Tuesday- Day 3: Churches of Napoli

K was at work so I braved Downtown Naples by myself. Today was the day to try and see all the major churches in the center of town. Mission accomplished. Notice the castle turret looks surprisingly like a chess piece. It is part of the main gate of the old city. The photos below capture the spirit of many of the churches I saw. They were all very ornate and many had decorated domes with mosaics and paintings.

I walked the length of the Spaccanapoli... the ancient cobbled road that divides the city in half. While I walked I shared the road with other pedestrians, vespas, cars, trucks, vendors, store owners, drying landry, pigeons, beggars, and the rest of the citizens of Napoli.

(don't forget to click on the photo to enlarge it)

Monday- Day 2

We took a long train ride, past Salerno to the south to the city of Paestum (greek Poseidonia). This ancient city was part of the Greeks expansion called "Magna Greekia" or greater Greece that included southern Italy and Sicily. Taken over by the Romans during their heyday, it was later abandoned. This was not a city affected by the Mt Vesuvius eruption like Pompeii was.

These are among the best preserved and intact Greek temples and ruins in the world.

Legend:

Photo 1: From the train ride past mount Vesuvius. Note how bg it really was at one time.

Photo 2: The front of the temple to Neptune (Gr. Poseidon).

Photo 3: K and I in front of the Temple to Ceres.

Photo 4: K next to one of the Doric columns support bases.

Photo 5: Intact mosaic floor tiles in a part of the city.

Photo 6: Another photo of columns and Ceres.
Photo 7: Lunchtime. We had spiced penna spaghetti, veal scalapini, italian sausage, salad and fries.

Shopping in Sorrento

Bongiorno from Sorrento, Italy. A small tourist town, located on the Italy's Amalfi coast, it lies only one hour train ride on the Circumvesuviana railroad. We looked up at Mount Vesuvius as rode past Pompeii and Erculano, two of the cities wiped out by the 96 AD volanic eruption.

Here are some photos from where we were today:

Photo1: K and I atop the Sorrento cliffs above Napoli Bay.

Photo 2: Bay of Napoli.

Photo 3: Inside the Cathedral in Sorrento, looking up at it's golden dome.

Photo 4: A stained glass inside the same cathedral.

Photo 5: Shopping seemed to be the highlight of Sorrento.

Photo 6: Sorrento square from our table while sipping iced Cappachino.

Photo 7: K walking the cobbled and narrow streets of Naples.