A few days later we took a day trip to Viterbo, the capital of the province of Viterbo, Lazio. Known as "the City of the Popes," the historic center of town is surrounded by still intact medieval walls built in the 11th and 12th centuries. We arrived just in time for the last day of the annual Ludika festival which celebrates Viterbo's medieval history with a giant festival and battle in the field in the evening.
It is! It is!! It is!!!
For my cooking class we took a field trip to nearby Montefiascone to a cantina (wine cellar) for a wine tasting and lesson on this region's rich wine history. It is home to the popular wine Est! Est!! Est!!! sold all over Italy. Legend has it that a bishop was traveling from northern Italy to Rome for a meeting with the Pope but first sent his servant along to find him the best wine en route. He was instructed to write "est" ("it is") on the doors of anywhere where he approved of the wine. When he got to Montefiascone, he enthusiastically marked the cellar with three "ests" so the Bishop would not miss it. Allegedly the bishop never made it to Rome, instead staying in Montefiascone with the wine until his death. I guess you could say this wine is to die for!
Vesuvius Venture
This past weekend was our last big trip organized through my program, this time to southern Italy in the region of Campania. First stop was just east of Naples at European mainland's only active volcano, Mount Vesuvius. A national park encompasses this volcano whose last major eruption was in 1944 (is it just me, or does that not seem like too long ago?!). The most famous eruption occurred in 79 A.D. when the volcano shot deadly lava, gases, stones, and ashes over 20 miles into the air, killing an estimated 16,000 people and burying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. This explosion released gases at a rate a hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the Hiroshima bombing. Completely unfathomable! It has erupted nearly 40 times since, including in 1906, which caused so much damage and financial burden on the region that the 1908 summer Olympics, originally scheduled for Rome, had to be relocated to London.
To reach the base of the volcano climb we had to drive up the mountain on some of the most narrow, windy streets I've ever seen. Controlling a large coach bus up such a terrain comes with great praise, a kind that I can only liken to the flawlessness of the Mather Express drivers through the narrow, construction-filled streets of Cambridge. Well done, Lorenzo. Despite our ears popping from the change in altitude, the drive gave us incredible views of the Bay of Naples and the town. Unfortunately it was a bit foggy, making my pictures less clear than desired but nonetheless it was an amazing sight! The actual climb to the crater was rather difficult, as the paths are lined with loose gravel that feels like you're walking up a beach for 45 minutes. At last we reached the top and peeked inside the enormous, steaming crater!
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| You know you're pretty high up when the backdrop of your pictures is clouds! |
Capri Cruising
After an awkwardly paced descent down Vesuvius we boarded the tumultuous bus once more for our transfer to the town of Sorrento, a small but popular tourist town that lends views of Naples, Mount Vesuvius, and the beautiful island of Capri. We spent the first night exploring the small town's shops and vendors, taking note of the famous limoncello, a lemon liqueur, produced in Sorrento. The next day was highly anticipated as we were going to the island of Capri! It's easy to see why 90% of its industry is tourism, as Capri is one of the most beautiful places in all of southern Italy. Its crystal waters, protruding cliffs and varying elevations combine for a sight too pretty for pictures to accurately capture!
After a 45-minute "hydrofoil" boat transfer from Sorrento to Capri we hopped in a smaller boat for a tour of the island. Our guide, sporting a Cape Cod hat I might add, drove us to every angle of the island. Capri is known for its "grottos" or small caves on the edges of the island. Each is named for a color, for example the orange grotto where you can see orange coral beneath the surface! The most famous is the Blue Grotto in which sunlight reflects through the sea water, illuminating the cave to a crystal blue. Unfortunately entrance requires a separate trip on a small rowing boat where you must lay down in order to fit in the cave, which we did not have time for. I was disappointed, but I guess I'll just have to come back! Maybe Mariah Carey, Tom Cruise, or Keanu Reeves can let me stay in one of their houses here?
Following the boat tour we had some free time on the island, so my roommate and I took a bus to the other half of the island known as Anacapri for some shopping and the main attraction - the chair lift. I should preface this by again praising the driving skills (and total lack of fear of liability) of the bus driver, toting 30 eager tourists around every bend and curve of the mountainous island terrain. A couple years of crowded, hands-free MBTA rides have trained me for this! When we reached Anacapri, we headed over to the seggiovia (chair lift) up to Monte Solaro, the highest point in all of Capri, a casual 1,932 feet above sea level. The peaceful single-person ride offered breathtaking views of the town below. It felt as though we were in an airplane looking down at the houses shrinking in size with each climb in altitude. Views atop the mountain were just as spectacular, for a look in the horizon offered nothing but endless blue sky and ocean.
The Great Neapolitan Pizza Odyssey
Top priority for the evening in Sorrento was to have traditional Neapolitan pizza from the birthplace of modern pizza itself: Naples. Despite the influence of the Greeks and Romans, it was the Neapolitans who first embraced the use of the tomato, revolutionizing the now world-famous dish. In the mid-19th century, pizzerias were opened on the side streets of Naples and before long visitors began to investigate this newly popular food. When Queen Margherita visited in 1889 to try the famous pizza, a chef was summoned and in her honor created a pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag. The Queen approved, later earning the pizza the title of "Margherita". The Neapolitans take their pizza so seriously that the True Neapolitan Pizza Association has been established to safeguard the cooking of traditional pizzas. They require that dough must be made from only flour, yeast, salt and water and not worked by machine. The cooking process must take place directly on the floor of a brick or stone-lined wood-fired oven with a temperature exceeding 750 degrees. The pizza should take only 2 minutes to cook and have a soft, high crust border cooked to a golden brown. Talk about high standards! After careful observation, I'd say Pizzeria Aurora nailed it:
Beneath the Ash: Uncovering the Ruins of Pompeii
Last stop on our weekend travels was the ancient city of Pompeii, one of the most fascinating places yet. In the catastrophic 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum were completely obliterated, buried beneath 20 feet of ash and pumice. The story of Pompeii has been pieced together over time largely thanks to the letters written by Pliny the Younger to the historian Tacitus. Pliny details the demise of his uncle, Pliny the Elder, who perished while trying to save citizens along the coast. It is through Pliny the Younger's account of the aftermath of Vesuvius that we know many of the details of this horrific eruption. Scattered throughout the ruins of Pompeii are plaster molds of people in their final resting poses as they were asphyxiated by the burning gases of the eruption. The ash formed a cast around their bodies, and a hollow space remained after decomposition. Archeologists filled these hollow spaces with plaster, resulting in a collection of over 1,000 replicas of victims.
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| Pregnant Lady Plaster Cast |
I was also surprised to learn that they still haven't finished excavating the city of Pompeii! It's hard to believe how much more is still out there waiting to be uncovered. Despite the heat of a mid-July afternoon, as one of Italy's most popular tourist attractions, I was excited to check this ancient city off my list.
As I enter my 10th and final week here in Italy I am enjoying looking back at all the incredible things I have seen in such a short amount of time. While I am excited to get back to the luxury of free ice water and air conditioned buildings, I am soaking in the last bits of the wonderful country that is Italy. I'll be posting a collection of pictures of all our delicious creations in cooking class soon along with a final wrap up post about my time here, so if you're still following at this point (hi Mom) stay tuned!
Until then, arrivederci tutti!
Megan
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