Vietri Sul Mare & Salerno

I'm not sure why it has taken us this long to visit these two beautiful cities on the coast. We've driven through them a few times as they are a great place to start (or end) a drive on the Amalfi Coast, but have never actually stopped and spent time in them. They are popular destinations among locals and tourists alike, with beaches, shops, restaurants, and beautiful views.

Looking out from Vietri

From Vietri

Vietri Sul Mare means "Glass on the Sea" and the small town is known for its ceramics at very nice prices. We wanted to visit Vietri before one set of movers came to our house so we could pick up last minute bowls, plates, mugs, and anything else that we might want. We drove just an hour away from our house and arrived in the pretty town. After a little hassle with the parking (what else is new?) we were able to walk around the streets and walk in and out of the different shops adding more ceramic pieces to our ever growing collection.

We then drove to Salerno, only about 10 minutes away. Salerno is a much bigger city and is a commune in the region of Campania. It is an important cultural center and has had a long and important history. It was actually the capital of Italy for a very brief period (February - August 1944). 

To be honest we didn't spend that much time here. We drove around the city a little bit just to get an idea of where we wanted to park and to see if anything caught our eye to visit. Usually we do our fair share of research when visiting a new city, but things have just been so crazy with the moves that it was kind of an afterthought and we didn't realize it until we got there. After parking the car we got some gelato and took a walk on the beautiful promenade. Many people were out running, strolling, and taking in the nice Saturday and it was nice to see such activity on a gorgeous clear day. 

Walking along the promenade

Looking at Vietri from Salerno

Amalfi Coast, we will miss you greatly!

Paestum Greek Ruins & an Artichoke Festival

We had been talking about going to Paestum for over a year, but for some reason we kept putting it off. The Greek ruins at Paestum are said to be some of the best preserved Greek ruins in the world outside of Greece. The city, originally called Poseidon, was founded in the 6th century BC and then came under Roman control in 273 BC. It was an important trading port until the fall of the Roman Empire when the citizens abandoned the city. It wasn't rediscovered until the late 18th century when the locals were trying to put a major road through the area.

We drove the 1.5 hours to Paestum, parked the car, and headed to the site. You can see the massiveness of the Greek temples from afar and it's amazing how much of them are still intact. Three major temples were built; The Temple of Neptune, The Temple of Hera (also known as the basilica), and the Temple of Athena.

So small in such grandeur - Temple of Neptune

Temple of Hera

Temple of Athena

Among the temples are remnants of a city that once was, with old remains of houses and streets, a Roman Forum, and an amphitheater.

The Roman Forum

The ekklesiasterion, an area for meetings

The comitium, another meeting room

We basically had the place to ourselves but funny enough we ran into people that we know. They told us about an artichoke festival (Sagra del Carciofo) that was happening nearby. Italy loves their festivals and whenever a fruit or vegetable comes into season many small towns have festivals promoting that product. Typically a festival that is featuring a product will have one inclusive menu with dishes highlighting it. At this particular festival we each had the menu completo: two artichokes, two separate pastas with artichokes or an artichoke sauce, fried artichoke hearts, artichoke hearts with potatoes, and some saucy artichoke hearts, with a bottle of water or a glass of wine on the side. Yum!!!

A lot of artichokes!

The final product!

Seeing the immense ruins at Paestum was spectacular and it's one more thing we can cross off our list. The festival was a nice surprise and added to our lovely day trip out of the Naples area!

Capua and Casertavecchia

This post is long overdue. Like one and a half years overdue. We were just in the U.S. for about two weeks and since we don't have much planned for this weekend there's not much else to write about for the rest of March... and I must write about something! Alas, as I was looking through our old photos I realized that we never wrote about Capua and Casertavecchia. Hence, the reason for writing this post in March 2013 when the visit was all the way back when we were still living in a hotel in September 2011. Capisci?

We went to Capua when Jon's parents, Lori and Joe, were visiting us. Capua is home to the second largest amphitheater in Italy (next to the Colosseum in Rome) and is located about 16 miles north of Naples. The city of Capua dates back to at least the 7th century B.C. when Etruscans and Euboean Greeks settled the area. Today, this ancient city lies mostly underneath the modern town of Santa Maria Capua Vetere. The amphitheater was completed sometime in the 1st century and at its peak was able to hold 60,000 spectators.

It was interesting to explore this ancient stadium - for one, we were the only people there. And from what it sounds like from others who visit, there are usually no tourists there anytime you go. Also, unlike the Colosseum in Rome, here you are allowed to walk and explore the underground tunnels and the gladiator field. The network of tunnels are littered with fragments of large ornaments that once adorned the amphitheater. We saw the vaulted chambers where the animals were kept and where gladiators prepared to go to battle. Exploring Capua allowed us to truly appreciate the different techniques used in the underground area of a Roman amphitheater.

Next to the amphitheater is a Gladiator Museum, which contains two rooms of artifacts with a display of fighting gladiators. Though small, we spent a little bit of time here looking at original arches and inscriptions, the different displays, and original gladiator weapons.

On the right, what the amphitheater looked like

Room with marble inscriptions

Next we went to Casertavecchia (Old Caserta). This small hill-town overlooks Caserta and the rest of the area, including Capri and Ischia on a good day. This is the perfect town to wander the small narrow streets, which holds only a church, a bell tower, and a handful of restaurants. After we strolled through the town we came upon a fantastic restaurant to eat lunch.

Our cute lunch stop

While we don't need to go back to the Capua amphitheater, writing this post has made us want to see Casertavecchia again. It's the perfect place to go on a nice sunny day for the views, and has a lot of  romantic restaurants that we could stumble upon one night.

We Can't Stay Away from the Amalfi Coast!

Going to the Amalfi Coast is always a welcomed adventure. The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine peninsula that is home to one of the most narrow and winding routes stretching for about 50 kilometers. High in the cliffs are whitewashed houses, dots of yellow lemon trees, and views of the sky and sea merging into one mass of blue. Jon and I were eager to show our guests the beauty of the coast and the enchantment of its splendor.

Positano from above

With Beth and Scott we went to Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi, and with Sera and Martin we went to Ravello and Amalfi. Even though we've written about these places a few times before, we wanted to share some of the beautiful photos that we took on those two days. We simply cannot get enough of the Amalfi Coast!

Beth and Scott on the coast with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

View from the restaurant where Beth, Scott, and I ate lunch.

From Positano

Beth and Scott in Positano

Ravello

From Villa Cimbrone in Ravello

Sera and Martin in Ravello

Amalfi

Amalfi

Another Look at Rome

There's something special that happens when you visit Rome and you're not running around trying to see all of the regular touristy sites -- you walk a little bit slower, take in the sights and sounds of the locals going about their day, and notice just how beautiful this city really is. Around every corner and down every street are magnificent buildings... and in no way are they well known or famous, and people don't go out of their way to see them, but they are striking, majestic, and stunning to admire. Of course, this is always a welcomed sight when visiting:

We took the train from Naples to Rome with Beth and Scott (my sister and brother-in-law) who were visiting us for the week. Having never been to Rome before, they planned to see the ancient city on the day we arrived and Vatican City the next. We met for breakfasts and dinners, but during the two days we were there, Jon and I were on our own to explore a different part of the city.

Since we only had about three hours on the first day, we started off by walking up to Aventine Hill. We had read about looking through a keyhole in order to see St. Peter's Basilica and when we found it we were not disappointed. Through a small keyhole at the headquarters of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta one can see a perfectly framed St. Peter's Basilica. Random fact: there are three sovereignties/territories/nations all within Rome: Italy (obviously), Vatican City, and the Territory of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta.

Through a keyhole

We walked to the piazza and gardens nearby where we could see a wonderful view of the city stretching out beneath us.

The next day we explored the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere regions of Rome. The Jewish Ghetto was built in 1555 and was the mandatory home for the Roman Jewish population for more than 300 years, although the Jewish community in Rome is one of the oldest in the world. Most of the ghetto has been torn down, but you can still discover some reminders of the Jews' notable past and modest present.

The synagogue

Just next to the ghetto is a big ancient ruin called Portico d'Ottavia. These are the remains of an ancient gateway, which used to house a flourishing fish market. It was later turned into a church and was subsequently used by the Christians at that time to force the Jews to pray in, in hopes of converting them. Within the archeological site we walked behind an ancient theater, now with more modern buildings built into it.  The back is the original rounded portico with arches, reminiscent of the Colosseum and other Roman theaters.

We then crossed the bridge over to the Trastevere neighborhood. This is a very charming area of the city where a lot of young locals live, piazzas are lined with restaurants and bars, and small narrow streets dominate the neighborhood. After walking around we had a fantastic lunch in a cute restaurant and had the best ravioli we've had since living in Italy!

On the way back to the hotel we stopped by the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. The Roman statue called "La Bocca della Verita'" (The Mouth of Truth) is here and legend has it that if a liar or sinner puts his hand into the mouth of the statue they will lose it. The thrill of putting our hands in the statue's mouth was strong and we couldn't resist! We stuck our hands in and hoped for the best. Alas, the harmless but unnerving stone face did not eat our hands.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Ahhh!

With some extra time left we strolled through the streets capturing some pictures...

A cool little door!

Another door!

The eternal city of Rome has so much to offer and provides a little something for everyone, whether you've been to Rome ten times or only one. No matter how many times you visit there is always more beauty and culture for you to discover and enjoy. We would love to go back again and uncover some more hidden gems of the city!