Wofford Travels – 2018-09-26 – Italy
We started the day at 8:30 with a great meal, exactly like a bread and breakfast. There was a wide selection of food: eggs, baked beans, sliced cold cuts, mozzarella cheese with sliced tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, a variety of fruit, baked goods, jams and jellies, chocolate Nutella…to put on whatever, and an assortment of beverages. And…there was much camaraderie.
After this sumptuous meal, our group met at 10:00 in the lobby and we were off to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. We agreed to meet again at 2:00.
Well, needless to say, this is another magnificent building, as is the Palazzo Massimo in Rome. And, it too, is one of the most ancient and important museums in the world. It’s creation is tied to Charles III of the Bourbon dynasty, who came onto the throne of Naples in 1734. He promoted the excavations of the Roman towns, buried by the eruption of 79 AD, as well as the project of setting up a Farnesiano Museo whereby he moved to Naples part of the rich collection he had inherited through his mother, Elisabeth Farnese.
The museum has four floors. This is how it’s laid out: (0) Entrance, Sculptures from Campania, Camellia Garden, Fountain Garden, Farnesia Sculptures, Farnese Gems (-1) Egyptian Collection, Epigraphic Collection (1) Mosaics, Coins and Medals, (2) Villa dei Papiri Herculaneum, Ancient Naples, Pithecusae, Prehistory and Protohistory, Hall of the Sundial, Metal, Ivory, and Glass Objects, Scale Model of Pompeii, (which included a virtual reality video of pre and post Pompeii eruption), From the Eastern World, Temple of Isis Pompeii, Frescoes.
Lunch was pizza (what a surprise…pizza in Napoli) at Pizzeria Aiello, outdoors. It was windy and definitely beginning to cool down, moving into the 60’s.
After lunch, several in the group decided to head back to the Il Convento to chill out, while the rest went for a walk. Tom and I were in the latter group. When we returned, there was still plenty of time to chill out.
Then it was out to dinner, not far from the hotel, at the Trattoria da Concetta. The food was delicious…no surprise. Tom and I enjoy the “different” preparation of vegetables. We’re always checking things out to see if we can repeat the recipe back home. A quick stop for a gelato (our second one in two days) and, again, a few took an evening walk before going back to Il Convento for the night.
Tita