The Road Goes Ever On

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Amalfi Again

On our previous Amalfi coast ride, we had skipped Positano and Ravello, two of the major attractions. So, with a day left on our 3-day transportation pass, we again took the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento, then the bus to Amalfi, stopping off for a while at Positano, and then, after lunch in Amalfi, the bus up to Ravello. For lunch, we went to Il Pari again. I know it sounds pretensious, but we do have our favorite restaurant in Amalfi. Same dish and wine, too. And, for once, just as good as the first time. Plus the waiter got the recipe for us.

Near Positano

In Positano; a terraced world

Imagine carrying these 80 lb puppies up or down five or six

(or 10) levels

From the beach at Positano

Ditto

Ditto again

One of the anti-Saracen-pirate lookout towers

A typical abode; everything in bloom

Beautiful place

Looking distantly back up the coast

More Mediterranean blue

Saturday fish market at Amalfi

Tour bus portrait; note the local rascals about to join in

Fountain at Amalfi harbor

Capodimonte 2

Although it was mostly the paintings, and the great building itself, Capodimonte also holds many other items of interest. All in all an impressive collection in an impressive setting.

E. g., this sarcophogal sculpture, half-skeleton

Yes, but are they diswasher-safe? The royal family's good dishes and solid-gold
table ornaments

Capodimonte as well as Caserta Royal Palace (which we'll
see in a couple days) are really what I would characterize
as double-barrel shot-gun houses: two parallel 400 foot long
halls, between which are the main chambers/halls/etc., and
off which are a variety of other chambers; here you can see
down one hall at Capodimonte; there are of course three
floors of this

Family dining room

Ball room or somesuch

We-actually-know-what-this-is department: a beautiful scale model of the Temple
of Isis at Pompei (the one donated by the six year old), as it would have looked
with all its marble and paint (table-top size; well, a large table)

Court-painter was actually a major industry in by-gone days,
as each monarch would send likenesses of him/herself to all
his/her fellow divine-righters; "Your pal always, Napoleon"

Plus this nice vase

Some of the tapestries; yes, all Flemish, 17th-18th century,

large enough each to play hand-ball on

Detail of a battle scene

And more rooms of paintings, large ones too

Saturday, April 2, 2011

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.