way. And then, you could see where chunks of the wall had been removed or fallen away and parts of a fresco were missing only to expose another, older, fresco underneath. Crazy!
Throughout the entire day, I couldn’t help be enthralled with the history of the city. I would go back again if I ever got the chance. Though it’s not the cleanest city and though its reputation isn’t much (thanks to the mob), the history and culture of the Neapolitan life is fascinating! The city went through a major World War. Not only did it make it though WWII, but it was a place that was hit hard. Their life and history were drastically changed forever because of it. Yet, they made it. It is an area that has survived earthquakes and massive volcanic eruptions. It is an area known for strict Catholic faith, and yet a ridiculous amount of superstition. Everything about that city made me want to learn more. My curiosity wasn’t just piqued, it was on overload. lol :)
Anyway, let me pause there because that was the first half of our day of exploration in Naples. We explored more in the afternoon and continued our adventures in the city the next day, but this is long enough and I’m at a good breaking point. Now I’ll work on the photo albums so that when I continue I can post those links. It’s always nice to have pictures to accompany a story if you ask me. :)
Stay strong, stay safe, and until next time, keep the updates and comments coming. I love them! They always bring a smile to my face. :) My life here is so exciting on a daily basis and knowing that everyone is safe and happy at home is a blessing that only adds to my joy.
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