Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi, and Sorento

Thursday, 13 August

Italy from the train

Apparently I do not have any letters written about this section of the trip. in those days, we wrote air mail on thin paper, but the mail still took several days to get there. Since I was going to be home soon, I might not have written much after I arrived in Naples on August 13th.

Italy from train

I remember that on the train trip at the Italian border, the customs guy asked if I had any cigarettes and I said no that I didn't smoke, and he didn't believe me.

Reflections from the train

Goats on road

I did have a hotel reservation in Naples and the Hotel Londra & Ambasciatori. I can't find that this hotel exists anymore.

Hotel

I checked into the hotel

Harbor from hotel

Plaza from hotel

Taxis from hotel

New Castle from the hotel

And then apparently walked around Naples taking photos - or maybe I took a city tour. I don't remember.

Horse statue and New Castle from street

New Castle (1282)

Horse Tamers on the pillars of the east entrance to the gardens of the Royal Palace in Naples (copy from St. Petersburg) gift of czar Nicholas I to Ferdinand II in Naples, Royal Palace (1846)

I remember going into the Galleria Umberto which was near the hotel

Galleria Umberto I

Galleria Umberto I

Shop inside Galleria

Inside Galleria Umberto I

Piazza del Plebiscito with the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola

Royal Palace

Facade of Palace (kings in niches)

Centre de St Martine from the Royal Palace

And then I went to the Santa Lucia district and took some photos there

Coast in St. Lucia district

Vesuvius and steamer dock from St. Lucia

Vesuvius from St Lucia, Naples

Maritime Station

I wrote my daughter a postcard which was mailed from my husband's ship airmail in the evening of August 13th.

The Sky-scrape seen from Municipality-Square

Dear Daughter

I'll be home real soon. My hotel is on this square and I can look out and see the harbor where Daddy's ship comes in.

Then I'll get on the train and get on a plane and come home again. Get Grandmummyy to tell you when to expect me.

Love Mummy

Naples from the boat docks

EM club from back hotel window

Square with our hotel at night

Friday, 14 August

Capri boats - early morning

New Castle flower market in the early morning

New Castle moat

Scaffolding with straw matting

Church doors draped for Assumption Day

RR station

Toll booth on Autostrada

Before the ships arrived, I did a day trip. Starting in Pompeii, but they took us to see making cameos first

Making cameos

Pompeii tour group with guide

Street in Pompeii

Vesuvius from Forum

Vesuvius and Forum

Pompeii street

Vesuvius through arch

Looking back through Forum

Statue in courtyard

Stepping stones so people can cross street - carriage wheels go on each side

Center courtyard of house

3d painting

Painting of Hercules

Courtyard

Courtyard

Hole in the roof

Stone fountain head

Overgrown street and Vesuvius

Crowds in streets

My mother told me about "Cave Canem" (Beware of the Dog in Latin) so I looked for it.

Beware of the Dog (Cave Canem) mosaic through fence

Cave Canem mosaic

Ceiling Baths

Wall of Baths

Tub carved out of single piece of alabaster

Temple statue through fence

Jupiter's temple altar

Museum exhibit - model of house

I sent a postcard of Pompei Excavations from Naples to my daughter. It has two 50 lira stamps, and says Via Aerea in the postmark

House of the Vetti Vintner Amoreti

Dear daughter

These little cherubs remind me of you when you were a baby and of your cousin now. Daddy and Mummy are on their way home now and will see you soon. I went to see Pompeii yesterday and also Almalfi and Sorrento

Love, Mummy

P.S. I got grandmummy's letter too.

After we got finished with Pompeii we went down the Amalfi Drive to Sorrento.

From the bus

Monastery on hill

Distant beach

Line of Cabanas

Looking back at Solarno

Fishing village with watch tower against Barbary pirates

Boats offshore

Watch tower and town

Looking ahead - backlighted

Olive terraces

Across the inlet

We stopped for lunch somewhere along the way

Musician blowing across jug neck at lunch

Amalfi from restaurant

Mountain on the other side of Amalfi

Courtyard of restaurant

Looking back to where we have been

Buses parked for lunch

boats and swimmer

Pool and boats

Looking back at Amalfi

Terraced hillside

Hidden fishing village

Bus, road and sea

We had a shopping opportunity and I inadvertently learned about bargaining. I saw a beaded cashmere sweater and asked the price. I thought it was too much so I shook my head and started to leave the shop. The closer I got to the door, the lower the price became. Eventually it got cheap enough that I bought it.

Hatted horses

Sorrento Beach

Me reflected in bus mirror

Backlit arrow

Sorrento from bus

Saturday August 15

Marriage ceremony? or Assumption Day

Harbor from hotel

Three destroyers entering harbor

Sub coming in

Bob's ship was now in port, and I think I went out to the ship

Fleet Landing - Paige Evans and kids and Julia Culliss

St Martin and St Elmo from officer's boat

Wake of officer's boat

Molo di San Vincenzo Light

This station at the end of the mile long Mole di San Vincenzo, the main breakwater for the harbor of Naples was established in the early 1900s, but this actual lighthouse was built after WWII. A taller tower was destroyed during the war. It was inactive for a time in the 70s because it was damaged by a storm, but has been reactivated. It does not appear that one can walk the mole. Site and tower closed

Vesuvius

Doorway

Inside New Castle - door with cannon ball in it

Bas Relief on New Castle

We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking Naples

View of the harbor from near Saint Elmo

View of city from near Saint Elmo

Naples from restaurant

Trolley stop near RR station

Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi in Naples

Hearse

Carrier out past Castel dell Oro

In 2008, I returned to Naples with my grandson.

Sunday August 16

Hotel Londra & Ambasciatori (our hotel)

Bob and I took a trip to Capri because I was writing a paper on it for the Famous Writer's School Non-Fiction writing course. It was too rough to go to the Blue Grotto, and I don't apparently have any photos taken there.

Monday, 17 August

We both left Naples and I took the train to Frankfurt. Bob put me on the train to Rome, which was so crowded that I could feel the underwear lines of the people sitting next to me (we were four in a seat for 3).

The train from Rome was overnight and I had a couchette. There was a US soldier on the train who had bought a plastic jug of wine, which had split, and he was trying to get everyone to drink it up for him.

Tuesday August 18th

I flew home from Frankfurt after 5 weeks in Europe. My cousin met me at the train and drove me to the airport where I met the other people who had been on the charter again.

In October 1964, my husband Bob and I drove a 1932 Plymouth from the east coast to Monterey California.