Matera.htm

I was fascinated by Pompeii! Once again, we had a terrific local guide, Gaetano, who brought it to life for us. Pompeii was built in 600 BC and was destroyed in 79AD when Mt. Vesuvius literally exploded, covering the city with ash. It was quite well preserved. It had been damaged by an earthquake about 10 years before, so much of the city had not been rebuilt after that event.

Modern cities are just an evolution of ancient cities like Pompeii. Ancient Romans lived a very modern lifestyle . They had wine bars, bakeries, shops, spas, villas, theaters, potable water and sewers, even places for fast food and wine. There was a town square (pedestrians only) where people met travelers stopping in their port and got news from the rest of the world. Our modern day lifestyle has only recently returned to the lifestyle enjoyed by the ancient Romans.

Romans even recycled! They’d break up their old wine jars and use the pieces when making roads and also terra cotta floors for their homes. Often we’d see different layers of flooring. They liked to redecorate like we do!

All Roman streets were the same: slave quarters, a store, and a home. This order was kept up and down the streets, both sides. Some of the houses were huge and some were modest. These could be next to each other. All Romans were entitled to the same amenities. The rich and poor alike could use the same baths, go to the same amphitheaters, and shop in the same stores. The homes of the poor were decorated beautifully. Paint was cheap, and they decorated with colorful faux painting.

Cindy’s getting a little water at a Roman fountain which were found on all the streets. All streets sloped downwards. When the fountains overflowed, the streets were cleaned. Pretty efficient!

These large stones kept the pedestrians’ feet dry when they crossed the street. The spaces between the stones allowed carts to travel freely. We can see that this street allows two way traffic. Some streets are one-way. Pretty clever.

Gaetano showed us the fast food bar. There were places for both hot and cold foods. We also saw a bakery. The pizza ovens used today are the same as the Romans had.

Here we see a public works project cut short by Mt. Vesuvius. The stones which had been worn down by cart wheels were in the midst of being replaced.

Here’s my little faun again. This is a replica in the courtyard of a 27,000 foot villa where it once stood. We would see the original in the museum in Naples.

This is the tribunal. Gaetano explained that each Roman courthouse had two stories and was built exactly the same. The one where Pilate sentenced Jesus to death would have been just like this one.

We enjoyed Pompeii so much, but now it was time to move on to Naples. One of the highlights there was seeing the amazing artwork at Museo Capella Sansevero. I couldn’t believe that entire fishnet (right) was carved from marble. And the Veiled Christ (below) was incredible!

Churches all over Italy are incredibly ornate. This one has an interesting display honoring St. Giuseppi Moscati.

Your time on the tour will be extremely well organized. You won’t spend a lot of time standing in long lines. I know we couldn’t have seen as much or done as much on our own in this amount of time.

Naples is an exciting city with lots of noise and traffic. On the side streets, you’ll find cars, motorcycles (lots of them) and people sharing a small amount of space.

In big cities like Naples, it’s important to keep and eye out for pickpockets and thieves. Just take what you need with you, wear your money belt, dress like the natives, and avoid carrying obvious touristy items like large camera cases that will draw attention to you. Keep that in mind, and you’ll be fine.

We had such fun when we went out for pizza in Naples. After we ordered our pizzas, we had to wait until the waiters leisurely ate their dinner first, but they did offer us some of theirs while we waited! And most of us ordered the same toppings on our pizzas, but when the pizzas came, they all looked different! Hey, it’s Italy!

You will have small groups on your tour, usually between 25 to 28 people, although ours was a bit smaller. I saw several other tour companies with groups of 50 people with earphones walking down the street with their guide. That did not look like fun to me. You will not have that on a Rick Steves’ tour.

The Archaeological Museum in Naples was wonderful! It was fascinating to see many of the artifacts that were taken from Pompeii.

Rick Steves’ web site has a handy Traveler’s Helpline that I used many times before both of our tours to ask questions of other travelers. They ranged from transportation while we were traveling on our own to what to do about voltage and hair dryers, etc. I always got excellent advice, and I highly recommend it. By the way, we bought an inexpensive hair dryer at a drug store in Holland, and I found a dual voltage curling iron at home. Your camera charger is probably dual voltage already.

This “Mountain of Marble” was carved out of one piece of marble. The lady on the left is nicknamed “Pretty Bottom.”

The glassware looked like it could have been blown yesterday. The jar on the upper right still contains mascara from 79 AD! The doctor on our tour said the medical instruments on display are very similar to ones used today.

The mosaics were incredible. The mosaic on the left is of a backstage theater scene. There’s an actor putting on his costume, a man cleaning the masks, a musician, and two actors or dancers practicing their parts.

Don’t worry, you will have plenty of time on your own to shop. Space, however, is a problem. You will be limited to one 21” suitcase and one day bag per person, even on a 21 day tour. I never thought we could manage, but we did. Careful planning and packing. It works!

After some last minute shopping, we needed to get back to the hotel to get ready for our last cocktail party and last dinner with our group. Was it possible that the tour was coming to an end already? Where did the time go?

Thumbs up on the Rick Steves’ backpack. It was very soft, lightweight and comfortable to wear. We even carried our laptop in it. As far as my spinner luggage, there were pros and cons. It was great in the airport, but it didn’t work well on rough cobblestones. No problem, though, as I could still pull it along just like our other carry-on size bag.

Bring along one or two of those “green” grocery bags. They fold into nothing in your suitcase. You can use them to store souveniers in deep storage on the bus. If your suitcase unzips, you’ll have room to carry gifts home. Try to buy small items. Some people bring clothes they don’t mind disposing of to make room for gifts on the way home. We brought home seven bottles of wine in the two suitcases, packed between our clothes, and they made it home just fine.

At the cocktail party, Rainer surprised us with entertainment, a cute local singer who serenaded us in Italian.

On a Rick Steves’ tour, you’re likely to have both the young and young-at-heart on board. On our tour, both enjoyed the other’s company immensely.

All too soon, our final dinner was finished, and we saved room for that one final gelato as we all walked back to the hotel. It was hard to say good-bye to our new friends.

Rainer was such a great tour guide, and we loved having Maurizio as our driver. They and our other “buddies” made this tour so special for us. We knew we would miss them all!