Trip to Naples and Herculaneum, Italy (Click on any image to load a larger copy)
Introduction
I arrived at the Naples Airport around noon after a one hour flight from Catania (See Trip to Catania and Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy) and took the city bus that goes to the main
train station of Naples. From there I caught the subway and made my way to the Piazza Amedeo where my hotel, the
Hotel Pinto Storey, was situated. After checking in, I started a
self guided walking tour of the city.
The first stop on the walking tour was the large Piazza del Plebiscito. On one side of the square is the San Francesco di Paula, a church that was built in the early 19th century and resembles the Roman Pantheon. On the other side of the square is the Palazzo Reale, the former royal palace of the Kingdom of the Naples. I visited the church and planned to visit the Royal Apartments in the Palazzo Reale but they were closed that day. I continued on passing the Galleria Umberto I, a shopping mall build in last part of the 19th century and arrived at the Castel Nuovo (New Castle) which contains a museum on the city of Naples. At the Castel Nuovo, I bought a three day ArteCard which provides free transportation and discounted admission to museums & attractions in Naples area (including Pompeii and Herculaneum). It turned out to be a good value (I got to see Herculaneum and the National Archaeological Museum for free) and was also convenient (As I did not have to buy individual subway or train tickets).
After visiting the museum, I headed back to the hotel. It had begun to rain and I was a bit tired. For dinner that night I walked about a block a way from my hotel and had real Neapolitan Pizza at pizzeria call Da Michele. I order a Pizza Margherita, the original pizza of Naples first made in 1889. The crust of real Neapolitan Pizza is made with flour, yeast, and water. The pizza is then topped with tomatoes grown from the Mount Vesuvius region, basil, olive oil, and bufala mozzarella cheese which comes from a water buffalo not a cow. Real Neapolitan Pizza tastes different from what I am use to and is very good. I wish I could get it here in the US.
The next day I woke up a little early for being on vacation and headed off to the train station via the subway. I switched to the Circumvesuviana train and headed off to the town of Ercolano. Ercolano is the modern town built next to the ancient town of Herculaneum. I wanted to get to digs of Herculaneum early to beat the crowds of tourists. I arrived and was one of maybe a dozen tourists at the site for several hours. It was quite enjoyable to visit a place nearly by myself.
Herculaneum like the nearby and better known town of Pompeii, was destroyed during a catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August, 79 AD. The eruption buried the town under ash for a century and a half before it was rediscovered. Excavations of the town started in 1738 and continue to this day. Many building have been uncovered including houses, temples, stores, and schools. It is quite an amazing place as you can walk through the buildings and see that life has really not changed much in 2000 years. The houses look perfectly normal - just like the house of today. One of the more interesting things I saw was the mosaics found on the walls and floors of several of the buildings. The mosaics are quite intricate and are well preserved.
After spending half a day in Herculaneum, I headed back to Naples. I took the funicular and visited the Vomero section of Naples. I had a hearty Sunday lunch (Pasta Carbonara and Veal Milanese) and went back to my hotel for a nap. Later I went out and had Pizza for dinner (Can't go wrong with Pizza in Naples) and a Lemon gelato for dinner. Life is good for me in Naples this day.
The first place I visited the next day was the National Archaeological Museum. The museum contains many artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The artwork from these towns is quite amazing to see and so well preserved. Many of the mosaics are quite intricate and it is surprising that they were made so long ago. One of the highlights of the museum is its Secret Cabinet which contains 'erotic artworks from the classical period' - in other words porn from 2000 years ago found in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
I then headed to the Cathedral of Naples but took a circuitous route - OK I got lost - which took me back to the main train station of Naples, an area to be avoided. After correcting my bearings, I got to the Cathedral just as a wedding was taking place. I tool some pictures of the wedding party and headed to the Palazzo Reale. On the way I stopped to see two churches, San Paolo Maggiore and San Lorenzo Maggiore. The churches are located in the old section of the city and are surrounded by stores selling interesting Nativity scenes, something that Naples is famous for. I arrive in the afternoon at the Palazzo Reale and visited the Royal Apartments.
The next morning I left Naples and took a train to the eternal city, Rome (See Trip to Rome, Italy).
The first stop on the walking tour was the large Piazza del Plebiscito. On one side of the square is the San Francesco di Paula, a church that was built in the early 19th century and resembles the Roman Pantheon. On the other side of the square is the Palazzo Reale, the former royal palace of the Kingdom of the Naples. I visited the church and planned to visit the Royal Apartments in the Palazzo Reale but they were closed that day. I continued on passing the Galleria Umberto I, a shopping mall build in last part of the 19th century and arrived at the Castel Nuovo (New Castle) which contains a museum on the city of Naples. At the Castel Nuovo, I bought a three day ArteCard which provides free transportation and discounted admission to museums & attractions in Naples area (including Pompeii and Herculaneum). It turned out to be a good value (I got to see Herculaneum and the National Archaeological Museum for free) and was also convenient (As I did not have to buy individual subway or train tickets).
After visiting the museum, I headed back to the hotel. It had begun to rain and I was a bit tired. For dinner that night I walked about a block a way from my hotel and had real Neapolitan Pizza at pizzeria call Da Michele. I order a Pizza Margherita, the original pizza of Naples first made in 1889. The crust of real Neapolitan Pizza is made with flour, yeast, and water. The pizza is then topped with tomatoes grown from the Mount Vesuvius region, basil, olive oil, and bufala mozzarella cheese which comes from a water buffalo not a cow. Real Neapolitan Pizza tastes different from what I am use to and is very good. I wish I could get it here in the US.
The next day I woke up a little early for being on vacation and headed off to the train station via the subway. I switched to the Circumvesuviana train and headed off to the town of Ercolano. Ercolano is the modern town built next to the ancient town of Herculaneum. I wanted to get to digs of Herculaneum early to beat the crowds of tourists. I arrived and was one of maybe a dozen tourists at the site for several hours. It was quite enjoyable to visit a place nearly by myself.
Herculaneum like the nearby and better known town of Pompeii, was destroyed during a catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August, 79 AD. The eruption buried the town under ash for a century and a half before it was rediscovered. Excavations of the town started in 1738 and continue to this day. Many building have been uncovered including houses, temples, stores, and schools. It is quite an amazing place as you can walk through the buildings and see that life has really not changed much in 2000 years. The houses look perfectly normal - just like the house of today. One of the more interesting things I saw was the mosaics found on the walls and floors of several of the buildings. The mosaics are quite intricate and are well preserved.
After spending half a day in Herculaneum, I headed back to Naples. I took the funicular and visited the Vomero section of Naples. I had a hearty Sunday lunch (Pasta Carbonara and Veal Milanese) and went back to my hotel for a nap. Later I went out and had Pizza for dinner (Can't go wrong with Pizza in Naples) and a Lemon gelato for dinner. Life is good for me in Naples this day.
The first place I visited the next day was the National Archaeological Museum. The museum contains many artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The artwork from these towns is quite amazing to see and so well preserved. Many of the mosaics are quite intricate and it is surprising that they were made so long ago. One of the highlights of the museum is its Secret Cabinet which contains 'erotic artworks from the classical period' - in other words porn from 2000 years ago found in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
I then headed to the Cathedral of Naples but took a circuitous route - OK I got lost - which took me back to the main train station of Naples, an area to be avoided. After correcting my bearings, I got to the Cathedral just as a wedding was taking place. I tool some pictures of the wedding party and headed to the Palazzo Reale. On the way I stopped to see two churches, San Paolo Maggiore and San Lorenzo Maggiore. The churches are located in the old section of the city and are surrounded by stores selling interesting Nativity scenes, something that Naples is famous for. I arrive in the afternoon at the Palazzo Reale and visited the Royal Apartments.
The next morning I left Naples and took a train to the eternal city, Rome (See Trip to Rome, Italy).
Photo Info
I used a Olympus C-750UZ 4.0 Megapixel Digital Camera. The images were cleaned up a bit with Adobe PhotoShop
Elements (To correct the color balance). Additional Camera Information
Naples
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| Palazzo Reale (The Royal Palace) | San Francesco di Paula (A Church) at the Piazza del Plebiscito | A dog sleeping in the Galleria Umberto I - A Shopping Mall |
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| Castel Nuovo - New Castle | Close up of the entrance to the Castel Nuovo | The ferry dock of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the background |
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| A Bride and Groom leaving the Cathedral of Naples | More of the Bride and Groom leaving the Cathedral of Naples | The Cathedral of Naples |
Herculaneum
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| Funeral altar of Senator M. Nonio Balbo | House of the Gem - Notice the red columns | Garden of the House of the Deer - Notice the deer statues for what the house is named | |
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| A typical street in Herculaneum | A City Well | A typical restaurant of Herculaneum | |
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| Wall mosaic from the House of Neptune and Amphitrite | The courtyard of a typical house in Herculaneum | The interior of a house - the window coverings are original (2000 years old) | |
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| Bronze statue of the owner of a house | A decorated niche in a building | Ancient Herculaneum with modern Ercolano in the background and Mount Vesuvius to the right | |