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