Napoli

My time in Napoli was plentiful in the food department, however I have no desire to go back and don't necessarily recommend it otherwise. Naples and I got off on a bad foot. We had such a long layover (train not departing until 9pm when we got back from Pompei at 5) that we wanted to try and explore the area. I'm sure Naples is a lovely place - however the area we saw was not so lovely.

For the past 4 years Naples has experienced various trash strikes from the city workers - leading to HUGE piles of trash all over the streets. The best way I could explain would be to image New York city without trash service for even one week.

On a more positive note: the food was phenomenal! My trip to Napoli included a spicy salami and provolone sandwich, a variety of pasta dishes our group split at a small "hole in the wall" place, a slice of THE BEST pizza I've EVER had (very basic with fresh mozzarella and basil), and a canoli with the sides dipped in pistachio (YUMMMM) from a small bakery.

We didn't get back to Rome until 12:00 am... zzzzzzzz

Traveling Back in Time - Pompei

Today was by far the best day I've had on the trip so far...

We started the day off meeting at 8:00 a.m. to catch a 9:00 train from Termini station to Naples. Where we boarded the metro to Pompeii. Pompeii was hands down the most remarkable place I've been in my entire life. We were so fortunate that our tour guide was a professional Italian Archeologist and knew every quirky fact and really did an incredible job at putting the ancient city into perspective for us. If anyone ever wants to go there, I have his card to recommend him when you sign up for your tour. I wish that I had the time to reiterate the entire tour we had because the history and excavation were breathtaking. We were able to see the caster bodies that show the expressions and positions of those who died in the volcanic eruption (if you know nothing of Pompeii - I highly suggest "googling" it now). We also saw the area where the people would sell their goods and had their versions of "fast food" right on the streets. The houses varied in size by the wealth and political systems of the city. Everything was about rank, even the location of the shops on the streets.

look closely and you will see the caster of a man as he died

One of the most astonishing buildings we toured and got to take a time machine back thousands of years was the male bath house. When you entered there was a sophisticated changing room, followed by an outdoor courtyard that featured a gym and exercise area. After that was a massage table where slaves would pamper them and relax their muscles before they went into the sauna room. In the sauna room we learned that slaves in an outside room would pump boiling water through pipes into the walls and floors to keep them nice and warm for the people walking around the sauna. They also burned wood to generate steam in the middle of the room. They then would go into the room with large pools, one hot to bath, and then one cold to help circulation...

Of course we toured the brothel which featured detailed artwork which many believed to be a "menu" for the guests. Prostitution was legal and a commonality in the time and the building was restored very accurately because of the stone beds the brothel used. It is also one of few buildings that had a recovered second story. Other prostitutes in the city could be found by symbolic "markings" (see pictures below) that would point to the houses or room where a prostitute lived. Even though it was common, it was taboo to ask someone how to find a prostitute.

Another interesting shop was that of a excavated bakery featured an industrial flour machine (crazy that they could figure out how to make flour with this mule powered machine) and an oven. It's crazy to me that the same "brick oven" style is still used today to create Neopolitan pizzas and in restaurants all over the world. Thousands of years later and we still use their ovens...wow! We also use their standard chariot width as the standard for all carriages and carts still today and many other norms they set in their time which is reflected in our modern society.

I really could go on an on and on about Pompeii... Most amazing thing I've even seen in my life.

Contact Info for Dr. Emiliano Tufano (archaeologist and tour guide):
emi.tufano@gmail.com, www.myspace.com/liveatpompei, (+39) 3284134719

Arriving in Roma

Whew! What an exhausting day and a half of travel! After our two hour layover in Frankfurt and another two hour flight - we're finally here! The only exciting thing about this flight was looking out the window on the plane to see the snowy tops of the Alps peeking up through clouds! Wow - so amazingly beautiful.

Nothing was better then finally walking out of the airport into 60 degree weather. I couldn't believe it! I had to take my jacket off because I was sweating - sorry to all you Delaware folks who are experiencing blistering cold- but it's decently warm here!

I ended up falling asleep on the commute from the airport to the city - but for the time I was awake coming in I was a little surprised by how run down the outskirts of Rome were. I guess it's comparable to an American city where no matter how beautiful the city is itself - the outskirts are just not good :( It was so nice to finally arrive at St. Johns University and start seeing all the beauty! Che Bella!

After a short orientation, I am now up in my room unpacking with Brittany. Reminds me of the freshman year experience I lived at home - only much cleaner :) We share a room and there is a public bathroom that has about 10 (European) toilets and 15 showers which is so nice! Really happy/excited!

Leaving the US

Today I start my Italian journey!... arrived at the airport shortly after 3:00 to have plenty of time to go through security before meeting up with the group at the Lufthansa International gate. After a LONG wait in the terminal - we finally boarded the plane. We left much later than we were suppose to but actually ended up in Frankfurt just a little bit ago - right on time!

Lufthansa - if you're ever looking for free PR - here ya go! The flight was AWESOME! I'll admit I was extremely nervous having a red eye across the Atlantic for my first time ever leaving the country, but the crew at Lufthansa along with all of the amazing free services made the flight amazing. Our seats had individual TV screens and I could pick from about 10 movies to watch, read history about various destinations they fly to (including Rome), listen to music, and gps my flight! We could see a little plane and a red line of the path we took up along the American continent and then down through Ireland and England into Frankfurt. We had free pillows, blankets, ear phones, 2 delicious meals... beef with a pilaf and then fresh fruit (kiwi, watermelon, blueberrys, strawberries) for breakfast. My favorite part - Wine was FREE!! I had two glasses so that I would be nice and tired - BUT of course I barly slept...

zzz...

I'll be writing again after we arrive in Roma!!