Holidays In the Sun

posted by admin on 7th, 2009

Augustus Caesar

Story and photos by Anthony Rao

If anyone ever recounted to you about a trip to somewhere you’ve only seen in pictures, you know often to really experience what they are describing you have to be there.

As I reviewed the nearly 800 photographs I took during my trip to Italy in July I realized it is hard to focus on one element of my stay that vividly captures the entire experience.

After an overnight flight the trip began in Rome at 8:30 on a Friday morning-lost at the Fiumicino Airport. My traveling partner and I quickly began to navigate the city. We located the train and didn’t waste a lot of time getting to the main hub of the city to find the hostel where we were staying.

Thankfully, my friend has done some traveling before and had already acquainted me with what hostel life would be like.

Vatican City

At the “Funny Palace” you share a room with anywhere from five to 10 people and a bathroom with possibly double that number. Not exactly a five-star hotel, but as far as hostels are concerned it was top of the line.

We hit the road as soon as we could. Rome, like most major cities, has a mass transit system that allowed us to travel to most of the sights in no time. The city had a familiar feeling, reminding me of New York minus the skyscrapers.

First stop: The Vatican. It is impressive as described, although the Sistine Chapel wasn’t as grand in size as the paintings and artistry that adorn its walls and ceilings. Everything we saw there though was grand and made me feel small in comparison.

On the edge of the Tiber River, sits the Castel Sant’Angelo dating back to the 2nd century A.D. From the vantage point atop, we could see just what lay ahead in our sightseeing.

The next day started at the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II which we learned was a controversial site because its early 20th century construction destroyed parts of the ancient Capitoline Hill area. That was sad considering the marvel of the ancient architecture we saw later that day. From there we toured the Palatine and saw the Roman Forum, the Arch of Titus and even some of the remains of huts dating back to 1000 B.C. Standing there I tried to imagine what it was like when Rome was at its height and all of the different history that transpired in the precise place I now stood.

The Colosseum

We visited the one place iconic of Rome’s ancient grandeur, the Colosseum. If you have only seen it in the movies, you are assuredly missing out. In its heyday it could seat 50,000 spectators, and it was still a true spectacle to behold. As we strolled through this monstrous structure I found myself wondering at just how it was possible for ancient builders to accomplish such a feat. The true testament to their work being the fact 2,000 years later we are still able to see their workmanship.

From there we walked the Spanish Steps and ended our day by visiting the extravagant Trevi Fountain. The fountain turned out to be one of the more impressive sights of the trip and was well worth braving the massive crowd surrounding it. Mixed in with the mass of people admiring the fountain were entertainers dressed as Roman soldiers encouraging the crowds to stop and take a picture with them. It was there I really felt like a tourist.

Sunday was our last full day in Rome and there was one more marvel to witness – the Pantheon. Originally constructed in 30 B.C. it has been rebuilt twice during its more than two millennia history. I was most struck by the condition of the building. Possibly the most well preserved piece of ancient history. Again I found myself marveling at the ancient construction work and contemplating at just how without the innovations of modern times all of this was able to be accomplished. Simply standing in these ancient structures was inspiring, but there was more of Italy to see.

Later that day we met up with another friend and from Rome traveled to Naples, the third most populous city in Italy. It was not what I envisioned when Dean Martin sings of Old Napoli. There we lodged at a hostel close by the Salvator Rosa Metro stop.

Hostel in Naples

In comparison with the order of most cities of its size Naples was uniquely chaotic, witnessing the chaos was thrilling. Whether it was trying to navigate the seemingly endless traffic of what my one friend coined the “Naples Scooter Army” or watching the gypsy fair I awoke to in the courtyard of the hostel one evening, everything in Naples was exciting.

From Naples we ferried our way over to Capri and took a boat tour of the island. After a cramped bus ride with what seemed to be 100 people we lost ourselves off the more traveled tourist areas and took a set of steps more than a quarter mile from the near top of Mount Solaro back to the Marina Grande. To think the emperors used this island as a vacation spot took my mind back again to wondering at just how they were able to build their extravagant villas so far off the mainland.

The remainder of the week we explored Neopolitan life with our friend Luigi who grew up in Aversa, just outside the city. In contrast to the pizza, pasta and gelati we had been surviving on, some home-cooked Italian meals were a delight. Finding his family’s home wasn’t as easy as we first thought. Bring a GPS to Italy and you’ll see.

Sorrento

Thankfully, his neighbor, Luigi led the way even though he understood nothing of what we spoke. It was funny, despite the area appearing dangerous I never felt out of place or uncomfortable. We even participated in a soccer match on Friday night with Luigi’s friends, who also understood little of what we were saying. In his broken English, Luigi guided us well.

Despite not knowing the language by the time we started to make our way back to Rome on Monday we were beginning to feel almost Italian. On the return trip, we made a stop at Sorrento and visited the Amalfi coast. We escaped city life for a day and toured the mountains and hills of Abruzzo National Park. We stopped in a few towns and villages which I can only describe as picturesque. The last meal we enjoyed before leaving for Rome helped us realize how much we missed Luigi’s interpreter skills.

If you have visited Italy, these brief recollections might remind you of your own stay. If you haven’t it is definitely a destination worth exploring. That way you’ll have your own experience to relate when someone says you need to be there to know what it’s like.