Serving the Nato, Naples and Gaeta military community in italy
59th year, No. 12
Friday, March 28, 2014
TIME CHANGE SUNDAY
Viewing Napoli Story and photos by Michael Maddox
Napoli is rich in sights and stories. Three viewing places Castel dell’Ovo, Parco Virgiliano and Castel Sant’Elmo - provide you with panoramic views of the city, the bay, the islands, and Mount Vesuvius. And, like many places in this ancient land of many cultures, each has its own story or legend. Castel dell’Ovo (The Egg Castle) Castel dell’Ovo pokes out from the shoreline of Napoli, past all the other buildings. From the top of the castle, you’re rewarded with a sweeping view of the gulf, the Sorrento Peninsula, Capri, and the Posillipo Peninsula. To the west towers Mount Vesuvius, and below is the port filled with sailboats and commercial vessels. Lungomare is visible with a look back, which is a waterside promenade, curves past the Villa Comunale (city park), to the American consulate, and then to the Mergellina boat dock.
Remember to “spring ahead” this weekend. The time changes officially at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 30.
A breathtaking view of Napoli is easily obtained from the historic Castel Sant'Elmo.
After your walk on top of the castle, you can dine in the Borgo Marinari area at the castle’s base, or on the waterfront. From the many nearby seaside cafes and restaurants, you can experience the best people-watching in Napoli, as families, friends and couples stroll by. All this while you sip a drink or nibble a cor-
netto and gaze at the bay. What a way to experience Italia. Virgil, the great Roman poet, is said to have buried a magic egg in the castle. As long as the egg is intact, Napoli is safe. But bad fortune will strike if the egg ever cracks—at least according to legend. Though the egg has never cracked, wars, earthquakes,
eruptions and poverty have struck the city over the centuries, and yet Castel dell’Ovo and the surrounding area is flourishing. I think the perseverance, will and planning of the people of Napoli, rather than Virgil’s egg, created this good fortune. See VIEWING NAPOLI Page 4
70 Years Later By Steve Ursell, Training Officer for Naval Support Activity Naples
Allied officers climbed above the observatory to monitor Mount Vesuvius 70 years ago because of the rumblings under their feet and the smoke emitting into the sky. Within days, 26 Italians had perished and nearly 90 B-25 Mitchell bombers and three villages were destroyed. Many residents had survived Nazi occupation, Allied bombings and remembered the eruptions of 1906 and 1929. These experiences kept the number of deaths very low, as nearly all deaths were due to collapsed roofs, and none were due to lava flow. Today, most people living near Vesuvius have never seen an eruption. These residents are members of a generation of Neapolitans that has not existed for nearly 400 years. When it erupted in 1631, the volcano had only been asleep for 59 years. Vesuvius is one of the most extensively monitored volcanos in the world.
FRIDAY High 61 / Low 48 Partly Cloudy
SATURDAY
Volcanologists work to provide enough warning to evacuate the local population should signs of an eruption begin. Emergency Management and leadership from Naval Support Activity Naples have met with their counter parts in the Dipartimento della Protezione Civile four times in the past 18 months. A major topic of conversation was the updated 2001 Vesuvius Emergency Plan that becomes effective in April. Officials in Rome recently approved the plan, which increases the size of the “Red Zone” surrounding Vesuvius and formally establishes havens for displaced citizens. Hundreds of minor seismic events occur each year, but rarely are they felt by residents living nearby. The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) operates the oldest volcano observatory in the world and its website includes two publically viewable sensors, along with many articles in both English and Italian. See 70 YEARS LATER Page 4
SUNDAY High 68 / Low 52 Cloudy
Page 12
The Navy's Chief of Information recently announced the winners of the 2013 Russell Egnor Navy Media Awards. These awards are named in honor of Senior Chief Journalist Russell D. Egnor, who served the Navy for more than 40 years as a highly accomplished journalist. The annual Navywide awards program recognizes excellence in journalism, photography, videography, and graphic arts among Navy commands and their public affairs and visual information specialists. AFN Naples personnel placed in four individual categories: • Audio- Feature Report: 2nd place- Breast Cancer Awareness, MC2 Emily Williams Honorable Mention- Cardinal Visits Naples, MC3 Nicole Vandergriend
• Graphics-Animation: 3rd place- Healthy Meal makeover, MC3 Erica Yelland Mount Vesuvius erupting in March 1944. (Photo by United States Army Air Forces B24 Tailgunner John Reinhardt)
High 68 / Low 49 Clear
Weekly Crime Report
From NSA Naples Public Affairs
• Audio- News Report: 2nd place- Improving Our Community, MC2 Emily Williams
W hAt ’ s I NsIde Review what happened between March 19 and March 25.
Naples Recognized Through Navy Media Awards
Naval Forces Support Nation’s Global Mission Page 5
NSA Naples CPOA Visits Casa Mia Community Center Page 13
• Video Series: 3rd place- Auxiliary Security Force Training, MC3 Nicole Vandergriend Panorama was awarded third place for Civilian Enterprise News Publication in the unit category. The newspaper is made possible by the weekly contributions from service members, teachers, parents, students and base organizations, which are able to help our newspaper share information with everyone serving in Naples. Community members are reminded to look at the bottom of page 2 for guidelines and information on submitting articles and photos to Panorama.