A Place Dad and I Have Been?

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Day 19, I think....Sunday/ Naples

Yesterday we took advantage of the lone sunny day in the near future according to the forecast, and hopped a boat to Capri...we had some difficulty finding the right place to catch the boat, but ended up in the right place at the right time.

Once on Capri, we decided to hike up the little pathways to the town of Capri. We were alone on the path, since the huge groups of tourists went by bus or funicular. (Most groups are Japanese.. the economy there must be doing well?) We then hiked to the ancient palace of Tiberio, Roman Emperor. After a hike back, we took the bus to the town of Anacapri (serious rivalry and dislike between the towns has apparently exisited for centuries), ate a great lunch (the first really good meal I've had in Italy), and decided to walk back to the boat....I think it was 900 steps down...and we were the only ones doing this (one American couple in the their twenties had come up as we started out) and it was getting to dusk...we made it just fine, but my knees have aged a bit more..

Today we took a local bus to the city of Caserta were my Dad was probably stationed in WWII. We couldn't find any of the old town left, but the Royal Palace located there is wonderful....King Charls of Bourbon ordered a palace to outshine Versailles....and it was started in 1773.

The grounds are breathtaking, as is the throne room. We asked about the Americans being there in the war, but no one spoke enough French or English to answer my questions...

Tonight we drank and ate at two of the bars in Plaza Bellini...tomorrow we will visist the Archeological Museum and a few more sites, then catch the train to Salermo.

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Photos

On the pathway
They have electric "trucks" that carry heavy loads..otherwise everyone walks..

View from outside of Capri Town
We are heading for Villa Jovis, (Tiberio's palace)

Villa in the background
Tiberio lived here from 27-37 AD.

Yet another view
You can see why Tiberio liked it here....

Lunch in Anacapri
Kids were waiting their Catechism class to begin..

The port from Anacapri
This is how far we would have to walk down steps! It still seemed like a good a idea at this point..

The road is above us..
It is carved into the mountain side, as is our path. The path was the only "road" until the 1950s.

How we enter our hotel after dark..
through the little door in the huge door! We have four keys..three for a series of outside and inside doors and one for our room.

Walking the streets of Napoli
Part of the walls and arch are the ruins of a Roman theater...there are finds around every corner...and we have never felt threatened or uneasy here...even after dark.

Caserta: The view from the palace through the gardens
At the top, there is an artificial waterfall.

One of the fountains
The hunter Atteone spied on Diana, the goddess, and she has turned him into a stag and he is being attacked by his own dogs...

Comments

[breta]

You are intrepid!
Wow, sweater weather. It is gray and drippy here. You are not missing a thing. I, on the other hand, am missing Italy. How great it looks! Keep up the great photos and comments- for your home town friends.

[Jen]

The coastline and the buildings look very similiar to Sant Barbara

[Beebe]

And it's more expensive than Santa Barbara!