Blogs from Campania, Italy, Europe - page 6

The day finally arrived! Maggie departed Naples on board the MV World Odyssey, her floating college campus for the next 4 months! She actually boarded yesterday, 1/5, after testing negative for COVID twice in 24 hours. As she said, it was a "roller coaster" day, as she literally lugged about 150 lbs of luggage through the port and up the gangways, through the testing site and finally to the check bag station. We'll see how much of that ends up getting shipped home after the voyage and before she begins her backpacking through Europe trip! She is delighted with her 3-person, outside cabin, and even more excited to have scored the top bunk (her first choice). She met her cabin-mates, Caroline and Madeline (see photo), but we have not learned much about them yet. Her cabin ... read more

We FaceTimed with Maggie this morning, and it was so good to see her! She called from the hostel where she and her friends are staying - a cute little apartment-like place a few blocks from the coast. She can see rooftop gardens, the sea and in the distance a mountain from the communal balcony. Maggie is traveling with 3 other Semester at Sea (SAS) passengers - Bella from Pittsburgh, Salma from Connecticut and they met Meadow from Maine at the hostel. The four have decided to tour around Naples (and Venice on 1/3) together before they board the ship next week. Last night they went out on the town with some other hostel residents, and this afternoon plan to eat a proper first meal at a Naples cafe (pizza, anyone?) as well as do some ... read more

Each specimen is accompanied by a plate showing 1) The specific binomial These are two scientific names for a plant, based on Latin or Greek words. The first uses the genus name and the second uses the specific epithet. The two names together define the species and are usually written in italics or underlined Example : Achillea Millefolium Achillea is the genus name and Millefolium is the specific epithet. 2) The specific epithet This is the second part of the scientific name. This may describe a plant characteristic, the location where it was found or the person who discovered it. This name is always written in lowercase, even if the name is a proper noun. Example: millefolium, which describes the characteristic of the plant being a thousand leaves. 'Mille' in Latin means 'thousand' and 'folium' means ... read more

The use of plants in the treatment of diseases began in prehistoric times. Herbal practices date back to about 3,000 years ago, and have been found in Egyptian papyrus and in Chinese manuscripts. Theophrastus and Dioscorides, were the two most important works created in Ancient Greece. Pliny the Elder and Galen are important works created in Ancient Rome. This Greco-Roman tradition came up to the Middle Ages, when it was integrated with Arabian medicine. During the Renaissance, the knowledge of medicinal plants spread, partly due to the invention of printing and the development of the scientific method. In the nineteenth century, with the development of contemporary medicine, many of the bioactive compounds occurring in plants began to be artificially reproduced in the laboratory. As a result, many preparations of modern synthetic pharmacology derive from plant mol ... read more

ENGLISH NAME : The Artichoke Thistle LATIN NAME : Cynara Cardunculus ITALIAN NAME : Carciofo NICKNAMES : The Cardoon IMPORTANT PARTS OF PLANT : leaves SYMPTOMS TREATED : it reduces cholesterol, it helps with water retention, it increases bile excretion and improves digestive problems ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES : It is a perennial herb with blue to purple flowers. It is a naturally occurring species but it is cultivated in many forms, including as the Globe Artichoke CONTAINS : antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, minerals OTHER INTERESTING INFORMATION : it tastes like a bitter artichoke. It is often served as a simple side dish, or put in a stew or tangine. The stalks are commonly used traditional Christmas meals, such as in Italy, Spain and France. WHERE IT GROWS : Abundantly in the Mediterranean. It is in season from November ... read more