Rome 2010

In 2010 I travelled by train to Rome.

Rome; Naples and Pompeii

ROME, NAPLES, POMPEII 2010

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Rome; Naples and Pompeii JOHN A SMITH

This book contains photographs of my 2010 trip to Italy; Rome, Naples and Pompeii.

In 2010 I travelled by train to Rome.

Rome; Naples and Pompeii

ROME, NAPLES, POMPEII 2010

Rome; Naples and Pompeii JOHN A SMITH

Italy 2010 TRAIN TO ROME; COACH TO NAPLES AND POMPEII - John A Smith I caught an early train to London via Manchester, it was only a short walk to St Pancras international station from Kings Cross railway station where I met the RailBookers rep who gave me my travel tickets in a new cloth bag which I transferred my hand luggage into. Registering for the Eurostar train was very similar to catching a plane, I was now on my way to Europe.

The train journey to Paris was very fast over fairly flat terrain, the train was in the tunnel for all of twenty minutes. Paris; another short walk between stations, with a slight detour, Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est where I caught the train to Strasbourg, the train was easy to find as the platforms are lined up similar to Manchester Piccadilly. The scenery on this leg of the journey was fairly uninspiring though nearer to Strasbourg it was slightly better.

The hotel in Strasbourg was straight across the square from the station so was easy to locate, in the morning I had a continental breakfast, then caught the train to Milan via the Alps, this was the part of the journey I was most looking forward to. The scenery was much more rugged now with especially good views after Spiez, this seemed to be the Alps proper, As the train climbed higher into the Alps there were more tunnels, some longer than others, at one point the train emerged for a split second to reveal a spectacular waterfall then before I could even think about lifting my camera to take a snapshot the train was in a tunnel again. Now in Italy the train descended and stopped at Strasa, the station was a dump, but what a location next to Lake Maggiore, the second largest lake in Italy, a real beauty spot.

The train arrived in Milan ten minutes early, thank goodness as this was the connection I was really worried about due to the short time between trains. The countryside South of Milan was fairly flat until the train went in a tunnel after Boloigna, then there were lots of intermittent tunnels but the countryside was much more undulating, hence the tunnels. Pm yjis train I went to the buffet car for a panini, a hot italian sandwich and a cup of tea, it cost eight Euros fifty Cents. I arrived in Rome after dark and headed by taxi to the notel for a good nights sleep.

A walk by the Tiber I SPENT MY FIRST DAY IN ROME WALKING AROUND THE CITY LOOKING FOR LANDMARKS

Walking in Rome I spent my first day in Rome walking around the city looking for landmarks.

The hotel was quite near to the river Tiber, so I headed there first for a pleasant walk along the river.

Later I strolled away from the river looking for piazzas, fountains and monuments, I didn’t have to walk far.

Piazza Navona Piazza Navona is a long by narrow piazza where musicians were playing. The atmosphere was so relaxed and pleasant that you couldn’t help but sit for a while and soak it up.

Piazza Navona MUSIC AT PIAZZA NAVONA The Piazza Navona Band have a pleasant sound helping to create a relaxed atmosphere in the piazza.

PEOPLES SQUARE

PIAZZA DEL POPOLO An Egyptian obelisk from Heliopolis known as the obelisco Flaminio or the Popolo Obelisk, originally of Sety I and later Ramesses II and brought to Rome by order of Augustus in 10 BC stands in the centre of the Piazza del Popolo.

The Piaza del Popolo is sometimes known as the Peoples Square.

The Piazza is sureounded by sculptures and impressive buildings including the "twin" churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto.

Fontana della Dea Roma

Fontana del Nettuno

Cycle Rickshaw

Villa Borghes THE PARK OF THE VILLA BORGHESE After a climb up the Pincian Hill I arrived at the Villa Borghese. I had a drink from a refreshments vendor then continued my explorations.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a wooded pastoral scene in the centre of the city.

View from Pincian Hill

Villa Borghese - park A surprising pastoral scene in the centre of the city.

Goethe

A GIFT FROM GERMANY At the Porta Pinciana entrance to Villa Borghese there’s an enormous statue that commemorates the German writer and poet Goethe. The avenue on which it stands is also named after Goethe.

The statue was given as a sign of friendship by Emperor William II of Germany to the city of Rome and was inaugurated in June 1904 in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele III. Goethe was chosen as he was influenced by the time he spent in Rome as a youth.

At the base of the pedestal there are three groups that represent the artistic fields in which Goethe was active: philosophy, drama and opera.

The Pantheon I EXPECTED TO FIND ROMAN GODS BUT INSTEAD FOUND ROMAN CATHOLIC SAINTS

Piazza della Minerva

THE ELEPHANT IN THE BOOK In the Piazza della Minerva I came across the elephant statue by Bernini. I asked a passing tourist to take my picture.

It was the only photo of me taken on my trip. I’m trying to start a tradition of having my photo taken with an elephant.

Apparently the sculpture was known as "il pulcin della Minerva", or "porcino", from the story that - uninspired by elephants - Bernini in fact sculpted a pig, obviously just a story.

Victor Emmanuel monument THE TRAFFIC AT THIS VERY BUSY INTERSECTION WAS TUMULTUOUS

Naples and Pompeii

POMPEII WAS THE HIGHLIGHT When it was dark I found a pavement restaurant and had a slice of pizza and a soup then headed on my planned route back to the hotel, I got a bit diverted on Via Del Tritonis (photo - left) but circled back, this added about an hour and a half to my walk.

Rome by night is well worth seeing, the city is still quite lively and the monuments, fountains and many buildings are floodlit When I arrived back at the hotel, I booked a bus tour to Pompeii and a hop on and o bus tour of Rome for Saturday.

Via Del Tritonis

Rome

Naples Pompeii

Bus Excursion FROM ROME TO NAPLES AND POMPEII, THEN BACK TO ROME

New Castle ALSO KNOW AS MASCHIO ANGIOINO

Castel Nuovo MASCHIO ANGIOINO Castel Nuovo (Italian: "New Castle"), also know as Maschio Angioino, is a medieval castle and is very prominent symbol of the architecture of the city of Naples.

Castal Nuovo has been expanded or renovated several times since it was first begun in 1279. The last restoration was in 1823.

Castel Nuovo This is a castle I would like to visit, this time however I was eager to get to Pompeii which is the highlight of the trip.

Naples

PIAZZA TRIESTE E TRENTO After a look at the castle we walked on to the Piazza trieste e trento and it to the Galleria Umberto shopping centre.

Naples

GALERIA UMBERTO The Galleria Umberto shopping centre was built between 1887 and 1891 and after years of delay has recently been renovated returning it to it’s former glory.

The Galleria Umberto was designed by Emanuele Rocco and named after the King of Italy at the time of it’s construction, Umberto I. The architecture took precedence over chain store logos and signs creating a cathedral like felling.

STRAY DOGS IN THE SHOPPING CENTRE I was surprised to see the shopping centre occupied by stray dogs, they looked well fed and were friendly.

We were told that the dogs wee accepted and the shop workers fed them.

In the centre of Galleria Umberto, beneath the dome there are mosaics of astrological symbols (photo- right).

Naples Bay The Gulf of Naples opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea and is bordered on the north by the cities of Naples and Pozzuoli, on the east by Mount Vesuvius, and on the south by the Sorrentine Peninsula and the town of Sorrento.

Pompeii

THE HIGHLIGHT! On arrival at Pompeii I was eager to see the famous ruins but first we had lunch which was included in the excursion. It was a pleasant meal, musicians were wandering around the packed cafeteria playing Italian folk songs, I shared a table with a party of Australians who were interesting company.

After what seemed an eternity our guide led us into the city of Pompeii, I was not disappointed.

Pompeii AN AMAZING PLACE - POMPEII WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE EXCURSION

Entering Pompeii COMPLETE BUILDINGS AND RUINS WERE TO BE SEEN AT A DISTANCE INITIALLY

Pompeii Streets ENTERING THE CITY As we entered Pompeii the ruins could only be seen at a distance but as we penetrated deeper into the city the streets and buildings became more accessible.

Pompeii

POMPEII STREETS Miles of streets had been uncovered that visitors were able to navigate on pavements and in the centre of the street. There were many crossing points of stepping stones which were laid in such a way as to allow the passage of carts.

We were told that Pompeii was a very clean city, only waste water was allowed to be disposed of in the streets which were designed to drain the liquid away.

POMPEII AMPHITHEATRE The oldest know Roman amphitheatre is the Amphitheatre of Pompeii which was the first building the tour explored.

The streets of Pompeii Snack bars, bakeries, houses, streets, pavements, everything that a modern town has it seemed was to be seen, touched and experienced.

Indoor decor The buildings were decorated with frescos, murals and mosaics as well as statuary and ornaments.

There was a special display of crockery and household paraphernalia where even the petrified remains of a pet dog could be seen.

It was funny to hear an American woman comment on a granite table top saying that the residents of ancient Pompeii had similar tastes in home decor as modern people.

Pompeii A PICTURESQUE LOCATION FOR A CITY, BUT VESUVIUS LOOMING OVER THE CITY

The Colosseum

HOP ON AND OFF BUS TOUR Today was the day I had booked a hop on and off bus tour around the city so I had risen early for breakfast, I put a couple of sandwiches and fruit in my bag for later so that I wouldn’t have to spend time looking for food at lunch time.

Not far from the hotel, near the river was a bus stop where I met an American couple who had just arrived from Maine, they were just beginning their vacation. The bus tour was very good but I was looking forward to arriving at the Colosseum, where I got off and joined an English speaking tour, I took many pictures.

The Colosseum I was very impressed with the Colosseum, an amazing building which must have been literally awe inspiring in its day.

Colosseum BELOW THE ARENA ARE EXTENSIVE CHAMBERS, CELLS, TUNNELS AND CORRIDORS

THE GAMES AT THE COLOSSEUM The spectacular productions held in the Colosseum were said to be extremely important because without it there would be civil unrest and rioting in the streets.

The cost of the gladiatorial games was born by the Emperors, and therefore the state, and corrupt politicians who sponsored the games to curry favour and support. The cost of the games eventually came to one third of the total income of the Empire.

Some of the games lasted for over 100 days and events were planned to the strictest timing. Something had to be seen at all times. There were constant changes of events. The hunts and beast fights were initially scheduled for the morning, the executions of prisoners in the afternoon (the more novel the forms of execution the better) and the gladiatorial fights were scheduled for the afternoon / early evening.

Colosseum Arena

COLOSSEUM ARCHTECTURE The Colosseum took less than 10 years to build, a remarkable achievement for the excellent engineers and their famous engineering skills.

The architecture of the Roman Colosseum illustrates their use of one of the Romans most famous inventions - concrete. The Roman arch was prominently featured in the design and building of the Colosseum as were the different styles of architecture reflected in the Roman columns.

Different types of gladiators performed in the arena including the Bestiarii gladiator (who fought animals), the Retiarii gladiator (who carried a trident, a dagger, and a net), the Dimachaeri gladiator (who used two-swords, one in each hand) and there were also female Gladiators.

Colosseum sights

AS SEEN FROM THE COLOSSEUM From the balconies of the Colosseum can be seen the Arch of Constantine (Arco di Costantino), a 25m high monument built in AD315 to mark the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at Pons Milvius. and the Antiquarium Forense.

COLOSSEUM SIGHTS After my tour of the Colosseum I wandered about outside where there were more photographic opportunities.