Steve Watson

Using his phone we the navigated our way to the Catacombe di San Gennaro where we decided to take the 1 hour 9E tour. I was a little dubious, since the quality of the Priscilla tour hadn't impressed, but this was in another class altogether. The guide knew all the dates, and invited questions, and provided answers, and just generally make it interesting. The catacombs themselves were vast and much more impressive than I'd expected.
24/04/2018 (Tuesday)
Arrived in ROME. 35 hours of travelling. Left home by taxi at 06:00 QLD time and arrived in Papaverdo at 09:15 the next day Italian time. (24:00 + 03:15 + 08:00 = 35:15) I had tried to sleep most of the third (11 hour) leg from Wuhan to Rome, but it didn't seem as comfortable as the BNE-CAN leg. The train was fairly comfortable from the airport, but the ticket system was almost impenetrable and I think I wound up paying 14E instead of 8. The hostel's pretty good. Dorm beds are in a different building just round the corner and quite well appointed. No lockable lockers there but valuables can be left at the 24 hour reception if there's worry. Wifi strong, lots of computers and desks, coffee and drinks facilities, tables and comfy chairs. There are only two others in the dorm with me. I haven't met one of them who came in very late. Spent the evening reading Baldacci's 'The Last Mile' and watching the new Netflix series 'Travellers' (three episodes!) Went out for a quick walk in the evening but didn't do much except buy some groceries: muesli and yoghurt, vegetables, lasagna (had it for dinner, it was bad.)

Map of Rome The historical centre according to my old tourist map. My hostel's in the top right on 'Via Palestro' - which is actually Via Castelfidardo.

25/04/2018 (Wednesday)
To Termini to buy a train ticket on to Naples. 35E and no problems at the ticket office. Walked on to Santa Maria Maggiore, which is a very early (V^th C) basilican style church but has been renovated and modified continually since then. The final impression is very much late Renaissance to (almost) Baroque and I find it vastly overdone, but it will look good in photos I dare say. I watched the tourists wandering around while the clerics also went about their devotional work, and it struck me that even for most of the European tourists here this was a quite alien and not quite real world: sort of a Holy Disney.

*The ceiling of Santa Maria Maggiore* The gold used here was brought from the New World by Columbus to his sponsors, Ferdinand and Isabella, who then gave it to pope Alexander VI. The thing is XVI^th C work.

*The dome of Santa Maria Maggiore*

*Santa Maria Maggiore*
On down via Merulan to St John in Lateran - which I didn't realise was an arcibasilica and the most important church in Rome. It's the seat of the Pope - literally. It's also the oldest public church in Rome and, following the Lateran Treaty, has extraterritorial status (along with a bunch of other papal properties.) It's partly built on the site of the old property of the Lateran clan of the early Roman Empire.

The plan of St John Lateran
Back directly via Merulan and then up Buonarotti and so on to the train station. I think this must be the Indian section of town. A bit sketchy, but too hot for much mischief, I'd guess.

The floor of St John Lateran Beautiful, but these floors don't seem to have much Christian significance

The nave of St John Lateran

More ceiling decoration

Throne This is the actual cathedra of this the actual cathedral of Rome. This is where the Pope would sit to make pronouncements ex cathedra.

Keys The keys of Heaven and Earth given to Peter to whom Jesus said in Matt 16: ¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
I had intended to go out again in the evening, but I really wasn't feeling too keen, so I stayed in and watched more of 'Travellers'. (I note it's very close similarity to 'Odyssey 5' which I enjoyed, but the setup was clearly intended to be a little more plausible than it was for that one.) Actually I finished the first series, which was a pretty ridiculous thing to do.
26/04/2018 (Thursday)
Still working out the best way to stay in a dorm. I've realised that it'd be a good idea to prepare tomorrow's change of clothes and have them ready before going to bed. Trying to do this quietly in the dark before all others are awake is very difficult. In the afternoon I went out walking. First visit was to Santa Maria Maggiore on Via Cavour. Then down Cavour to San Pietro in Vincoli, which I found was shut for lunch. Continuing down I arrived at the Colosseum and had to navigate quite a large concentration of tourists. Access to the Foro Imperio was by ticket, but I saw no particular reason to repeat that. I skipped it and went on to the Circo Massimo where I sat in the shade on the grass slopes and watched people walking dogs and read Aron 'Opium of the Intellectuals'. That was a pleasant way to spend an hour. Walking on I tried to see the Bocca della Verità, but there was quite a queue to get in so I skipped it. Up the hill to the Campidoglio and I considered going to revisit the museums, but I'm not paying 15E for a ticket. Walked home via the Quirinal and bought a salad and sausages for dinner and a drink and sandwiches for a late snack. Pleasant day, but quite tiring. Booked a Naples bed for 5 nights. Reading and viewing in the evening.
27/04/2018 (Friday)
Reading and browsing in the morning, and then tried to look up catacombs to visit. This turned out to be more difficult than I'd thought because - obviously! - they're a bit distant from the centre of town. I chose the Catacomb di Priscilla as in easiest walking distance. In fact, it only took 40 minutes to get there. I arrived just as it was reopening from the siesta at 14:00, and bought an English tour for 8E. I regard that as a perfectly reasonable price. The tour itself was a bit strained; the fellow giving it was clearly reciting a script, and doing it with absolutely no affect except where the script said 'express astonishment'. The information was good enough and the catacombs were indeed interesting - especially the explanations of some of the symbolism. The only one I didn't know was important was the use of the tale of Susannah and the elders, whose unjust accusation of adultery was apparently representative of the unjust persecution of the church. It's unfrtunate that none of the photos turned out well enough to include here.

Catacomb of Priscilla The upper levels are often quite irregular, as here. The second level is much more orderly: basically two crossed main tunnels with dead end tunnels extending perpendicularly from each side
Walked back through a big park, the Villa Alda, which was very nicely looked after and with only a few people jogging or dog-walking. I did think I was going to be led miles out of my way but I found an exit on the south side that went to a dog-walking park where I patted a sweet little fur ball that trotted up to me and sat down for attention. Had a brief lunch at a little shop straight out from Castelfidardo.
28/04/2018 (Saturday)
Out before lunch for a change. This time I headed down XX Settembre to the Piazza delle Quattro Fontane and turned up the via of that ilk, past the Palazzao Barberini (it's a museum charging 8E entry, but I don't know what's in it, so, as I say, I passed it by,) and on up Via Sistina to the Santa Trinità dei Monti. This was a pretty dull church since all the best bits were in the part we weren't allowed to enter. Didn't go down the steps but went up the hill into the park around the Villa Borghese. This was really quite nice. There were lots of people there on bikes, quadcyles, and those scooter things whose name escapes me; just a few musicians playing good tunes; plenty of kiosks and restaurants and souvenir stalls, and a merry-go-round, and even a bouncy-castle - all without making it seem at all crowded. It was really very calm and easy to find a solitary seat to look only at the greenery.

Map of Villa Borghese Garden I note that there's a zoo here too - I never even noticed it at the time.
From here I emerged onto the Piazza del Popolo, down the Via Ripeta to see the Mausoleo di Augusto (nothing to see) and the Ara Pacis (but they were again asking too much so skipped it.) I was heading for the Piazza Navona and got there by the Pantheon. Can't say I was too impressed: the places were absolutely chock-a-block with tourists. (On the other hand, I have to say I haven't been much bothered by touts or beggars or buy-something-buggers. Rome must have cracked down on these a bit.)

Piazza del Popolo The Square of the Poplars (originally) seen from the Pincio above and looking towards St Peter's. The obelisk is by Seti I (ca. 1280), filched first by Ramses II and then by Augustus.
Between the Pantheon and Navona I had a little lunch on Corso del Rinascimento. An espresso and bruschetta con parmigiano e pastrami (not that, I forgot the name, but it's common) for 7E. Took a little break in the Palazzo Venezia to write these notes and drink from fountain there. These street fountains are just an excellent idea. They're running continuously and you can drink by blocking the end and the water then comes out of a hole on the tope of the pipe. I tried to visit the palazzo itself, but at the top of the stairs they said I needed a ticket. I truly could see nowhere to buy a ticket, let alone how much it might cost, so I gave it away. Home via Trevi fountain, which was a hideous mass of people.
29/04/2018 (Sunday)
Dreadful night: the street outside was so ridiculously noisy that I got no sleep at all. There were people shouting, cars revving and blaring their horns, apparent industrial noise, barking dogs, and everything else you can think of. Waited in the hostel until time to head off to the train station. Rather oddly, I couldn't go into the main area because it was being used by an evangelical group. They were doing a lot of singing and clapping and it was all kind of pleasant. The train was easy. In fact it was an express high speed train that mostly travelled 300 km/h. The seats were very comfortable and there was a table and I had a 4-seat section to myself. I wish it had taken longer so I could get a bit of sleep. Anyway, arrived without difficulty in NAPLES

Map of Naples The Naples Experience hostel is outside this area to the north. [From the train station extend the green road (Arenaccia) straight up. From the from Piazza Cavour extend the via (Foria) going NW. Where they meet is just about where I was staying]
Getting to the hostel was a bit tougher. The directions for the bus weren't that accurate, and directions from the stop given weren't applicable. Eventually, I had to turn my phone on and use the direction finder to get me there. Not that impressed with the hostel: it doesn't have a good socialising area, and the showers and toilets are inadequate in number and repair. On the other hand it has free breakfast and dinner which should be good value. The best thing was that I almost immediately met a couple of nice people there in the dorm as I was recovering from travels. Jenny from Colorado via Czech Republic and Dominic from Kininminster near Birmingham, who is here on his first trip. We had all arrived the same day and we decided to do a bit of a walk about the town in the evening, after it cooled down a bit. That was interesting, and the streets were vastly populated. We stopped to have a pizza dinner for Dom's benefit, since he had his heart set on it. Sat up late chatting and off to bed at midnight. This was awful: the temperature had to have been in the high 20s and sleep was again almost impossible. I almost left to sleep outside.
30/04/2018 (Monday)
We three got up early almost by necessity. Had a difficult shower and clean. Chatted until breakfast time, which was excellent, with a vast range of things to eat, and an endless supply of good (albeit instant) coffee. We hung about until about 9:40 and walked off. Dom was heading for the train station for an organised tour of Pompeii, and Jenny and I went off to the Archaeological Museum, to start with. That was excellent, with a lot of items from Pompeii and the Villa Farnese collection from Rome. Two items especially excited me: the mosaic of Darius and Alexander (Battle of Issus), and the Aphrodite of Ephesus. The latter had a notice that the pendulous bulbs on the torso were not, as they had previously been erroneously interpreted, her multiple breast, but bulls scrotums derived from sacrifices to her. Weird.

Archaeological Museum

Alexander

Darius

Artemis
From there we took the metro down to the port area (Municipio) and walked about looking at castles and along the foreshore. It was a very pleasant walk with the temperature a bit lower and the nice cool breeze to counter the sun. We stopped in a small cafe for a sandwich and I had a coffee and Jen had a cheesecake. (Bought a map too. E3)

Wall gardens

Castel Nuovo

Nuns!

Breakwater The foreshore west of Castel dell'Ovo is protected by these piled rocks which are used as a beachfront.
Got back about 6 just in time to meet Dom returning from his tour. I'm pleased to hear he thought it was amazing. He's off out again for more pizza with a chap he met today, but we two are staying in to sample the dinner. The dinner was ok, but it was just a pasta with very little in the way of meat in the sauce. I don't think you could live very long with no vegetables or fruits. Jenny and a couple of other girls played silly card games until late at night and I went to bed before they'd finished. I'd intended to say farewell to her before we went to bed because she was going to be leaving before 5; unfortunately I fell asleep and she was gone before I woke up.
1/05/2018 (Tuesday)
Today was a public holiday (Labour Day) so almost everything was closed. That meant that after breakfast - which was the same as yesterday - Dominic and I headed off down town to visit the Cimiterio di Fontanello. That was ok. A very impressive hole carved into the mountainside and with bones and skulls piled up along the walls. Dom's guide said that it was creepy, but we didn't think so.

God amongst the bones So weird that I had to include this picture, even given its quality.

Map of first level

Map of lower level

In the catacombs of St Gennaro
We got out at about 3 and walked back. He headed off to his new hostel and I walked back confidently enough to the hostel. Browsed the web, watched some Netflix TV.
2/05/2018 (Wednesday)
Went out to POMPEII by train 5E return but really quite difficult to work out what the trains were doing; the signs were obscure in placement and in meaning. However, got there eventually and had a very long walk about the ruins. They were frankly much less impressive than I'd expected, although they were really very extensive. The frescoes, such as remained, were the best thing. It is noticeable that the favourite colours for the walls were red and white. I wonder if that's just a consequence of the conditions of preservation. It was also noticeable that a lot of the monumental architecture was done in small bricks rather than the marble that would have been used in Rome.

Roman Pompeii and environs The distribution of the ash from the 79AD eruption is also shown. It must have made quite a mess of the Amalfi coast too.

Pompeii as excavated

Pompeii as reconstructed

Foro Pompeii Look at the mountain in the background: minding its own business, trying to be inconspicuous - but we all know who's responsible for this mess, don't we, Hmm?.

Red wall Note the architectural features painted on - windows, in particular.

White wall and bird

White wall and god

Sad puppy
3/05/2018 (Thursday)
It was raining today so it was a good day to stay inside and do nothing very much except read and watch episodes of the rebooted 'Lost in Space'. Pretty boring actually.
4/05/2018 (Friday)
Back again to ROME Arrived there about 5 and bought onward tickets for Florence, and from Florence to Ravenna return. Unfortunately, again, I didn't quite catch the details of these tickets, so I'll have to go back to the train station tomorrow to check them out. Next time (!) I'll make sure to take notes as I'm going. Booked back in to the Papavero with no drama, into rather a better section of the hostel than previously. Then went out grocery shopping and bought food for the next few days, as well as toothpaste and shampoo. I thought it'd be better to save the small bottles for when they are necessary - in transit and so on - and I can just dump these bigger containers before I fly out. Went for a bit of a walk about, but nothing really to see at this time so went back to the hostel and watched more Netflix.
5/05/2018 (Saturday)
Had another shower. Good enough, but I found that the toilet flush was weak and required assistance. Yuk. The things that one is reduced to when travelling. Took dirty clothes to the laundry on Via Montebello and will get them back this afternoon for 7E. Went down the road to the barber and had a good haircut for 13E. To the train station (it's like my second home really) to clarify things. This all went well; in fact I found that the horribly early Rome exit I'd booked (I thought it was at 8) wasn't necessary and I could depart at 10:57.) So much better. Went for a walk down to San Pietro in Vincoli to see the Moses statue, stopping on the way for a cappuccino and panini. Got there just a bit before 3 and the reopening, so there was quite a crowd waiting outside. I let them clear a bit. The statue was ok, but we were kept at quite a distance from it so it was difficult to really appreciate it.

Moses You have to pay to turn the lights on to see it. Why?
When I came out it was raining, so I had to wait for about 30 minutes for the weather to clear. This suggests that a walk through the park would be better done after I've been to collect my umbrella, which I stupidly left at home. But by the time I got back it really looked a bit late and close anyway, so I just went for a walk to see the Castro Pretorio, which I couldn't get into, since it seems to be a military base. Gave up on Lost in Space'; started watching 'Salvation'.
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