Capodimonte 1

Capodimonte is another palace of the Bourbon Kings of Naples, much great art and architecture, on the outskirts of Naples. Another pleasant ride on the Circumvesuviana, a less pleasant bus-ride (poor signage), but we made it and had another day of Art History 101 in person.

A huge building

From the Capodimonte Gardens, looking across a bit of Naples to Vesuvius



Masaccio's Crucifixion, 1426

Giovanni Bellini's Circumcision, 1500; the Capodimonte had several circumcisions, 
notably, but I'll spare you the others

Lorenzo Lotto's, Madonna and Bambino and St. Peter, Martyr; note the clever 
foreshadowing of St. Peter's martyrdom



A very, very early El Greco, Soflon

Coreggio's St. Anthony, early 16th

Lanfranco's Assumption, 1605

Guido Reni's Le quattro stagione

Moving right along, a Claude Lorrain, 1669

And stepping back, Simone Martini, St.

Ludovic of Toulouse, 1317

Last Day of Pompei

While at Paestrum we bought a couple of Campagna 365 Arte cards, which give you access to all the cultural and historical sites in Campagna--hundreds, seemingly; it is one of Italy's largest provinces--two visits each, actually. We have been using these cards for a month, indeed visiting a couple of places more than once. Thus, our second visit to Pompei, to see the Villa of the Mysteries, a few more of the houses that require reservations, and the Surburban Baths. Another full but edifying day.

At the Villa of the Mysteries, a working farm/villa just

outside Pompei's walls on the north; the (reconstructed)

wine press



What the Villa of the Mysteries is named for is a large room

with frescoes recording the initiation rite, for a young bride,

into the Dionysan mystery; it is one of the more beautiful

and complete frescoes in situ

More

The bride being prepared for the wedding

Detail, reading the rites

Us at the Villa of the Mysteries



In another house

Another large home, peristyle atrium, et cetera

Plaster casts in the Garden of the Fugitives

A particularly large old umbrella pine in a grove at Pompei

Another house, another fresco

Ditto

In the Suburban Baths, privately owned, one room has three

kamasutra-style wall panels; only one survives, but here

it is (of course, closer-ups are available on request); just

outside the walls, near the Porta Marina

Beautiful water-fall feature in another room

Detail

Another; happily, we saved one of the best places for last

Ascent of Vesuvius

The next day we judged to be good, in terms of the coastal haze, for our ascent of Mt. Vesuvius.

Our ascent route, via the Pompei/Vesuvio

bus, 10 euros round-trip; takes you to just

below the crater rim, another 30 minute walk

to the top of the rim



Then they want another 8 euros for the "guided" (unguided)
walk to the top



Naples, from the top; some 600,000 people live within a few

miles of the still-active Vesuvius (last eruption, 1944); the

government's evacuation plan requires a 3 week notice...

Smoke rising from the crater's rim

Crater rim pose

View into the crater

More smoke

Looking southwest toward Pompei and the Sorrentine

peninsula

End of the trail

Parting view of the crater and its assorted rock formations

[Oops; actually, this was the day after our Last Day in Pompei]

Herculaneum

Next day we took the Circumvesuviana to Herculaneum, tiny compared with Pompei. Herculaneum had a population of only about 5,000, and rather little of it has been exposed, owing to a) the toughness of the 60 feet of rock in which it is buried, and b) the encroachment of the modern city above. Nonetheless it has a number of memorable sites and features.

Entrance to Herculaneum

View of excavated Herculaneum



Vesuvius in the background

Not a moat...that's how far the city is down there...

Pretty incredible frescoes, in situ, at the House of the Augustales, a society of 
freedmen enjoying the privileges recently granted them by the Emperor Augustus

Ditto

Marble flooring

Outside an enoteca, as contemporary Italians would call it, a 
wine bar; four prices/varieties advertised; specializing in Nola, 
one of the preferred appellation controlees, so to speak

Serpent scuplture in one of the tunneled areas

Drunk Hercules

Nice atrium, peristyle garden, etc.

It was long thought that everyone got out of Herculaneum; until excavations found 
bones of scores of people here by the boat-houses along the (then) shoreline



At one of Herculaneum's many eateries

Cubby-holes in the baths (the women's baths, I think)

Caldarium--hot tub--note grooved ceiling: prevents moisture

dripping on clients

Interior, more incredible mosaic

Old and new Herculaneum

More mosaics