Colosseum at dusk
Garden of Thieves Pompeii
Pompeii - look at the tracks from ancient wagons
Artwork in Pompeii
Pompeii see Vesuvius
Pizza Man at Da Michele
Da Michele Marinara on top and Margarita
Da Michele
Di Matteo Pomodorro with Mozzarella de Buffalo
Eating cannolis in Naples
Touch me God (Sistine Chapel)
Vatican painting The School of Athens
Vatican Hallway
Trevi Fountain
Tiber River
Ruins at sunset
Piazza de something
Can you see the Vatican? I was looking through a peep hole in a door
View from atop a hill over looking Northwestern Rome(Vatican dome in the background)
ColosseumOn December 24th we woke up, packed, ate breakfast and dulled around until 12 o'clock when Melissa says "time to go." I respond with an exasperated and questioning, "but why? Our flight is not for another two hours." Of course she had none of this and we crammed ourselves into a cab and headed off to the airport. We arrived to a snaking line with what looks like half the population of Portugal attempting to leave the country. I looked at her forgivingly and mustered out a barely audible "you were right, it is good to be here early." She looked at me with a I told you so and a I win face mixed with a don't you know by now I am always right look. We made it to the front of the line after realizing that we could forgo about a quarter of the population and scoot to a shorter line. Upon getting to the counter we were abruptly informed that our flight was delayed and there will be information in two hours or so. After a seven hour stay in the Lisbon airport, five more than we were supposed to, we were we on our way to Rome.
We obviously got in later than we were planning and unfortunately missed our chance to go to the Vatican for Christmas mass and get our turn to push the Pope to the ground. Since it was after 2330 (11:30 for you Americans) we missed the last bus and train and were relegated to taking a 50 euro ($75) cab ride into the city. Instead of being in the Vatican we camped out in our B & B and heard no footsteps on the roof. The next three days were filled with fun touristy stuff: the Colosseum, Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, The Vatican and Sistine Chapel, all in the cover of rain - fun fun fun. We traipsed around the city soaking wet for three days. Enjoyable, but wet.
We grabbed our stuff and hopped a train two and a half hours 150km southwest to Naples, the birth place of pizza. Take a guess what we did there. For three days we wore our eating clothes. Everywhere we went we heard loud bangs, explosions, and saw bright colored lights. Apparently it is a Neapolitan tradition to set off fireworks after Christmas until New Years. Naples possibly has in my opinion the best pizza in the world, sorry New York. We hit up three of the "originals," Da Michele (where Elizabeth Gilbert author of Eat, Pray, Love cried when she took her first bite), Di Matteo (where Bill Clinton ate and inspired the owner so much he opened a second pizzeria aptly named Del Presidente which has a Clinton shrine in the basement), Trianon (which only cost us a two hour wait). Each in their own right was out of this world. No one better then the next all equally amazing. Real Neapolitan pizza is the best hands down, I am now scared to eat pizza since nothing will ever compare. All our time in Napoli was not set aside for eating we also managed to make it to Pompeii. It was unbelievable what has survived for two thousand years covered in thirty feet of ash and soot. We were jettisoned back in time to 79AD, walking through peoples houses and looking at their art work, dining room tables, toilets, and pottery. There were even people frozen in time attempting to escape the carnage and devastation - very cool.
After our pizza eating tour and time traveling we are back in Rome for the New Year and then off to Greece on the 2nd for six days. I'll check back from Greece with more pictures.
We obviously got in later than we were planning and unfortunately missed our chance to go to the Vatican for Christmas mass and get our turn to push the Pope to the ground. Since it was after 2330 (11:30 for you Americans) we missed the last bus and train and were relegated to taking a 50 euro ($75) cab ride into the city. Instead of being in the Vatican we camped out in our B & B and heard no footsteps on the roof. The next three days were filled with fun touristy stuff: the Colosseum, Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, The Vatican and Sistine Chapel, all in the cover of rain - fun fun fun. We traipsed around the city soaking wet for three days. Enjoyable, but wet.
We grabbed our stuff and hopped a train two and a half hours 150km southwest to Naples, the birth place of pizza. Take a guess what we did there. For three days we wore our eating clothes. Everywhere we went we heard loud bangs, explosions, and saw bright colored lights. Apparently it is a Neapolitan tradition to set off fireworks after Christmas until New Years. Naples possibly has in my opinion the best pizza in the world, sorry New York. We hit up three of the "originals," Da Michele (where Elizabeth Gilbert author of Eat, Pray, Love cried when she took her first bite), Di Matteo (where Bill Clinton ate and inspired the owner so much he opened a second pizzeria aptly named Del Presidente which has a Clinton shrine in the basement), Trianon (which only cost us a two hour wait). Each in their own right was out of this world. No one better then the next all equally amazing. Real Neapolitan pizza is the best hands down, I am now scared to eat pizza since nothing will ever compare. All our time in Napoli was not set aside for eating we also managed to make it to Pompeii. It was unbelievable what has survived for two thousand years covered in thirty feet of ash and soot. We were jettisoned back in time to 79AD, walking through peoples houses and looking at their art work, dining room tables, toilets, and pottery. There were even people frozen in time attempting to escape the carnage and devastation - very cool.
After our pizza eating tour and time traveling we are back in Rome for the New Year and then off to Greece on the 2nd for six days. I'll check back from Greece with more pictures.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
