Ischia: Festival, Food and Fireworks

Sunset over Ischia Ponte

Ischia, an island west of Naples, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is also known as L'Isola Verde, or the Green Island, as it is largely mountainous, with the highest peak, Mount Epomeo, reaching nearly 800 meters. Ischia is often overlooked by many travelers, who choose instead to go to the nearby island of Capri, but it's a much better choice for those wanting to spend more than a day on a beautiful island. There's a lot to do and see in Ischia! One of the major attractions in Ischia is the thermal baths that are fueled by Mount Epomeo, a dormant volcano. These baths are most often used by Europeans and Asians, who appreciate their therapeutic benefits. In an upcoming post, I'll share my experiences at one of the thermal bath parks on the island.

One of the first things I did after getting settled in my B&B was to take a bus ride around the entire island. This is possible for a cost of @ 2 euros, and takes about 90 minutes. At Ischia Porto, there are a variety of buses to take you to other parts of the island, and two lines that complete a circular route of the entire island. I wanted to see what the other cities might have to offer, and I quickly realized that it would take much longer than a week to explore all the sights that interested me. 

For lunch that day, I had a "salad from the sea," which turned out to be a real feast, with shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari and several other kinds of fish, mixed in with radicchio, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice.  It was really tasty and cost only 7 euros!
 

Insalata di Mare

On the first night of my stay, there was a festival going on: the last day of an event honoring the patron saint of the island, San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce. The streets were lined with special lights, and there was a procession that started on a traditional fishing boat from Castello Aragonese, where the statue of the saint was carried by sea to Ischia Porto, and then through the streets until it reached the Church of San Antonio, where it resides. It's always a treat to witness events like this, where the whole village comes out to participate, and you get to be part of the celebration.

La passeggiata under the lights

Every street had a different pattern of lights.

After the parade, there was music and food, with stalls lining Piazzale Aragonese, the piazza that leads to the ponte (bridge) crossing over to the Castle, which you'll learn more about in the next post. The scent of roasted nuts and Torrone (nougat candy) filled the air.

Piazzale Aragonese

I knew that fireworks would be part of the festival, and they started going off even before the sunset. Here's a video of a short burst of fireworks set off atop one of the churches, while the church bells were ringing.

However, the real fireworks were not set to start until midnight, and I was worn out by 10:30, so headed back to the hotel. About 12:30 a.m., I heard the REAL fireworks going off: it sounded as if the whole island was exploding! This went on for nearly thirty minutes, and I kept wishing I had stayed up to see them.

Ischia: Mario's Maison Twentyfive

My first view of the streets of Ischia

Make sure you read the 2014 update at the end of this post! This hotel is now overpriced!

From the start of my travels from Ercolano to Ischia, I had good fortune. I've been complaining about my heavy luggage, but on this day, at every difficult moment, there was someone to help me. The owner of the B&B in Ercolano had her son carry my luggage up three flights of stairs in the train station, the escalator was actually working at the train station in Naples, the taxi driver took care of the luggage when he drove me to the harbor for the ferry. Even better, when I called the owner of the B&B in Ischia to tell him of my arrival, he not only met me at the harbor, but provided the taxi that transported us back to the B&B. Hey, I could get used to this kind of treatment!

Maison Twentyfive

Initially, I had hoped to stay in another guesthouse, where I'd have a small apartment with use of a kitchen, and a view of the sea. But I waited too long to book it, and missed out on staying there. And then, I found Maison Twentyfive by chance, via Booking.com, where I have often found hotels in Italy and France with good results. Finding Mario's guesthouse turned out to be more than a stroke of good fortune for me. It came with a story, a host with a big heart, and a feeling of welcome to the island of Ischia.

Raffaela and the owner, Mario

The place is a "dream" because it's something that Mario has worked towards for the past twenty years. Though he dreamed of running his own guesthouse, he realized early on that he needed to first explore the world and gain experience and language skills. Since Ischia has catered to German tourism for many years, he moved to Germany, and worked in a hotel in Munich for seven years. After that, he worked in many other countries, including France, Switzerland, and the United States, as well as working in Milan for several years. He became fluent in German, French and English, and an expert in learning to accommodate the many and varied tastes of the guests under his care. And throughout his career, he kept his dream alive, the dream of running his own guesthouse in his hometown, Ischia Ponte.

La colazione: a typical breakfast spread at the guesthouse

Now that his dream is becoming a reality, Mario continues to provide attentive care to his guests. He is helped in this venture by Raffaela, who takes care of the rooms and hosts breakfast, and his wife, Tiziana, who makes wonderful tortes (cakes) for breakfast. The tortes are often made with fruit fresh from her father's trees, including pears and figs, or with marmellate (jams) made from fresh apricots, oranges and lemons. For chocolate lovers, there are tortes with chocolate fillings. As you can see from the photo above, there is also yogurt and figs, prunes and grapes, picked fresh from the family garden. Kind of makes your mouth water, doesn't it? Lucky me, I was there for an entire week and able to enjoy this delicious fare every day! (It usually kept me full until late afternoon, so I only needed one other meal each day.)

Another great thing about Maison Twentyfive is its location, right off the main street, via Sogliuzzo, midway between Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte. It takes about 30 minutes to walk to Ischia Porto, and 10 minutes to get to Ischia Ponte's Via Luigi Mazzella, where the passeggiata (evening stroll) takes place. Even better, it's due passi (a short walk) to a free beach (Spiaggia dei Pescatori), where I spent many hours enjoying the sea.

Besides the food, Raffaela and Mario provided good company, giving me suggestions about where to go and how to get there. Before my departure from Ischia, Mario suggested I take the ferry instead of the hydrofoil back to Naples, for half the cost, and even offered to get the ticket for me on his daily walk to the harbor. Since I had to leave at 6:30 a.m., I took advantage of his offer, as well as his willingness to arrange for a  reliable taxi driver to get me to the harbor on time. I enjoyed hearing Mario's tale of how his sogno (dream) had developed over the years, and how he has restructured a family dwelling into a guesthouse.

After years of traveling in Italy (and last year in France), I've had many wonderful experiences at a variety of hotels, B&Bs, hostels and guesthouses. But I've never met an albergatore (hotel manager) quite as exceptional, attentive, open and generous as Mario.

2014 update:
I'm planning a trip to Ischia again this year, and was dismayed to find that the prices at Mario's have nearly doubled! Last year I paid 45 euros ($61) per night for a week long stay. Very reasonable! This year the prices have increased to 81 euros ($110) per night, during the same week in September that I was there last year. Out of my price range, and way overpriced for the quality of the rooms. Yes, the hospitality was exceptional, but the room itself was nothing special, comprised of a bed and a bathroom. So I'm sorry to say that I won't be returning to Mario's B&B. Instead, I've found better options through airbnb: in fact, I booked an entire apartment near the beaches in Ischia Ponte, with a full kitchen, living room, bedroom, washing machine, internet and a terrace with a view, for @ 28 euros ($38) per night. Can't beat that price! I'd advise doing more research before considering staying at Maison Twentyfive.

Pompeii

Basalt stepping stones, which allowed citizens to cross the streets when they were flooded with water. The wheels of chariots could pass between them.

With so much information available regarding Pompeii, I won't go into detail about its history. I'll just share a few impressions, photos, and links to access more information. The site is a few stops further on the Circumvesuviana train line, about a 20-minute ride from Ercolano. After  being at Ercolano, which was a small city, the expanse of Pompeii was impressive. Ercolano is set lower, as if in a bowl, and it was hot, even in the morning. But Pompeii is set on a hill, and there was a nice breeze throughout the afternoon while I was there.

The Forum: for more onfo, try this link:
Forum

Fish and produce market, with frescoes showing what was for sale.
Plaster casts of some people who were caught as they died are in the glass containers

A fresco, but I can't remember where!?#

A mosaic of birds in the entry way of a house

A street with two stepping stones = two way traffic

Grooves made by chariots in the streets.

A stone bed in the Lupanar, or brothel

Large theater : click for more info

 Temple of Jupiter: click for more info

Many people have chosen sides on these two sites, saying they prefer one over the other. However, I disagree. Each site is unique and worthy of exploration, each in its own right. In fact, I think that both sites should be visited to better understand the life and events of that time in history. Many of the best artifacts from Pompeii are now housed in Naples, in the National Archaeological Museum there. So there's much more to see : another time, perhaps? Chissà?

Here's a link to another wonderful BBC documentary:

Pompeii: The Mystery Of People Frozen In Time

Ercolano (Herculaneum)

Mount Vesuvius from the B&B in Ercolano

Everyone knows about Pompeii, and millions of people from all over the world flock there every year to see the ruins that give us insight into Roman life 2000 years ago. But most people overlook another site a short distance away, where remnants of that life were preserved even better. Ercolano, a city devoted to Hercules, was closer to Mount Vesuvius, and suffered a similar fate. I won't take the time to share all the details, but like Pompeii, Ercolano was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. From Wikipedia:

"It is also famous as one of the few ancient cities that can now be seen in almost its original splendor, because unlike Pompeii, its burial was deep enough to ensure the upper stories of buildings remained intact, and the hotter ash preserved wooden household objects such as beds and doors and even food. Moreover Herculaneum was a wealthier town than Pompeii with an extraordinary density of fine houses, and far more lavish use of colored marble cladding. The discovery in recent years of some 300 skeletons along the sea shore came as a surprise since it was known that the town itself had been largely evacuated."

Entrance to Ercolano, with boat storage to the left.

The skeletons were found in the boat storage area, which can be seen in the photo above. At the time of the eruption, the beach came to where you see the grass. It is now believed that the citizens of Ercolano sought refuge in this area, believing it to be safe. Their skeletons tell a different story.

Rich colors from A.D. 79
For more info, see this site:
College of the Augustales

The secret to Ercolano's ruins surviving more intact than that of Pompeii is due to the fact that it was buried under nearly 20 meters of ash, and wasn't discovered until the 1700's. Even then, it was difficult to excavate, while Pompeii's ruins were more easily uncovered.

Mosaic floor in the women's bath.
For more info, check out this site:
Thermal baths

Many of the buildings in Ercolano show second floors and balconies made of wood, which cannot be seen in Pompeii. For more info, check out this site: Samnite House

This is a thermopolium, where food was sold.

A thermopolium was the equivalent of a modern day cafe/bar. Hot and cold food was sold from what was usually an 'L' shaped masonry counter containing terracotta vessels.

The sliding wooden doors in this room survived!
For more info, check out this site:
The House of the Wooden Partition

One of the most amazing images that survived: Neptune and Amphitrite
Here's a site with info on the mosaic and the house it was found in: 
 House of the Neptune Mosaic

Some parts of Ercolano were closed to the public due to recent excavations, and one in particular is one I'd really like to see: the Villa of the Papyri, where 1800 scrolls were found. Looks like I'll have to return another time!    Villa of the Papyri

I spent half a day wandering around the ruins in Ercolano, using an audio guide that was available on site. Then I took a short train ride to Pompeii, where I spent the rest of the day.

For more information and images on Ercolano, here's a link to a wonderful BBC production on YouTube:

Life and Death in Herculaneum

A Wedding in Rome!

Sonia and Tiziano with the parents of the groom, Marco and Marvi.

One of the highlights of my short stay in Rome was to attend the wedding of Tiziano and Sonia. Tiziano is the son of my friends Marco and Marvi from Modena. I'd met Tiziano several times while visiting his folks in Modena. Sonia is from Rome, and also happens to be a famous rock singer in Europe, the lead singer in a heavy metal gothic rock band. But the wedding was pretty low-key, elegant and traditional, in contrast to Sonia's usually dramatic stage presence.

La Chiasetta: Santa Maria in Tempulo

The wedding was a civil ceremony in a deconsecrated church, so it only lasted a few minutes, and we were quickly ushered out of the building to make way for the next couple. It seems they schedule many weddings a few evenings a week, only 30 minutes apart. As usual, the elegant attire of the Romans made me feel dowdy in comparison. Most of the women wore dresses suitable for a prom  or evening gown. I wanted to at least get photos of some of the amazing 4-inch heels that were prominent that day, but restrained myself from acting like a tourist.

Sonia with one of her attendants

Sonia and Tiziano with members of her band

The wedding "carriage"

After the wedding, we made our way out of the city, only to find ourselves in gridlock during the usual Friday evening traffic chaos as Romans headed out of town for the weekend. And then we got lost, even though there was a GPS thingy in the car. What should have taken 30 minutes stretched into 90, but we finally made it to an elegant hotel in the Alban Hills in Marino, Italy, across the lake from Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence.

A view of Lake Albano from the hotel.

The wedding cena is really the main event of the Italian wedding, and it goes on for hours. Another Italian friend shared the details when planning the menu and cost of his wedding cena, and all the headaches that went along with it. First, there's the aperitivi, which at this wedding was a buffet of numerous dishes, every one of them elegant and exquisitely delicious. Carpaccio of salmon, swordfish and tuna; marinated anchovies; grilled zucchine and stuffed squash flowers; a salad of shrimp and other shellfish;  meats wrapped around cheese; and tiny sandwiches with melt-in-your-mouth fillings. And of course, Prosecco (sparkling wine) and Verdicchio (a white wine) were flowing in abundance to accompany the appetizers.

Aperitivi buffet tables: fish and vegetables

Nearly two hours later, we were asked to sit down for the main courses: risotto with scampi, ravioli with pears and taleggio cheese, and baked branzino (sea bass) fillet. And two hours after that, there was the wedding cake to cut and another buffet, this time with fruit and pastries. OH MY! Somehow, I managed to taste a little of a lot of things and never got really stuffed.

My place setting at the cena: they even spelled my name right!

Brindisi! Toasting i sposi

Things started winding down about midnight, and I waited with a number of other guests to ride back to Rome in a shuttle. We waited and waited and waited, and it finally showed up about 1 a.m. From the hotel where the shuttle stopped, I caught a taxi across town to Termini with a couple headed in the same direction, and made it back to my hotel about 2 a.m. I still had to pack for my 9 a.m. train to Naples in the morning, so I didn't get much sleep that night. But I had an unforgettable experience, and feel honored that I was included in this special event.

Last of all, every guest recieves a bomboniere, or wedding favor. Here's what they looked like:

Bomboniere

Bombonieri usually include Jordan almonds, known in Italian as confetti. Though it looks sweet and all, you have to literally rip the thing open to get to the almonds, in a small bag underneath a mound of linen and stuffing. So perhaps the confetti is merely a gesture, and the favor is to be kept unopened, as a memento of the wedding. My gift to the couple? Since the honeymoon will involve travels to New York, San Francisco, and Hawaii, I bought them a travel guide for each destination. Other guests gave money to pay for the trip.

How about this? Those are Swarovski crystals decorating these beauties!

A parting shot: as were waiting for the shuttle back to Rome, I asked one of the women if I could take photos of her shoes, which I had been admiring all evening. They were truly works of art, and I can only imagine how much they cost. But she explained that they were a gift, worn at her son's wedding three years ago, and they are very comfortable. Who knew?

Rome: Cinecittà, Trastevere and Palatine Hill

At the Cinecittà Studios

On my second day in Rome I took the Metro south to the Cinecittà studios, the largest film studio in Europe, where Fellini filmed his movies, and where many American movies have been filmed, including Ben Hur, Cleopatra, and The Agony and the Ecstasy. More recently, the BBC/HBO production of the popular series Rome was filmed there.

On the set of Rome

Unlike Universal Studios in the States, Cinecittà is NOT a theme park: instead, it's still a working studio and has many interesting exhibits about filmmaking, along with tours of the sets. Scorcese's Gangs of New York was filmed at Cinecittà, but unfortunately a fire in 2007 destroyed many of the sets from that film. We saw a few of them, as well as the sets used in the filming of Rome,  which were being set up for a wedding while we were there....I can just imagine what that cost! I recently watched Rome on DVD, and many of the scenes were fresh in my mind, so it was cool to see where they were filmed.

On the Rome set, a pathway is created for the bride

That evening, I took the H bus over to Trastevere, to stroll the familiar streets of this bohemian quartiere of Rome. One of my objectives was to try, once again, to hit a unique store that in English would be called Books, Chocolate and Wine. I had been by the store numerous times in the past, but never when it was open. It's an odd little store, and not very attractive inside. But they serve something very unique: liqueurs in edible chocolate shot glasses. I ordered one called Scapatella, with hazelnut liqueur, topped with panna (whipped cream). The waitress told me to place the entire concoction into my mouth, all at once, and then enjoy the explosion of flavor. YUM! Certainly worth another visit!

Photo courtesy of An American in Rome

The next morning, I got up early to visit Palatine Hill, the most central of the seven hills of Rome, a Roman ruin site that I'd not yet visited. I got there just as it was opening at 8:30 am, and had the place to myself for the first thirty minutes. It's a large, sprawling site, one of the most ancient parts of the city. According to legend, the Palatine Hill was the location of the cave where twin brothers Romulus and Remus were found by a she-wolf that kept them alive. When they were older, the boys decided to build a new city of their own on the banks of the River Tiber. However, during a violent argument between the brothers, Romulus killed  Remus, and named the city Rome.

Palatine Hill

I spent several hours wandering around the site, and enjoyed myself, as it was like being in a huge park. However, at times I found it frustrating to find my way around, as no maps were provided, and even though I had a printed guide to some of the most interesting spots, the signs were often confusing or misleading. I never was able to find the spot designated as the hut of Romulus and Remus. Included in the ticket price one can also visit the Roman Forum, but since I'd already seen it several times before, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding I would attend that evening.

Rome: Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant'Angelo and the Pope!

Castel Sant'Angelo

My stay in Rome was hectic and intense, but I was able to visit a few sights I'd neglected during previous visits. After getting settled in a guesthouse near Termini train station, I headed out on bus 64 to Torre Argentina, near the Pantheon. I know this area well, and headed directly to Piazza della Minerva, most noted for Bernini's statue of an elephant with an obelisk on its back.

Pulcino della Minerva

This time I wanted to visit the church behind the statue, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, so called because it was built over a temple to the goddess Minerva. The church was built in a gothic style, and was modeled after Florence's Santa Maria Novella. One of the highlights here is Michelangelo's marble sculpture Cristo della Minerva, also known as Christ Carrying the Cross, made in 1521. The cloth covering his private parts was added later.

Cristo della Minerva

My next stop was Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, noted for its unique suite of private family apartments and its art gallery, with works by Caravaggio, Rafael, and Titian among the 550 in the family collection. An audio guide by Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj, the current heir,  provided an intimate family history that was an enjoyable addition.

Next, as I headed towards Piazza Navona, I noticed a crowd gathered on one of the streets. I couldn't see what was happening, so asked someone about it, and learned that the Pope was saying Mass at the Basilica di Sant'Agostino, celebrating the Feast of St. Augustine. Since it was impossible to see through the crowd, I continued on, only to find another crowd on the next street, lined up and waiting for the Pope to come by. I was able to get in the front line, and sure enough,  a normal black car with the Pope drove by, surrounded by security guards. I caught the event on video, with Pope Francis waving from his window.

This is one of the things that I love about being in Rome: you never know what might happen, just around the corner. I've witnessed some amazing events that I could never have planned for, just by being in the right place at the right time.

After that, I spent some time hanging out in Piazza Navona, enjoying the music and art that is a common event in this popular Roman spot.

Piazza Navona

My last stop on this LONG day, which had included a transatlantic flight from home, was visiting Castel Sant'Angelo, where they were giving night tours of the fortress, originally built by Hadrian as his family mauseleum. Later, it was used by the popes as a fortress, prison and castle, and it's now a museum.

View of St. Peter's Basilica from Castel Sant'Angelo

One of the most interesting parts of the tour was being able to enter a secret passageway that led from the fortress to the Vatican. You can see from the photo above that it's no short distance. Now read on:

"The Passetto di Borgo is an elevated passageway some 800 metres in length that passes evocatively above the bustle of the everyday world as it runs along the top of the walls that used to surround and protect the Leonine city, connecting the Castle to the palaces in the Vatican. The walkway was added to the wall so that the Popes could reach their private apartments in the Castle without descending to street level, but more importantly so that they could escape from the Vatican in case of impending danger." This info comes from the following site, which has more photos:

Notti d'estate a Castel Sant'Angelo

I walked part of the way along the passetto, then returned to the Castel for a free concert, which was another surprise. A lovely performance that included music by Puccini, Gershwin and Morricone, among others, was held in an open room atop the fortress. About 11 pm, I decided I'd had enough for one day and boarded a bus that took me across town and back to Termini. From there I had a short walk to my hotel, where I crashed, satisfied by the full day I had spent enjoying Rome.