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| Palermo - Internet Photo |
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| Palermo - Internet Postcard |
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| Cefalu - Internet Postcard |
We stopped on the edge of town to have a drink of tea and found the waitress there, Rosalynn, was part of a group of people who live nearby and worked during the summer in a disco bar club called the Ark. We didn't have to pay for the teas and she didn't have change. She told us they were trucking coins out of the country and melting them down (see Italy gettone) to sell as scrap.
We decided to visit the Ark and so we dumped our packs at the station and started walking out of Cefalù. On the way we saw Rosalynn on her Vespa on her way to pick us up as the sign at the turn-off had been taken down for winter. We also met Marjolein and Imelda there and had a good rave about the tourist scene in general, and Sicilians in particular. Imelda drove us back to the station where we caught the train for Messina but because we arrived late, we ended up spending a lot of money on food and a hostel.
The next day we planned to go to Pizzo, and after lots of hassling around, trying to get the right tickets, and buying the wrong ones, we eventually bought a two person 3,000 km Kilometrico ticket which should get us to Domodosola in northern Italy. We planned to visit Michelle and Jean-Pierre before we left Europe. We almost missed the boat to the Villa San Giovani on the Italian mainland, the train actually goes on the boat for the one and a half hour crossing.
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| Aerial photo of Pizzo in summer - Internet Photo |
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| Pizzo - Postcard |
There wasn't much happening at the station when we arrived and we were the only people to get off. However after walking 1.5 km uphill we arrived at the youth hostel which is part of an old Fort and set into the hill. The town itself is quaint, on the hill above a small beach. It was a good place to watch the sunset from our hostel window, we being the only ones there.
Just a little bit about the nightlife in Pizzo, nearly as bad as North Africa, with only guys walking around the streets at night, playing pinball and not spending much money.
After North Africa the people seem very wealthy, but maybe they spend most of their money on clothes because everyone was comparatively well-dressed.
In summer I suppose it might be a bit different, but I think if I had to live here for any amount of time I'd go crazy - it doesn't matter how beautiful the view is.
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| Medieval aqueduct |
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In the morning we went to find the Salerno School of Ceramics and Sculpture but no luck as it was closed, so we came back to Salerno.
One of the big attractions in Salerno is the medieval aqueduct of which was built in the ninth century to supply water to the monastery of St. Benedict, at the eastern walls. It is located in the historic center of Salerno, under the hill Bonadies and its Arechi Castle.
Sometimes we are so struck by something that it just leaves a lasting impression. We walked into a piazza and were stopped by a statue by Antonio Berti. I don't remember what the statue was about, but the drama of the figure and and sculptural angularity just provoked me into taking THREE photos of it.
People generally weren’t terribly helpful with information about things like opening hours. We hoped to see some art galleries before we left in the afternoon for Napoli. After only a couple of days in Italy we were getting pretty bored and pissed off with Italy and Italians because of the generally sexist behaviour, but it might be better further north.
I was feeling pretty wiped out, tired from constant travelling and had probably reached my limit of absorption. If we went to Greece now I didn't think I'll be able to appreciate it properly. As soon as we arrived in Napoli it struck us immediately as being a return to civilisation – they even had a Metro. Anyway we had a little trouble getting to the hostel and we immediately headed for the showers - the first hot showers since Constantine in Algeria and very welcome. Feeling better again.
It was now Friday the 6th of February and as it was raining slightly, we decided to spend the day in Napoli instead of travelling to Pompeii. We went to the National Museum which was only half open and saw a lot of Roman sculptures, bronzes and mosaics. The mosaics being the most interesting, with some really fine work which is hard to imagine by just looking at postcards.
Then we walked for ages to get to the National Gallery which was in a really obscure place, and deserted. We saw a hell of a lot of religious paintings most very good technically, especially El Greco but a bit too religious for us and some of the interpretations of events such as the birth of Christ were a little bit too much.
As we walked, we came across a demonstration demanding better wages. It was pretty noisy and impressive. Southern Italy for many years has felt that the government pays more attention to the industrial north and also where the salaries are higher.
Then we had a delicious lunch of sardines and ricotta sandwiches at the station, then coffee and cake at a nearby cafe. It must be said that southern Italy has some of the best and cheapest cakes we've seen or eaten, and a cappuccino is very cheap. We also checked on prices of flights to Australia. We found that to fly from Athens is only about $20 cheaper than flying from Italy. We had dinner that night at the hostel which was not too bad.
Thursday, the sun is shining and, so where off to Pompeii. It's about 25 km south of Napoli, and Mount Versuvius is located between the two cities. There was only a bit of a delay due to having to wait one and a half hours for the train.
Pompeii was definitely worth seeing, a lot bigger than we expected. It was interesting to see all the frescoes on the walls, painted to give the impression of bigger rooms, of marble walls or scenes of ancient Roman life.
It reminded us a lot of what the medina's are alike in North Africa - families living and working in small spaces, poor drainage and narrow streets. The photos at right and below are some scenes of Pompeii.
Here are some of the postcards we bought while there.
Back in Napoli we had dinner at a pizzeria near the hostel, not bad pizzas and had “croce con mozzarella”, a potato rissole with a tiny bit of cheese in the middle, not bad and they went down easily.
We caught the train to Rome okay at 10:05PM and just dropped off to sleep in the compartment. Due to our poor financial situation, we had decided to catch overnight trains where we could try to sleep and save on accommodation. Although it saved us money, sometimes the next day we weren't at our best for sightseeing.
So, on Sunday the 8th of February the train arrived at Stazione Termini, the main railway station of Rome at 12:45 AM. The waiting room our platform was closed and it look like being a cold night outside. Fortunately I saw another waiting room on the other side of the station so we crossed the platforms and settled down on the semi comfortable benches.
At about 1:30 AM the railway police came in and kicked everyone out who didn't have a ticket – for some reason they left us there, maybe the Kilometrico ticket was enough. Anyhow at 5 AM everyone was kicked out for the cleaners.
We had a coffee and waited for the bus which didn't arrive until 7:15 AM! We got to the hostel without hassles, had a second breakfast and prepared to face Rome.
We went back to the main station to get a map, then went to the flea market at Porta Portese where I bought a jacket to keep me warm, replacing the parka I left on the train in Spain.
There was an incredible amount of clothes there at really low prices, plus lots of antiques, some good, some rubbish, and lots of other stuff which took ages to see.
Then we walked to Saint Paul’s Cathedral and went into the basilica (everything else was closed) which was quite beautiful, especially as far as the churches we’ve seen go, all marble inside with huge, beautifully carved marble statues, and incredible mosaics on the walls and ceilings.
A huge amount of resources and money went into the construction and decoration of the Vatican and it shows.
Then we went to the Colosseum which was a bit of a disappointment as it’s situated in the midst of heavy traffic. The third photo below shows tourists looking at the Colosseum with the Roman Forum (Temple of Venus and Roma) in the background
Then we visited the Forum and Palantine hill (Il Palatino), one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
Danielle has shown a marked interest in fountains, comparative to my interest in posters, so we plan to visit a few while in Rome. Something we found quite strange though is that from photographs and postcards, we expected that some of the more famous fountains in Rome would be showcased in a large piazza.
Some, like Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) in Piazza Novona is in a large piazza, but others like the Trevi fountain are not, it is tucked away in a narrow street and backed against a wall. Even in winter there were crowds of people crowding around the fountain, throwing in coins and making wishes and taking photos - this was the pre-selfie era.
In the Piazza di Spagna at the base of the "Spanish Steps" (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) is the Early Baroque fountain called Fountain of the ugly Boat (Fontana della Barcaccia). It's situated on the side of a fairly narrow but busy road.
Rome is different from my expectations of it; small narrow streets and buildings everywhere, but is quite spread out with many parks and piazzas, and ancient Roman ruins everywhere. Not too surprising I guess as it was the centre of the Roman Empire.
After a long and exhausting day we went back to the hostel and had macaroni and chicken, a coffee, and settled back waiting for a turn on the pinball machine, and planed our day for tomorrow.
It was Monday the 9th of February and we went to leave our packs at the station but they wanted to charge extra because our sleeping bags stuck out - so we took them off and carried them all day.
We went to the Student Travel Office and tried to renew our International Student cards but they wanted official evidence. So we went to the Australian Embassy and made statutory declarations that we would be students in 1976 and hoped to get our stamps for ‘76 when we got back.
We then charged to Saint Paul’s to see the Sistine Chapel and arrived just in time, before the doors closed, giving us one hour to look inside. The place is huge and completely covered in paintings from floor to ceiling (the rest of the building also).
The best things were the Raphael rooms and the chapel itself with Michelangelo’s ceiling mural. At first impression it didn't seem much, but after looking for a while it was really too much to absorb, and we would've needed days to see everything properly.
Then we went to the Post Restante to see if there was a letter from Michelle, but no luck, so we kept sightseeing. After a bit of a nibble for lunch, it was back to the Student Travel Office where we received our ’76 validation stamps which were not too expensive. Nearby there was a painting exhibition, with some local artists featured. Danielle liked a water colour painting of bulls in blues, with very free brushstrokes and simple. I loved two surreal ones painted with incredible realism, excellent technique and took a photo of one which I hoped would come out - but didn't.
We then had dinner at Restaurante Termini, the main railway station of Rome which is subsidised by the Vatican, and then caught the 10:24PM train to Firenze (Florence).
Sometimes we are so struck by something that it just leaves a lasting impression. We walked into a piazza and were stopped by a statue by Antonio Berti. I don't remember what the statue was about, but the drama of the figure and and sculptural angularity just provoked me into taking THREE photos of it.
People generally weren’t terribly helpful with information about things like opening hours. We hoped to see some art galleries before we left in the afternoon for Napoli. After only a couple of days in Italy we were getting pretty bored and pissed off with Italy and Italians because of the generally sexist behaviour, but it might be better further north.
I was feeling pretty wiped out, tired from constant travelling and had probably reached my limit of absorption. If we went to Greece now I didn't think I'll be able to appreciate it properly. As soon as we arrived in Napoli it struck us immediately as being a return to civilisation – they even had a Metro. Anyway we had a little trouble getting to the hostel and we immediately headed for the showers - the first hot showers since Constantine in Algeria and very welcome. Feeling better again.
It was now Friday the 6th of February and as it was raining slightly, we decided to spend the day in Napoli instead of travelling to Pompeii. We went to the National Museum which was only half open and saw a lot of Roman sculptures, bronzes and mosaics. The mosaics being the most interesting, with some really fine work which is hard to imagine by just looking at postcards.Then we walked for ages to get to the National Gallery which was in a really obscure place, and deserted. We saw a hell of a lot of religious paintings most very good technically, especially El Greco but a bit too religious for us and some of the interpretations of events such as the birth of Christ were a little bit too much.
As we walked, we came across a demonstration demanding better wages. It was pretty noisy and impressive. Southern Italy for many years has felt that the government pays more attention to the industrial north and also where the salaries are higher.
Then we had a delicious lunch of sardines and ricotta sandwiches at the station, then coffee and cake at a nearby cafe. It must be said that southern Italy has some of the best and cheapest cakes we've seen or eaten, and a cappuccino is very cheap. We also checked on prices of flights to Australia. We found that to fly from Athens is only about $20 cheaper than flying from Italy. We had dinner that night at the hostel which was not too bad.
Thursday, the sun is shining and, so where off to Pompeii. It's about 25 km south of Napoli, and Mount Versuvius is located between the two cities. There was only a bit of a delay due to having to wait one and a half hours for the train.Pompeii was definitely worth seeing, a lot bigger than we expected. It was interesting to see all the frescoes on the walls, painted to give the impression of bigger rooms, of marble walls or scenes of ancient Roman life.
It reminded us a lot of what the medina's are alike in North Africa - families living and working in small spaces, poor drainage and narrow streets. The photos at right and below are some scenes of Pompeii.
Here are some of the postcards we bought while there.
Back in Napoli we had dinner at a pizzeria near the hostel, not bad pizzas and had “croce con mozzarella”, a potato rissole with a tiny bit of cheese in the middle, not bad and they went down easily.
We caught the train to Rome okay at 10:05PM and just dropped off to sleep in the compartment. Due to our poor financial situation, we had decided to catch overnight trains where we could try to sleep and save on accommodation. Although it saved us money, sometimes the next day we weren't at our best for sightseeing. |
| Roma Stazione Termini - Postcard |
At about 1:30 AM the railway police came in and kicked everyone out who didn't have a ticket – for some reason they left us there, maybe the Kilometrico ticket was enough. Anyhow at 5 AM everyone was kicked out for the cleaners.
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| Porta Portese - Internet Photo |
We went back to the main station to get a map, then went to the flea market at Porta Portese where I bought a jacket to keep me warm, replacing the parka I left on the train in Spain.
There was an incredible amount of clothes there at really low prices, plus lots of antiques, some good, some rubbish, and lots of other stuff which took ages to see.
Then we walked to Saint Paul’s Cathedral and went into the basilica (everything else was closed) which was quite beautiful, especially as far as the churches we’ve seen go, all marble inside with huge, beautifully carved marble statues, and incredible mosaics on the walls and ceilings.
A huge amount of resources and money went into the construction and decoration of the Vatican and it shows.
Then we went to the Colosseum which was a bit of a disappointment as it’s situated in the midst of heavy traffic. The third photo below shows tourists looking at the Colosseum with the Roman Forum (Temple of Venus and Roma) in the background
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| The Colosseum roundabout |
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| The Colosseum detail |
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| Tourists at the Colosseum |
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| Trevi Fountain in winter! |
Then we visited the Forum and Palantine hill (Il Palatino), one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
Danielle has shown a marked interest in fountains, comparative to my interest in posters, so we plan to visit a few while in Rome. Something we found quite strange though is that from photographs and postcards, we expected that some of the more famous fountains in Rome would be showcased in a large piazza.
Some, like Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) in Piazza Novona is in a large piazza, but others like the Trevi fountain are not, it is tucked away in a narrow street and backed against a wall. Even in winter there were crowds of people crowding around the fountain, throwing in coins and making wishes and taking photos - this was the pre-selfie era.
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| "Trevi Fountain" - Fontana di Trevi |
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| The "Spanish Steps" or Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti |
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| View of the fountain from the "Spanish Steps" |
In the Piazza di Spagna at the base of the "Spanish Steps" (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) is the Early Baroque fountain called Fountain of the ugly Boat (Fontana della Barcaccia). It's situated on the side of a fairly narrow but busy road.
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| "Trevi Fountain" - Postcard |
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| "Spanish Steps" - Postcard |
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| Italian singer Christian, enjoys playing a pinball machine - Getty Images 1970 |
After a long and exhausting day we went back to the hostel and had macaroni and chicken, a coffee, and settled back waiting for a turn on the pinball machine, and planed our day for tomorrow.
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| Saint Paul’s Cathedral and basilica - Postcard |
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| Sistine Chapel ceiling detail - Postcard |
We then charged to Saint Paul’s to see the Sistine Chapel and arrived just in time, before the doors closed, giving us one hour to look inside. The place is huge and completely covered in paintings from floor to ceiling (the rest of the building also).
The best things were the Raphael rooms and the chapel itself with Michelangelo’s ceiling mural. At first impression it didn't seem much, but after looking for a while it was really too much to absorb, and we would've needed days to see everything properly.
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| Fresco by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - Composite image of 2 Postcards |
We then had dinner at Restaurante Termini, the main railway station of Rome which is subsidised by the Vatican, and then caught the 10:24PM train to Firenze (Florence).
