Despite it only being 6 months since I was last in Rome (compared to the nearly 3 years prior between that last visit in Sept ’22 and leaving Rome in Nov ‘19), I was so excited to be heading back to the Eternal City. Being there imbues me with vigour and energy, walking Rome’s streets in the Mediterranean sun, absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of my favourite city. Of course, the excellent gelato helps. For groups eating lunch near Via dei Fori Imperiali on their Parco Colosseo day, Flor Gelato just up the Via Cavour from Largo Corrado Ricci is good, but my winner will always be Fatamorgana (closest branch in Monti). Can’t beat a cup with one scoop of Blueberry Cheesecake and one scoop of Chocolate Orange, this time I added a scoop of Banana and Chocolate Sesame Brittle.
Figure 1: Mosaic in the exhibition of a ship coming into port.
Having arrived Thursday night, and spent time in the historic centre with pizza and gelato, I opted for the I Colori dei Romani exhibition on Friday morning, which focuses on mosaics (fig.1), at the wonderful Centrale Montemartini. Friday afternoon was spent with one of the schools, escorting them from their hotel on the Esquiline to the sites (Spanish Steps, Pantheon and Trevi Fountain) in the Campus Martius and back again (via the metro for speed, but ending up with teachers at both ends missing the stop). This was followed up by escorting another group on Saturday morning down to the Colosseum, down the Circus Maximus and into the Forum Boarium, before leaving them so I could head to Termini via the Largo di Torre Argentina, Chiesa del Gesù and Sant’Andrea della Valle (figs 2&3). The latter two of which I’d walked past hundreds of times before, but never inside. They really do have some fabulous ceilings. My train journey down to Naples was in great comfort on the Italo bullet train, taking 1 hour and 13 mins as we sped through the Latin and Campanian countryside at 300 km/h. The less comforting and more stressful part of the journey came next, with the Saturday evening circumvesuviana train stopping at all 34 stops and taking an hour and thirty-five minutes in discomfort and without any toilets. The train, while useful for short journeys around the Bay of Naples to see some of the sites, should not be used for long trips.
Figure 2: Ceiling of Chiesa del Gesù
Figure 3: Ceiling of Sant’Andrea della Valle reflected in the installed mirror
Having arrived in Sorrento (and fallen down the last step of the train station), I made it the Hotel Ascot and checked in, saw one of our groups over dinner, made a phone call to organise seeing a third the next day, then headed out to the Marina Grande, the old Greek port and that’s where I took a phone call from the group I had yet to see, and spent some time working on solving some issues that had popped up, to the appreciation of the group leader, before returning to the hotel to crash out for the night.
My first full day in the Bay of Naples took me off to Pozzuoli. Luckily despite having to take the circumvesuviana all the way back to Naples again, it decided to skip a lot of the stops. So that was a much easier experience than the night before. I did however mess up on the next step of my journey. In trying to get to Pozzuoli for a booking to see the Rione Terra, I jumped in a taxi ordered through the Free Now app. I thought it was going to be €36, which I was fine with if it meant getting there on time. However, what the app neglected to mention was that going from Naples to Pozzuoli doubles the fare. So I forked out nearly €80 for a taxi ride. Pozzuoli itself was great though. The closure of the amphitheatre floor meant that there really wasn’t much to see, but the hypogeum is excellent (fig.4).
Figure 4: Hypogeum of Pozzuoli Amphitheatre.
I believe it is all now open again. I was lucky enough to be visiting on a weekend that the Stadium of Antoninus Pius was open for Giornata FAI (Italian equivalent of the National Trust), so after stopping off at the Temple of Neptune for a few photos, I took a stroll through the ruins of Antoninus Pius’ stadium (fig.5). Lots of impressive structure left, with plenty of opus reticulatum and other construction methods.
Figure 5: Remains of Stadium of Antoninus Pius.
I then made my way along to Rione Terra, stopping for a fanta, a slice of pizza and a pastry on the way near the excavated Collegium of the Tibicines. There’s not much to look at there, and it’s used as a local park for dog walkers by the looks of it, but the food cost me about €5.90 in total.
Despite booking an English tour of Rione Terra, it was given in Italian. I ended up paraphrasing and translating for another English couple that had booked on the tour too. You are taken under the modern street level to walk through sections of the decumanus and cardo, past shops, tavernas, bath houses, and out on to a stretch that has fallen into the sea so you get a dramatic cliff view (fig.6).
Figure 6: The view as you reach the external section of Rione Terra.
The end of the tour takes you back inside and down to the remains of a fountain, before finishing, spectacularly, in a lararium with an amazing surviving fresco (fig.7).
Figure 7: The surviving lararium fresco.
I perhaps wouldn’t recommend it for a school trip, as there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to secure an English language guide, but I definitely recommend it for a personal trip.
Figure 8: The Macellum of Pozzuoli.
Finishing my day in Pozzuoli I walked down to the Macellum/Serapeum for a quick look before heading back to the amphitheatre to meet my taxi. The Macellum certainly is impressive from above (fig.8), and I did pop into the ticket office/shop to have a quick chat and buy an amphitheatre magnet (despite having no metallic surface in my house to stick it to). The staff in the ticket office were very keen for me to encourage us to book your groups on visits to the Macellum, rather than just putting you down for lunch overlooking the remains. They can even offer didactic experience for schools.
Figure 9: Raki Gelateria Gelato.
Figure 10: Carbonara Gnocchi.
Having met my taxi and got back to Naples, then circumvesuviana’d back to Sorrento (having left my hat In the taxi, as it turns out), I grabbed a gelato (fig.9) from Raki Gelateria, which I certainly recommend. I dropped my stuff off at the hotel and walked to the other end of the Sorrento high street to see the group whose leader I’d spoken to the previous night, and discussed how our fixes to their issues worked out. Leaving him and the other teachers happy, I checked in with the new group at the Ascot before going out for dinner. I picked Prosit Sorrento, a restaurant at the end of the Via Capo, fairly close to the Hotel Ascot. It just might have been the best carbonara gnocchi I’ve had (sorry Rome restaurants). Before returning to the hotel and crashing for the night.
My second full day in the Bay of Naples was dedicated to seeing the smaller villas in the area. Having had a quick chat with the teachers at the Ascot, I headed back to the Sorrento station and caught the circumvesuviana to Oplontis to see Villa Poppaea. Having seen Pompeii and Herculaneum whilst working out in Italy in 2019, I’m not sure what I was expecting from the smaller villas, aside from what I’d seen on social media. I have to say, the surviving frescoes in lots of the rooms of the Villa really blew me away. The room with the peacocks and theatre mask fresco especially (fig.11).
Figure 11: Fresco featuring peacocks and theatre masks at Villa Poppaea.
Having got there fairly early, I just had to keep ahead of a French school group and I practically had the Villa to myself. I had wondered why this was the most popular smaller site around the Bay, but now I no longer wonder. I was also impressed by the display cases around the villa with smaller finds in.
Finishing up at Oplontis, I decided to walk to Villa Regina at Boscoreale (fig.12).
Figure 12: Villa Regina, Boscoreale.
Unfortunately, the Antiquarium at Villa Regina is closed (and we don’t know the re-opening date). By the time I had got there it had started to drizzle. The Villa Regina itself is small, so I wouldn’t say worth visiting until the Antiquarium reopens. But, it was interesting to see the copy of the cast of the pig that had been discovered and created using Fiorelli’s technique (fig.13).
Figure 13: Copy of the cast of the pig discovered at the Villa.
Last time I saw that copy it was at the Ashmolean for their Pompeii exhibition in Jan 2020.
Approaching lunch time I walked to the local circumvesuviana station and took the train back to Stabiae. On the journey I was looking at Google Maps (when signal allowed) to figure out a place to eat. I chose Mariano’s Burger restaurant, the burger was incredible.
Figure 14: Mariano’s Burger for lunch.
I believe I just chose the standard, but it was still a 150g scottona hamburger, stracciatella cheese from Puglia, pistachio cream, mortadella ham with pistachio, and fresh potato sticks (peel on). Sufficiently stuffed, and glad I was going to be walking well over 10,000 steps by the end of the day, I headed off to find Villa Arianna and Villa San Marco. I had also been hoping to see the Stabiae Museum at Reggia Quisisana, but it had closed at the start of March so they can rearrange the rooms. Arriving at Villa Arianna first, I signed the visitor book and as I was the only one on site, had the attendant give me a tour of the open rooms.
During the tour I remarked on lots of the gates into rooms being closed/locked, and several routes being closed, I was given the explanation that they’d been shut during Covid and it was unclear why they hadn’t been reopened. There seemed to be a new office building being constructed on site, and there was also restoration/conservation work going on at the time. This was seemingly leading up to Villa Arianna closing in early April (again, with an unknown reopen date, like Boscoreale Antiquarium and Reggia Quisisana). As for the Villa itself, what could be seen isn’t much with the routes closed, but it had several very good frescoes, and a cracking view over the Bay towards Vesuvius (fig.15).
Figure 15: View from Villa Arianna towards Vesuvius.
One can only imagine the panic of residents sat in the Villa looking out to see Vesuvius erupt in AD 79. It was really good to be shown around by the attendant and chat to him (like with Villa Regina, I was the only person on site until just before I left). I appreciated being shown the graffiti marks on the wall between the slave quarters and the baths (fig.16).
Figure 16: A graffito of a face made by Roman slaves at Villa Arianna.
Bidding him farewell I moved on to Villa San Marco, which was also undergoing works, according to the sign, they are due to finish in Jan 2024. This, again, meant that some of the Villa was shut off to visitors, so only up to the lower peristyle and swimming pool were accessible. It was very interesting to see the conservators at work, and there are some lovely frescoes remaining, but it was jarring to see that they had replaced removed frescoes (now in Reggia Quisisana or the MANN) with stickers on wood of what had been there (fig.17).
Figure 17: The replacement for a removed fresco.
Finishing up in Stabiae and then taking the circumvesuviana to Meta, I had to quickly stop off and check out Panorama Palace hotel upon request from Claudia, it certainly looks good, I’ll be interested to see the feedback about it from groups this year. Upon reaching Sorrento, and checking in with the groups, and organising a few logistical points with them, I headed out to find myself dinner again, with the restaurant of choice being Fuoro51, down a side street as you head towards Marina Grande. Having had that huge burger for lunch, dinner was a lighter option of smoked salmon bruschetta and salad, though I did treat myself to a Tiramisu afterwards.
Leaving Sorrento the next day to head back to Rome, I stopped off in Portici to see the ‘Materia Il Legno che non bruciò ad Ercolano’ exhibition, which had this amazing lararium on display (fig.18), before walking back to the train station and getting into Naples in time for a quick bite to eat in the station.
Figure 18: The carbonised lararium in Portici.
Something I noticed about the streets, no matter where in the Bay I was, they were draped in blue banners celebrating Napoli winning the Serie A football league for the season, even though they hadn’t been officially declared champions at that point. Just hundreds, if not thousands, of blue banners, streamers, posters, and flags in windows, between houses and in shop-fronts. Passionate people the Neapolitans and surrounding areas. After the quick and comfy train ride back to Rome, I checked in to my hotel for the night, and then headed out to do my favourite thing, walk around Rome, gelato in hand.
Figure 19: The on-going works at Mausoleum of Augustus.
My route took me down the Spanish Steps, over to the Mausoleum of Augustus to see how works were getting on, I popped my head into the Temple of Hadrian, climbed the Caelian to San Quattro in Coronati, and then crossed the Oppian to see San Martino ai Monti, before heading back to the hotel to put my bottle down and head out to see a group at dinner. Except that they had changed their dinner plans through our local agents, so I rather than cross the city to find them, I checked in with them via text to make sure they were all ok, and headed out to catch up with my old boss from my time working in Italy.
Next morning I had a quick stop at Santa Prassede, to tick another church off the list, before heading to Termini and taking the Leonardo Express to Fiumicino and departing Italy for Gatwick. Until the next time, Rome and Bay of Naples! I already know my next visit to Campania will have to include Baiae, Bacoli and Misenum.
So, across my various site visits in total I covered about 85 miles, with a step count of roughly 172,000. I also took 1742 photos.
All the photos can be seen on Flickr at – https://www.flickr.com/photos/mumblerjamie/albums