Orvieto & Civita di Bagnoregio - July 25, 2012

After disembarking  the Crown Princess we traveled with our guide, Marco Tavola from Rome Connections, through the countryside of Lazio and Umbria to our first stop, Civita da Bagnoregio.  This remarkable little medieval town is perched on a tiny plateau overlooking the Tiber River valley.  Parts of the town have crumbled and fallen away and now the population numbers only around 20 people.  The only access is via a long and very steep bridge.  We looked at it from an overlook and didn’t try the climb!

Civita di Bagnoregio as seen from the overlook

A view from the parking lot to give some perspective of the steep bridge

Our next stop was Orvieto about which Katie has written a little regarding our visit to the underground complex of caves beneath the city.  Orvieto is also situated on a butte  which made it ideal for defense from attackers.  The city commands the surrounding countryside and offers beautiful vistas including this former convent now a luxury hotel.

One of the views from Orvieto

The most remarkable edifice in Orvieto is its Duomo.  This cathedral was begun in 1290 and completed in the next century.  Many people consider its façade to be one of the most beautiful  in Italy.

The facade of Orvieto's Duomo

Detail of the intricate facade

For lunch Marco arranged for us to sample some local wines and food specialties at a little bistro on the main square near the Duomo.  We tried a variety of roast pork, sausages, a basil and anchovy tapanade and some delicious biscotti.  After lunch we were off to our 2 night stay in Rome.

Orvieto Underground

After we disembarked the ship at the port of Civitavecchia, we took a tour of Bagno Reggio and Orvieto, two picturesque towns, before heading to our hotel in Rome. My mom will make a more general post about our tour, but I thought I'd detail a specific and unusual visit we made, "Orvieto Underground." The town of Orvieto, Italy, is perched high on a dramatic hill above the Umbrian countryside. Because of its unusual situation on a rocky hill with almost vertical cliff faces, it sits above literally hundreds of caves, both natural and manmade. We took a tour that gives you a taste of the underside of Orvieto by walking through two of the numerous caves. My photos in dim light aren't the greatest, but here are a few, with a little information about what we saw.

A door within a cave in Orvieto

The first cave we toured had been used for the production of olive oil, and contained wheels (originally turned by donkeys) and other equipment used for that purpose. Although my pictures of it didn't turn out well enough to share, this cave contained perhaps the most interesting thing we saw: a narrow, seemingly bottomless shaft, actually about 80 meters deep, that was dug by the original Etruscan inhabitants of Orvieto as far back as the 6th century B.C. There are dozens of similar shafts beneath Orvieto, and they were used as wells by the Etruscans. Interestingly, you can see footholds on either side of the shaft, suggesting that they were dug by one person climbing up by putting his or her feet on alternate sides. 

A place where olive oil was made

The second cave was deeper, but it had "windows" on the cliff face. This series of caves was used to raise pigeons, which the inhabitants of Orvieto ate for centuries. The pigeons, our guide told us, nested in the cubical holes you can see in this image, and proved to be easy-to-raise, since they would feed themselves by flying out of the windows and foraging, then returning to their roost. 

A view of the pigeon-raising cave

Another space in the pigeon-raising cave

Most of the Orvieto caves are privately-owned, and are used as wine cellars by those who live in houses above them. The final space in the second cave we visited was used during World War II as a refuge for people in the surrounding countryside. Here's a final picture of the view from one of the windows in the pigeon cave, which gave a beautiful view of the landscape around Orvieto.

The landscape near Orvieto, seen from a cave

The Amalfi Coast

Now for the second part of our day in the port of Naples: a drive up the Amalfi Coast from Amalfi to Positano. We started with some free time in the town of Amalfi, where we visited the impressive cathedral, had some iced coffee sitting outside in a little cafe, and walked through some shops.

Amalfi Cathedral

We bought some candied lemon peel in a pasticcieria. The Amalfi region is known for its lemons in many forms: limoncello, candied lemon peel, huge lemons for sale in every grocery store and roadside stand, and lemon motifs on the brightly-colored ceramics.

Delicious-looking pastries for sale in Amalfi

After visiting Amalfi, we started off on our drive along the steep, winding coastal road. The towns and beaches are situated on dramatic cliffs by the sea, like this little beach in a narrow gorge:

A beach on the Amalfi Coast

Our driver was from the small town of Praiano, which we passed through, so he recommended a local family restaurant, La Brace, with a great view of the coast from our terrace table. It's zucchini season here in Italy - one town that we passed had banners touting the upcoming Zucchini Festival - so I ordered a delicious spaghetti with zucchini. 

Eating lunch in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast

We ended our drive in the town of Positano, although our schedule didn't permit us to spend any time there. Here's a view that gives you some idea of the spectacular Amalfi Coast:

A view of Positano

 

Herculaneum

Two days ago, from the port of Naples we took a tour including a drive of the Amalfi Coast and a guided visit to the archaeological site of Herculaneum. Today's post will just be about the visit to Herculaneum, since it's such an amazing place with so much to see. As you probably know, Herculaneum, along with Pompeii, was destroyed in the huge eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, and both cities are like moments frozen in time, almost 2000 years old. Unlike Pompeii, which was covered with volcanic ash, Herculaneum was buried in hot mud, which preserved some perishable materials like wooden doors and beams. In this picture, you can see the deep layer of hardened volcanic material that was excavated to reveal the city:

A view of Herculaneum

Visitors can see all sorts of interesting locations that give a window into the daily life of ancient Romans. For instance, there are several of these "snack bars," which were like fast food restaurants situated on street corners where average people could gather to eat from foods kept in these large round vats.

An ancient Roman "snack bar" in Herculaneum

This picture didn't turn out so well, but hopefully you can see the four different colored jugs on the bottom. This is an advertisement painted on the wall next to an ancient wine ship, advertising the different types and prices of wares:

A wine advertisement in Herculaneum

Finally, another of my favorite aspects of the tour to Herculaneum was being able to see beautiful mosaics, like this one of sea creatures decorating the floor of the bath houses...

A mosaic floor from Herculaneum

...and another wall mosaic from the house of a well-to-do citizen. You can see that the ocean theme of the mosaic is continued in the ring of seashells that borders the whole thing:

Another mosaic from Herculaneum

Our tour guide, Daniela, was very knowledgeable and informative, and led us on a great walk through the city. It's haunting to think about walking in the footsteps of this ancient disaster, but it's really a fascinating and rich glimpse into history!

Some further impressions and photos from Santorini

As Katie mentioned in her blog post, one of the highlights of our tour was the visit to the Museum of Thera in Fira.  While small, there were some really interesting and beautiful displays.  She mentioned the plaster cast of a table dating back 3600 years.  This photo shows some of the intricate detail of the carving on the table.  I found it remarkably similar in style to some period furniture we can find today.

Cast of the 3600 year old table

This is a shish kebab holder from 1600 BC.  Again I was struck by the beauty of something so utilitarian. 

Santorini’s colors are a feast for the eyes. Ships anchor in the volcano’s caldera in deep blue water surrounded by cliffs which show layers of red lava infused with iron oxide alternating with layers of black basalt.  Perched on top are the sparkling  white buildings, many with their blue roofs and windows.  In between there are  patches of vivid fuchsia bougainvilla.  Along the eastern shore which is flat there are long beaches of black sand and pebbles.  This is an island which would be worth spending a little more time than  just a brief port call allows.

Along the main street in Oia

Santorini

Today we visited another of the Cyclades, the island of Santorini, which is a fascinating and beautiful place geologically, archaeologically, culturally, and aesthetically. Some of the island's fourteen towns are perched high on the cliffs and mountains, like the capital of Fira, that you can see in this photo taken from the old port that's used as the tender pier by visiting cruise ships. To get up and down from the tender pier to Fira, you can choose a dramatic cable car ride, a walk up almost 600 steps, or a donkey ride. 

View of Fira from the old port

 Our tour took us to the town of Oia (pronounced "Ee-ya") on the northern edge of the largest island. (Side note: Santorini consists of five islands in a sort of ring shape around an enormous volcanic caldera  that is filled in by the sea.) The winding pedestrian street in Oia takes you to amazing views of the dramatic cliffs and the caldera below in which the cruise ships are anchored. Many of the houses along the cliff face are actually excavated from the volcanic stone, which originally was the building method of the less well-to-do, but now have become the most desirable real estate. 

A view from Oia, Santorini

Another view looking over the cliffside town of Oia

Another interesting part of our tour took us to the Thera Prehistoric Museum (Thera is the ancient name of Santorini), which houses many artifacts from the archeological site of Akrotiri at the southern end of the island. Akrotiri is like the Pompeii of the Cyclades, an ancient city that was destroyed in a volcanic eruption around 1600 B.C. Many artifacts were preserved by being covered with volcanic ash; for instance, in the museum you can see a plaster cast of a surprisingly-modern looking decorative wooden table whose shape was preserved in the ash. Unlike Pompeii, the citizens of Akrotiri had advance warning of the disaster and abandoned the city about a year before it was destroyed.

A fresco from Akrotiri

These are just a few photos from our fascinating day in Santorini - look for more later!

Ephesus

From the port of Kusadasi (pronounced "Koosh-a-das-ih"), today we toured sites in ancient Ephesus. Ephesus was once one of the largest cities in the ancient world, with a population of 250,000 at its peak. Over the centuries, the shoreline of the Aegean sea gradually receded, so when the former port was no longer actually on the water, the inhabitants eventually abandoned the city, which is now several kilometers inland. There were several cruise ships in nearby ports today, so a river of tourists flowed through the marble streets of the ruined city.

A street in Ephesus

One of the most spectacular sights in Ephesus is the ruins of the two-story Library of Celsus, a Roman building from the 2nd century AD that once housed 12,000 scrolls. 

My mother standing in front of the Library of Celsus

A closer view of the facade of the Library of Celsus

After walking about a mile through the ruins and eating a tasty lunch of sandwiches and salads, we visited the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, which houses some interesting artifacts from the surrounding area. I was particularly amused by this 2,000 year old folding chair, which looks pretty much like a folding chair from today.

An ancient folding chair

The most unusual and interesting artifact in the collection, though, is probably this huge statue from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple itself does not exist any more; in fact, from a hilltop you can see that only one column of this formerly enormous structure still stands. In this striking-looking statue, the goddess Artemis is depicted as a many-breasted figure, with lots of different natural creatures adorning her (like the bees on the left side of her body).

Statue of Artemis from Ephesus

Mykonos, Greece

We spent today on the island of Mykonos, one of the Cyclades, a group of Greek islands in the Aegean sea. The buildings of Mykonos are all bright white with blue trimmings, much like the Greek flags that flap in the brisk wind that's characteristic of the island.

My mother and I did not take a tour, but instead just wandered through the winding roads near the port, had a tasty Greek lunch, and took a quick dip in the water. Mykonos is a very windy island. In fact, the windy conditions were a major consideration for the ship, since we anchored offshore and took local tenders to the port. Another famous characteristic of Mykonos is the white-and-blue windmills perched on the hillsides.

Like the other Mediterranean destinations we've visited on this cruise, the water is crystal clear and azure blue. The weather today was hot and sunny again, but the brisk wind made it seem cooler than elsewhere (for example, although we visited the Parthenon first thing yesterday morning, we heard from our tour guide that the Greek government was considering closing the Acropolis site in the afternoon because of the extreme heat).

Here's one final picture from the harbor to give you an idea of what Mykonos looks like:

Athens - July 16, 2012

Today we docked bright and early in Piraeus, the port for Athens.  As soon as the ship was cleared we were off for our tour.  The first stop was the Acropolis ( high city) which dominates downtown Athens.  No buildings in the surrounding area can be more than 9 stories so that the Acropolis with the Parthenon and other temples perched on top can be seen from everywhere and so that the view of the sea is unobstructed.

The Parthenon

Our guide Maria led us to the summit with frequent stops in shady spots which gave us a chance to catch our breath and get information about the place.  The myth is that the Goddess Athena and the God Poseidon competed for the right to have the city named for them.  Poseidon gave the people a fountain as a gift.  The locals were unimpressed.  Athena presented them with an olive tree which they really liked so the city was named for her.

A view from the Acropolis

The Parthenon, which occupies the top of the Acropolis, is dedicated to Athena.  Some things that make the complex in this place special are that it was built by free people (60,000 of them) who were paid one drachma per day and it took only 42 years to complete.  Another thing we found interesting is that the columns of the Parthenon were constructed to lean in to compensate for the angle of the hill on which they are constructed.  If the columns were extended upward they would in fact form a massive pyramid.

Katakalon & Olimpia - June 15, 2012

It’s another hot and sunny day here in Greece.  We docked at sunrise at Katakalon, which is nothing more than a little port affording access to Olimpia, ancient home of the Olympic Games.  Katie has told you a little about that but I’ll add some anectodal information our guide Dimitrias provided us.  A word about him.  He was a great guide, very knowledgeable and he  loved to talk. After visiting the museum we walked around the site of the ancient Olympic games which included training facilities, temples, bath houses and the stadium. While we heard many interesting tidbits of information, one that particularly stuck in our minds was about cheaters.  When the games first began centuries B.C.E. athletes would come to Olimpia every four years to compete.  During the time of the games a truce was held so that both athletes and spectators could come from all the city-states without fear of harm, despite the fact that there was usually lots of fighting going on.  The sports in which they trained and participated were all skills which would be helpful in combat should their weapons be lost.  Initially the athletes competed for the glory of winning and the honor of receiving a crown of olive branches. As with all things the games cost money to put on and there began to be sponsors of events and individual athletes.  Prizes of a monetary nature began to be given. When that happened another phenomenon began to occur – cheating!  Compeittors would do things like try to trip others in their races.  If someone was caught cheating a heavy price had to be paid. The cheater was banned from the sport for life.  Additionally, a bronze statue of the cheater was cast and put on display in the stadium alongside a plaque listing his name, his family’s names, his sponsors and friends names.  All were to be considered part of the infamy and to be shunned,  Apparently there were 13 such statues around the stadium.

The large stone on the left is the one used to light the Olympic Torch

While the site is in ruins, one part is used to this day. For both the Summer and Winter Games, the Olympic Torch is lit here and then begins to make it’s journey to the site of the games.

Olympia, Greece

Here's just a quick update with a couple of pictures from today's port of call: Katakolon, Greece. The highlight of today's tour was the archaeological site and museum at Olympia. Olympia was the site of the ancient Olympic games, and also one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, a gigantic statue of Zeus constructed out of gold and ivory (that's unfortunately no longer extant). The archaeological site was first excavated in the late nineteenth century, and it consists mostly of colossal fragments of stone, which are impressive even though they're ruined.

The ruins of the Rotunda at Ancient Olympia

The museum at Olympia is very interesting, and contains some masterpieces of ancient sculpture, including the original pediments from the Temple of Zeus and this amazing statue of Hermes. 

Statue of Hermes at Olympia

More Corfu - July14, 2012

Katie and I decided that I would tell you about our first stop on our tour of Corfu, the Achilleion Palace.  This lovely place was built by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissi.  Elisabeth was the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph.  She was actually quite a tragic and melancholy figure.  She lost one daughter to what was probably typhus and her son Rudolf in the Mayerling incident which was most likely a murder-suicide.   Elisabeth probably suffered from anorexia and she essentially ate only liquids.  Her waist was only about 15 inches in  circumference despite having borne 4 children.  Our guide told us an interesting anecdote about a dinner the Empress held at the palace.  She had 300 guests and served a meal consisting of 25 courses.  She wanted the meal to last only 1 minute per course. Guests could only eat after Elisabeth had begun her course.  Essentially most of the people never got to taste anything because by the time they were aware she was eating, the Empress had put her utensil down and the course was whisked away.   Her tragic life ended when she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist while she was visiting in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Entry Portico of Achilleion

A statue of Elisabeth of Austria at the entrance

Elisabeth was  enthralled with the stories from Greek mythology and named her palace after Achilles.  The building is surrounded by lovely Italianate gardens.  After her death, the palace was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II and it became one of his summer residences.

Statue of the dying Achilles

Corfu, Greece

Greetings from the island of Corfu, Greece! Today we took an all-day tour of several locations on Corfu, a large island in the Ionian sea with around 140,000 inhabitants. The weather was very sunny and hot again today, with a high of 108 degrees. One of the places our tour took us to was the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a small monastery dating back to the 13th century, high on a hill above the small town of Paleokastritsa. The cove by Paleokastritsa was filled with vacationers bathing in the azure blue water, and there were signs pointing toward various grottoes and sea caves along the rocky coast. The sea looked so inviting and clear!

A view of the Corfu coastline

The drive up and down the hills was gorgeous and required an expert bus driver to navigate the tight turns and steep slopes. All around the island, the landscape beside the road is covered with olive trees, many of which are hundreds of years old - our guide told us that the oldest olive tree on Corfu is 2,000 years old. Once we got up to the monastery, we took a tour and looked inside the chapel, with its ancient icons covered in gold. There are still some monks living there.

A mosaic in the monastery near Paleokastritsa, Corfu

Later on in the day, we stopped at a viewpoint with a café to get a snack and take some pictures of the dramatic coastline. We both sampled the local beverage of choice, a non-alcoholic ginger beer made with ginger and lemon juice. It was spicy and just the thing to refresh us on a hot day! Items made from kumquats are another local specialty that's unique to Corfu; the Corfiots make kumquat liquor, candies, and preserves. We ate some kumquat cake, and later on I bought a jar of marmalade. Tomorrow we're off to Katakolon. Look for more photos and reflections on Corfu from my mother later on!

Lemon ginger beer, a local specialty on Corfu

A view of the old town in Corfu

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today we visited beautiful Dubrovnik, Croatia. The old center of Dubrovnik is a city surrounded by medieval walls enclosing quaint streets. All of the buildings are constructed out of cream-colored stone with red-tiled roofs, and today it was sunny and very hot. It's a very picturesque city, perched on the rocky shore of the crystal-clear and blue Adriatic. We didn't take a tour today; instead we just walked around inside the walled city, looked in the cathedral, and took in the sights. After a while, we sat in a cafe and refreshed ourselves with some iced coffee - it turns out that when you order iced coffee in Dubrovnik, what you get is actually cold coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream in it. Other than some postcards, our sole souvenir purchase was a jar of sea salt mixed with local herbs, particularly lavender, which seems to be very popular here. After our coffee break, I went up on the city walls and walked around, which gave me a great view of Dubrovnik and its surroundings.

Here are some photos from our visit: