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Final Post--Herculaneum and More

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January 3, 2018 Herculaneum and more Our last day was full!   Herculaneum was a seaside resort town which also was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE.   It was far wealthier than Pompeii, the site of excavation is much smaller.   The damage, too, was different as, rather than mostly ash, smoke and deadly gasses, Herculaneum was buried by volcanic rubble.   We left early for a visit, and began at the site of the boat houses which were, at the time, at the seashore:   Many skeletons of women and children were found here, with incredible jewelry on the women, most of which is now housed in a local museum: There was an intriguing temple to four gods.   From left to right, Minerva (Athena), Mercury (Hermes), Neptune (Poseidon) and Vulcan (Festus): Here’s a closeup of Neptune: The homes were large and extensively decorated.   Here’s a mosaic floor and wall paintings: The wine bar looked...
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The Amalfi Coast

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Wednesday, January 2, 2019 The Amalfi Coast Yesterday, on New Year’s Day, we spent the morning at the Museo Bottega della Tarsia Lignea, a museum devoted to inlaid wood art.   It was astonishing!   (see http://www.comune.sorrento.na.it/pagina845_museo-bottega-della-tarsia-lignea.html ) This is a labor of love for an architect who became enamored with this form of art, which is widely practiced here.   He has assembled a collection of the finest examples, which fill a three-story villa in the center of Sorrento.   He led us on a private tour, and the items in this collection are incredibly beautiful.   Both the art and the craft are extraordinary.   Highly recommended.   No photos allowed, unfortunately. We spent the rest of the day wandering the city and shopping (yes, many shops are open on New Year’s Day).   A lovely dinner and to bed. Today we drove and boated the Amalfi coast, visiting three of the towns there.   The ...
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Capri and New Year's Eve

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Capri and New Year’s Eve December 31, 2018 An early rise and breakfast to get to the Sorrento port for the early boat to Capri.   It’s a fast catamaran: We took only about 35 minutes to get to Capri: The harbor is below the town: And you take a funicular up and up to a point midway between the water and the top of the mountain.   From there you can see the road to the top; according to our guide it’s called “Via Mamma Mia: Capri town looks down over homes: There are fabulous estates here.   This one, at the top of a cliff, belonged to Friedrich Krupp of the German steel company, who died in 1902.   There is a walkway named for Krupp also: The middle level of the island is where the town is, and the town is Rodeo Drive in Italy.   Designer store after designer store along a lovely street.   We walked an incredible path which had phenomenal villas on both sides—upper and lower.   ...
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Pompeii

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Pompeii December 30, 2018 Yesterday in the late afternoon we had a wonderful hour with an art historian, setting the place of Roman and Greek art in a timeline, and placing the frozen art and architecture of 79 CE, when Vesuvius erupted, in context for us.   Especially interesting was her description of the advances the Romans made in the formulas for concrete, allowing for much more advanced construction techniques.   These advances explain some of the changes in architecture even between the terrible earthquake which devastated Pompeii in 62 CE and the destruction of the volcano.   Today was truly, a remarkable day.   The drive along the Sorrento peninsula is breathtaking and somewhat scary, reminiscent of Highway 101 along the northern California coast.   It’s about 45 minutes back towards Naples to Pompeii, and our guide lectured us on the history of Rome up to and including the year 79.   Although the capitol of the state was in Rome, the ...
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