Under Vesuvius

January 23, 2017

We blew into Pompei feeling just like volcanic ash: burned out and wanting to lie down.

We left Newark almost an hour late. I couldn’t make out all the details, but there may have been a computer glitch that kept the plane from getting its flight plan or something like that. 

We were sitting on the approach to the runway. At first, the captain said we’d have to taxi back to the terminal to get a paper copy. Instead, we sat for maybe 40 minutes, until the transmission apparently came through.

I wasn’t too concerned. We had to change planes in Munich, but had a layover of almost four hours.

On the way we got a glimpse of the Bavarian Alps.

We got there less than an hour behind schedule, so I had time for coffee and a beer for breakfast. Not as wild-ass as it sounds. It was about 1:30 a.m. back home, so the bars were still open.

I’m glad we were only changing planes in Munich because Bavaria had snow on the ground. Hell, I could have stayed home if I wanted to see that.

When we landed in Naples, Plan A was to take a cab to a rail station at Piazza Garibaldi and then a 40-minute train ride to Pompei, the modern city, which is spelled with one “i”.

Remember, we left Newark sometime around 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time and got to Naples International around noon the next day, or about 6 a.m. in New Jersey. We got maybe a couple of hours’ sleep on the way.

We love train rides in Europe, but neither of us was up to it, so we took a cab all the way to the hotel.

There was something uncannily familiar about Naples as we rode through it. The highway had a deja vu feeling, too.

Then it hit me. The streets and especially the buildings projected a sense of malaise and decay. Walls were covered with soot and rust. Stucco was peeling.

The place looks like Cambodia. I was having flashbacks to Phnom Penh.

The driver snapped me out of that state of mind now and then. He proudly pointed out Vesuvius, and then as we came into town, the ruins of the old Pompeii. He even gave us a discount—80 euro vs. the standard 90 for the trip.

When we checked in at the hotel, the lady at the desk gave us abundant information, including detailed walking directions, about visiting the Classical ruins.

We went upstairs and went to sleep for a couple of hours. 

Dinner was at a restaurant across the road. The restaurant is called Maccarone, and may be affiliated with our hotel. 

The menu is short, but interesting. We had grilled octopus with ginger cream sauce as an opener. It was rich, and the ginger stayed in the background.

We ordered two main courses, which we shared. One was rigatoni and cauliflower and balancing that was cuttlefish with chick peas. 

Cuttlefish is very close to squid, which can be tough. So can octopus, but both cephalopod dishes were cooked tender. 

All the matchups were terrific.

Wine was also interesting. Joanna had an Aglianico from Campania, the region that includes Naples and Pompei. I tried something I had never heard of before, Negroamara, which I was told came from Puglia. 

Both wines were very dry and full of flavor. They were smooth, too, like many Sicilian wines. 

Puglia is in the south of the peninsula, so that was no surprise. But Campania is closer to Rome than to Sicily. Nonetheless, the wine was not as sharp as Chianti, which is made in the colder climate of Tuscany.

Jan. 24

Tuesday we started the exploration that brought us here. 

Joanna had visited the excavations at Pompeii several years ago. This was my first time.

We entered the ruins at the entrance near the ancient amphitheater. Turns out, it is the oldest known (or at least currently standing) example of its kind, built around 100 B.C., maybe 200 years before the Colosseum in Rome.

A guide joined us for a few minutes and gave us some free advice. He pointed out the displays of plaster casts, protected in glass-walled buildings outside the gates of the excavated area.

The ash from Vesuvius fell on the city for days and smothered anyone who hadn’t already escaped. It later compacted into stone, encasing entire bodies. 

When the bodies decomposed, they left hollows in the stone, like molds. Plaster injected into the holes recorded the victims in the postures in which they died. 

He also pointed out the tombs outside the old city wall below us. It’s a necropolis, a small city of the dead. There are a few pieces of the original sculpture left, some standing figures and a few busts in niches.

You can also see the layers of ash behind the tombs.

That took us to an old gate, which opened on the road to a village called Nocera. We entered Pompeii proper that way, climbing up a road of gray stones, bearing the ruts of ancient wheels. 

Most of the houses along that way were closed and gated, but we could look in and see the walls and room after room. At the end of one side street, there were more plaster casts of the dead behind glass.

We were able to enter the House of the Ephebe (named for a statue that has been removed to a museum in Naples). The guidebook describes it as a rich merchant’s house. The walls are painted with colorful designs of animals, cherubs, a fornicating couple, and other domestic themes.

We went up and down the narrow streets, some of which made for rough passage because of the uneven paving stones. We got into the House of Venus on the Shell, named for a colorful mural found inside.

The photo of the day was snapped by Joanna. I think it’s Harry Pays His Respects to Vesuvius.

Pompeii’s amphitheater may be partly reconstructed. I’m not sure. In any event it seems to be very much intact. There is a display in one of its halls about a Pink Floyd film made there in 1971.

We spent about four hours wandering in the ruins of the ancient city and had to leave out of sheer exhaustion, after only seeing a small fraction of the sights.

Among the things we have to go back to see is a house owned by Casca, one of the conspirators against Julius Caesar, and the city brothel.

We stopped at a cafe not far from the cathedral and had a variety of stuff. Joanna ordered hot chocolate, which was so thick and rich that she called it pudding. We shared a rum baba. I had my half with a cup of espresso and a glass of red wine.

The wine was very good, and I asked about it on the way out. It was another one new to me, Lacryma Christi, which is made from grapes grown around Vesuvius. 

A few hours later, at dinner, I bought a bottle of it and brought half of it home.

We went to Maccarone again, because we were too worn out and hungry to go searching for a new place. I guess we qualify as regulars now because the waiter brought us complimentary drinks.

These were new too, Campari mixed with Prosecco. We both love Campari and soda, but the Prosecco gave that wonderful bitter liqueur a brand new spin. I’ll try that again sometime.

The grilled tuna was among the best servings of tuna that I ever tasted. We ordered spaghetti with a sauce that supposedly contained fish roe. There may have been trouble with translation. 

There were small dices of some kind of meat or fish, and it was very tasty, but not evidently fish eggs.

Getting tired now. The Lacryma Christi is kicking in.

Be well, all, and to all a good night.

Harry

Jan. 24

Lacryma Christi -- tears of Christ. 

Aglianico is THE noble red grape of Campania, if not all of southern Italy. It's most famous expression is a wine called Taurasi. Not cheap, and better drunk when at least 5 or 10 years of age. Keep an eye out for it, especially if you can find some of the local lamb from the mountains. 

But I don't recommend these wines with seafood, which will be a big part of your diet there, if you're paying attention. (Octopus with cream sauce? I hope it tasted better than it sounds.)

For that, the workhouse white of Campania is Falanghina. For something special, look for Fiano (more delicate) or Greco di Tufo (also good with cured pork). These are all mostly from the mountains of Campania.

There is one winemaker who is actually located on the Amalfi coast called Marisa Cuomo. Really nice wines grown on the steep slopes overlooking the sea.

Enjoy your stay in Campania.

Larry 

Jan. 24

Hello, Harry,

It's nice to read that you are enjoying the sights, food and wine. Gladys and I miss Italy for those reasons.  

We hope that you have a great time.

Ken

Jan. 25

Great photo, Joanna!

Spooky cool, eh? (That too Sixties?)

Harry, since you like Campari have you had a Negroni?

Keep having fun,

Angeline & Art