Saturday, June 13
Oh, the airplane shenanigans. While sitting in the plane at SBA before take off, SFO instructed us not to leave for an hour so we sat on the tarmac and I just read a book while the fates did what they would. DH2 was already researching alternate flights since our connection was tight. Although we were last getting on our connecting overseas flight, it turned out we sat on the tarmac for 1.5 hours due to a seat problem which necessitated workmen, a row of seats deemed unusable, and a call for 4 people to give up their seats in exchange for 25k points. If no one had given up their spots, the whole plane would have had to disembark and wait for a new plane. Thankfully, a family of 4 volunteered and we finally left the country. The 11 hour flight was uneventful.
Sunday, June 14
Landing in Rome, we were challenged with finding our hotel shuttle but eventually arrived at our hotel. Signage is your friend. We were meeting colleagues by the Coliseum and had to navigate the train and metro. It’s always so much fun figuring out a new public transportation system in a language you don’t speak. <sarcasm> We strolled near the Coliseum and had a nice catch up with the colleagues.
Monday, June 15
DH2 was giving a university talk so I was on my own for the day. I did no research and decided to figure it out as I went along. I was a little apprehensive but jumped in. I was dropped at a different metro station and told what direction to go in and what stop to get off at. I’m glad I’ve had so much public transportation experience that I successfully move through the necessary steps to get to Piazza Espana.
Food first. I found Babington’s , cute tearoom dating back 125 years, where I considered my destination options and possible routes. With a vague plan of action, I exited the tearoom, turned left, and climbed directly up the Spanish Steps. At the top was the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Monti, where I donned my long sleeve shirt so I could enter. Gotta visit the church, good catholic girl and all. Lol.
The Trevi Fountain was mobbed as expected so I didn’t spend much time there and proceeded to the Pantheon which was even more crowded. After visiting Egypt in February, I appreciated the obelisk atop the Pantheon Fountain.
I have loved Piazza Nuvona since 1980. When we visited 2 years ago, the fountain was under renovation for the Jubilee so I was thrilled to spend a chunk of time enjoying the splendor of its artistry. I now have a favorite bench by the fountain.
I consulted the map and found an icon indicating a scenic street – off I went to explore. I was curious to see the Tiber River and found myself crossing a bridge over it to the Castel Sant’Angelo. Hot and tired, it was time for an Aperol Spritz.
I was scheduled to meet DH2 at the Coliseum metro at 4:30 so I headed in that direction, peeking in churches, waving at the forum, and meeting up with him at our designated time. We ate and headed back to the hotel.
Tuesday, June 16
After picking up a rental car at the airport, we drove about 3 hours to Pompeii, through a lovely countryside filled with rolling hills and dense vegetation. We lunched at the hotel restaurant before our 1pm entry into the Pompeii ruins.
I’m glad we visited Herculaneum 2 years ago because it have me a foundation to understanding Pompeii. Pompeii was a much larger city and featured casts from the tragic victims of the volcanic explosion. We had no agenda and wandered until we had no more energy. We agreed to research what we wanted to see the next day so we didn’t miss anything cool. We sat in the main piazza in the evening and enjoyed a gelato for dessert, which was an excellent end to the day.
Wednesday, June 17
DH2 had a university visit in the afternoon and planned to take the bus so we only had 2 hours to see what he wanted to see. We got to the gate as it opened and quickly walked to the furthest point of the ruins to see the Villa of the Mysteries, a beautiful specimen of a wealthy home. We visited Lupanar (the brothels) and the Garden of the Fugitives. After he left, I wandered through the theatres and the Large Palaes where they had an terrifying video rendition of what the volcanic explosion would have looked like. Hot and exhausted, I ate a plate of fruit and chilled for the rest of the day.
Thursday, June 18
At breakfast, we decided to book a last minute trip up Mt Vesuvius. I do like the highest point anywhere I go. The 20 minute bus ride dropped us at the trailhead for a 30 minute hike to the caldera. The flowers were exuberant with many flowers that also grew in Santa Barbara. The views over Pompeii, Naples, Capri, and everything in between were vast.
On to the Amalfi Coast! I had read about how congested the Amalfi Coast was so I was a little nervous but luckily, for whatever reason, it was a very easy drive. Parking on the other hand, was not. Our hotel proprietor texted cryptic instructions that we misunderstood leaving us stopped on a narrow road with no shoulder in front of the hotel. Chaos ensued but after getting admonished by our “Chiara”** we were escorted up narrow stairs to our attic room.
Amalfi was stunning. Truly. I had seen pictures and knew it was a tourist hot spot, but wow, I can now understand why everyone wants to visit. We wandered the city and sea break before we ate amazing food, beverage, and dessert. Then I was ready to buy a dress. I am not a souvenir girly but I wanted a dress. With new dress acquired, we rested and wandered more. We sat on our private balcony into the night.
Friday, June 19
I didn’t sleep well and was very grumpy. DH2 encouraged some retail therapy and I now have a new lemon handbag which I love like a pet.
Back into the car, the Amalfi Coast was not as friendly as the previous day. The busses traveling in the opposite direction were scary and the motorcycles darting in and out felt reminiscent of driving in India. I dozed in car.
We stopped in Castelmezzo for lunch and enjoyed the natural beauty, delicious food, and enthusiastic, swooping swallows. It felt like my nervous system was resetting after the tourist frenzy we’d been on for the week.
Although Pietrapertossa, our next sleeping destination was only 1.5 miles away as the crow flew, it was a 30 minute drive due to the 330m canyon between them. Hiking from one village to the other via the canyon would have taken 6 hours. Parking in Pietrapertossa was as insane as in Amalfi but we figured it out and explored the city. There were 2 restaurants in the village so we had a drink in one, and dinner in the other. The locals all knew each other and had no sense of urgency in driving, stopping randomly to chat (while we waited patiently behind them) or abandoning their car to bop into the tobacconist. The moon, Venus, Neptune, and ** were supposed to be visible in a line so we sat out on our private garden balcony to watch as the celestial objects appeared.
Saturday, June 20
I spend many days exploring by myself since DH2 works but he wanted a morning to explore on his own so he sent me off to zipline between Pietrapertossa and Castlemezzo. OMG it was such a rush. I’d never done a zipline where I was horizontal and over such a deep canyon. I love doing this stuff. We both had a great morning.
Our next stop was Matera, one of the longest continuously inhabited cities, established in the 8th century BCE. The parking garages we were supposed to use were all full and we got nervous trying to find a legitimate place to park. We made our best guess, crossed our fingers, and walked 10 minutes to our hotel. The city was originally built into the caves of a canyon with well-worn stair steps between every door and terrace. The sun reflecting off the tan rock made for a sweltering experience. We waited for it cool down a little before venturing out for a dinner on a cute restaurant terrace overlooking the west-facing city. We watched the sun set over the city and appreciated the beauty of the day.
Sunday, June 21
After breakfast, we wanted to get our city exploration done early due to the heat. We did a walking tour from the Lonely Planet book but navigating a 2-D map in a 3-D multi-level city was challenging. We visited a traditional cave home but cut the trip short due to the heat.
On to Bari. We dropped the bags at the hotel, dropped the rental car at the airport, took a train into Bari Centrale, ate a kebab (something different from Italian food), and walked to our hotel.
Instead of “happy hour,” Movenpick Hotel had a “chocolate hour” at 5pm so I drank a glass of Prosecco with my 3 pieces of chocolate. I aimlessly wandered Old Town and stumbled upon a 32-stall market in a random piazza. The vendors sold pasta, olives, fruits, cheeses, and all kinds of yummy things. I got a plate of cheese and cup of cut fruit, sat in the piazza, watched all the beautiful people walk by, and enjoyed the cooling day.
Monday, June 22
I took the walking tour of Bari as outlined in the Lonely Planet Guide but by 11am, I was melting and found the first restaurant that offered Orecchiette. Orecchiette (“little ears”) is a traditional, ear-shaped pasta from Italy’s Puglia region, made from durum wheat semolina, water, and salt (no eggs). It was served with turnip greens and sardines. I rested in the afternoon and went out again at dinner to find an excellent Focaccia Barese. I found it in Old Town and hauled it back to my room since it was oily and hot. Yumm. I had a bite of DH2’s gelato later in the evening. I think I’ve gained 8lbs on this trip.
Tuesday, June 23
My morning was filled with visiting Castello Svevo di Bari. Originally commissioned by Norman King Roger II in 1132, it was later rebuilt by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and featured a deep moat and striking seaside bastions. They had a room devoted to showing film snippets that featured the castle over the past 70 years. I finished the morning eating another bowl of Orecchiette but it didn’t have sardines so it wasn’t as yummy.
I tried to show DH2 around Old Town in the afternoon but we approached from a different direction so I didn’t do a good job.
** The comedian Laura Romoso has a character named Chiara who embodied every female service worker we encountered on our trip. We now refer to all service workers with this attitude as a Chiara.
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