Italy Day 1: Sorrento via Pompeii
Sunday, May 30, 2010
This is the day we begin to enjoy the “La Dolce Vita,” or the sweet life.
Today we woke up early and had a great breakfast at the Sheraton. The spread of food was vast. There were lots of cheeses, meats, runny eggs (yuk), fruits and pastries. I could see right away that my previously good diet habits were going to fly right out the window! Oh well … when in Rome, do as the Romans do … right?
We boarded the coach and headed south at 7;45 a.m. for the Monte Cassino Abbey. It was actually rebuilt after an epic battle of 1944, and dominates the countryside from its mountain top setting (yep, straight from the brochure). We walked up a small, winding road, to get to the Abbey, where we found amazing views of the scenery down below.
Monte Cassino Abbey
Vineyard and villa below the Abbey
We saw part of a church service inside, with priests and an alter boy swinging the incense (think smoke maker).
Church service at the Abbey
The church was so ornate, as all of Italia is, with angels embedded on all the arcs up above.
Jesus on the cross (inside the church)
inside the church
Mother and Child mosaic
The monks at this Abbey survived when the United States bombed them in 1944. The following photos show some of these ancient lower areas of the Abbey that they hid in.
hiding place for the Monks
place of worship
original iron door
This Abbey was a great “opening act” for the rest of what Italy had to offer. Now it’s off to the Commonwealth War Cemetery, just down the hill from the Abbey.
Ciao Abbey of Monte Cassino!
Abbey of Monte Cassino - South of Rome
Commonwealth War Cemetery
This cemetery is for the fallen soldiers of WWII. There were pristine gardens and it gave me such a sense of tranquility and peace. There was very unusual foliage there, as well as a koi pond.
Commonwealth War Cemetery
I loved the symmetry of this site.
symmetry and sadness
long rows
koi and lily pond
beauty between
pond view
Now it’s off to Pompeii.
Pompeii
On our “coach” ride down to Pompeii, we stopped at at little restaurant for some lunch. The locals were there with their families and we were able to catch a glimpse of a post communion celebration.
family celebrating son's communion
We arrived in Pompeii, the ill-fated Roman resort buried by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD79. Dario, a man-purse wearing, linen-suit-wearing Italian, was our tour guide here. He was very entertaining and knowledgeable.
Dario (Dave's new Italian name)
Our tour lasted about three hours. We explored the daily life of this ancient Roman civilization which included a bath/massage house and old brothel, complete with “position” paintings still left behind on the walls.
cobblestoned street of Pompeii
street view
Pompeii
ancient house area
balcony of the brothel
position on brothel wall (in case someone forgot)
Then we were off on a scenic cliff-top drive on the way to Sorrento.
Sorrento
We arrived at the Hotel La Pace, and were handed the key to our room. We stayed 3 nights at this hotel with its canary yellow tiles and beautiful views of the Bay of Naples and the town below (yes, we’d be paid back for this good fortune later). Sorrento is situated across from the Isle of Capri and Naples. Our view from our balcony was postcard perfect, with the old buildings and ocean visible.
straight ahead view from our balcony
view of Mt. Vesuvius and old buildings
We ate dinner at the hotel tonight and sat with two quiet sets of couples who were “not the life of the party,” shall we say. Our courses included: lasagna, steak, and a strawberry shortcake-like desert.
Hotel La Pace
our room to the left of palm tree
Buonanotte – (Goodnight)