Italy2024

 Today marks our final day in Italy.  We will visit Orvieto.  This is the last item on our planned itinerary.  Linda and I visited Orvieto a number of years ago and we thought the kids would enjoy seeing a medieval city. Like every other place in Italy, the Etruscans were there first.  This ancient city was a major centre of the Etruscan civilization.  Rome annexed Orvieto in the 3rd century BC.  The city is located on top of a plateau, overlooking the surrounding valley.   The elevation is 650' above the valley.  It was considered an impregnable location and it controlled the road from Florence to Rome.  The population in the 13th century was 30,000.  Today it is 20,000.  The city was built on a flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff  (75% volcanic ash and 25% rock).  This is basically two cities, the above ground and the underground. Although the city was considered impregnable, caution was the watchword...

 Today is our last full day in Rome.  On the itinerary for today is to visit the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and attend an Italian cooking class and learn how to make pasta.  A full day awaits us.  I have scheduled transportaion for a pickup at our apartment at 9:00 PM to take us to the airport.  We have rooms at the Airport Hilton for two nights.  Our plans for tomorrow are to take a train to Orvieto, a medieval village about 100 miles north of Rome.  Afterwards we will return to the airport for a return flight on Saturday. The Spanish Steps were first on our list.  The steps were built in 1660.  At the top of the steps was the Trinita dei Monti Church, at the bottom of the steps is the Piazza di Spagna (Spain Plaza). In this plaza is the Fontana della Baraccia. It was designed by Pietro Bernini in 1623, and was part of a Papal project to erect a fountain in every major piazza in Rome. While at the Spanish Plaza, we met a di...

 Today we had a much anticipated trip to the Isle of Capri.  We had a long walk down to the Port of Sorrento to catch a  ferryboat to Capri. Part of this trek was to use an elevator to descend to the shore.  The cost was 7 euros for the using the lift. I had 7 euros in coins to use for that. As we were walking down to the lift, a taxi stopped and wanted to know if we wanted a ride to the port.  I asked how much, he said 10 euros.  I said how about 7 euros?  He said OK.  We loaded our bags in his van and we were at the port in short order.  We boarded the ferry for a 25 minute ride to Capri.The boat was new, well kept, and plush.  The weather was good, and the seas were calm.  A pleasant journey.  Upon arriving on the Isle, we stored our luggage and took the funicular to the top of Capri.  The views were stunning, to say the least.  So much shopping, so little time.  While Linda and the girls went shopping, I foun...

 Today we explored the ruins of Pompeii and learned about a city destroyed by an act of nature...  a tragedy that occurred in 79 AD when Mt Vesuvius erupted.  The volcano eruption lasted two days.  When it was over, the city was buried under 13 to 20 feet of volcanic ash. This city was considered to  be a wealthy traditional Roman city. Population was estimated to be 11,000 in 79 AD.  Most of the residents were able to evacuate before the volcano erupted.  1150 bodies have been found on this site as of now.  This number changes from time to time as the excavations continue. Pompeii is one of the most popular sites in Italy for visitors, about 2.5 million visitors come here every year.   The volcano was not the only destructive event to fall on Pompeii.  In 1943 Allied Army Airforces , during Operation Avalanche, dropped about 170 bombs on the ruins.  This was in an effort to dislodge the Germans based here.  Significant da...

 It is Monday and we are taking a road trip to Sorrento.  On this trip we will tour the Pompeii Ruins and travel to the Isle of Capri. This proved an interesting and learning day for us in using public transportation in Italy.  It reminded me of a movie from days gone by, " Planes, Trains & Automobiles".  On this trip I swapped the plane for a boat.  We walked to the metro station and rode the subway to the Rome Termini (the central train station in Rome).  When you hear the statement, "all roads lead to Rome", they are talking about the Rome Termini.  It reminded me of organized chaos.   The Termini took its name from the ancient "Baths of Diocletian", (in Latin, thermae), which lies across the street from the main entrance.  150 million people pass throught the Termini in a year. 850 trains run in and out of it every day.   In the early 4th century BC, a wall was constructed around Rome, the Servian Wall.  A length o...

 Today was a walk through history.  We had a short 10 minute walk to the Coloseum to meet our tour director. We spent the next four hours on a guided walking tour that covered the Coloseum, the Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum.  Our grandchildren had studied this in their world history classes, and I think it meant a lot for them to see what was discussed in class in person. Construction on the Coloseum began in 69 AD and completed in 80 AD.  It was and still is the largest standing amphitheatre in the world.  It is located in the center of Rome, next to the Roman Forum.  This structure would hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators.  It was estimated the average attendence was 65,000 people.  It had many uses during this time, I think mostly of the gladiator spectacles, made famous through the years by the movie industry.  It was used for any number of public spectacles, to include animal hunts, public executions, and reenactment of hist...