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Newsletter #30 - January 8-15, 1960 |
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Newsletter #30
January 8th through January 15,1960 Received in Wilmington, Delaware January 26, 1960 Naples, Italy Dearest friends, Today [January 10] we left the mighty ruins of Rome and its exquisite shrines via the Appian Way - an ancient Roman highway. While driving along, you see old sepulchres and tombstones of generations ago and also other ruins of arches and aqueducts which were all built as long ago as 312 B. C. by Appius Claudius. We decided to go to Anzio, which was out of our way, but we wanted to see the U. S. National Cemetery at Nettuno - only two miles from Anzio. This was a most restful and beautiful cemetery and had a lovely memorial and chapel. Each cross was made of perfect white marble with the serviceman's rank, date of death, state from which he came and his serial number. The English Beachhead cemetery was nearby. The entire drive along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea - from Anzio to Naples - was very picturesque and interesting as we passed through quite a few quaint Italian towns and fishing villages. The town of Pozzuoli had a gorgeous harbor and the city of Naples, which lies along a semi-circle formed by the enchanting Bay of Naples over which rises the smoking cone of Mt. Vesuvius, is only surpassed by the harbor at Hong Kong as far as we are concerned. Today [January 11] has been much too restful as it poured rain all day and after we were both good and drenched in downtown Naples we returned to our room and relaxed for the day. I decided it was a good day to do family laundry so our room looks a little strange with lines of underwear, socks and unmentionables draped about the room. We got in a few games of cards and caught up on some of our correspondence. We awoke early this morning [January 12] and saw a little blue in the sky. So, we ate a hurried breakfast and went to the wharf to take a two hour boat trip to the Island of Capri. This island is a famous resort as well as being celebrated in song and verse. After a rather rough sea voyage, we arrived at the tiny harbor of the Isle of Capri and disembarked for the day. We took the visit to the Blue Grotto. You arrive at the Blue Grotto by taking a motor boat to the north side of the island and later changing to a smaller craft. You enter the grotto by ducking your head in order to go through the small rock opening and, when the boatmen tell you to raise your head, you see the unusual blue lights and waters of this grotto which is a very mysterious sight. Capri has lofty rocky cliffs rising very high with unbelievably transparent blue waters and dainty |
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little coves along the coastline. This makes the island a fascinating sight. After our trip to the grotto, we took the Funicular Railway up the steep hillside to the town of Capri where we shopped and walked on the narrow winding streets of this quaint hill town. We had our lunch and later in the afternoon returned by the same railway to the harbor village of Marina Grande which is under the lee of Mount Tiberius and is a typical fisherman's town with colorful dwellings and hovels. Our return trip to Naples was much smoother and I was so tired I slept practically the entire time. (Forgot to mention it was cloudy all day and rained before we left Capri and poured the entire trip back by boat.) Today [January 13] we had a long trip.as we left Naples and drove to Pompeii to see the ruins of this old city which was completely ruined when Mt. Vesuvius erupted many years ago. Pompeii was overwhelmed by a torrent of mud, thirty feet high, in the eruption of 79 A. D. Excavations have brought much of this ancient city to light and continued excavations are still revealing many interesting sights. Here we saw groups of temples: such as the Temple of Apollo, the Temple of Justice, the Forum, the old walls of the city, remains of the Baths of Nero, vestiges of an Acropolis and the Roman roads, sidewalks and houses of this city which were once buried in lava. We also saw the once lovely Amphitheater and a guide even showed us where Nero and the very rich sat when attending performances. In the new city of Pompeii, Meredith took pictures of the Tower and Church in the center of the city. After leaving Pompeii, we drove toward Salerno and could see Mt. Vesuvius almost the entire trip. This mountain seems to dominate the entire area from Naples to near Salerno. At the city of Vieti Sul Mare we drove along the Gulf of Salerno to the Gulf of Naples and passed beautiful little towns cut into the sides of rocky hills where we saw tiny fishing villages spread out along the shores and coves. This area is called the Amalfi Drive and the entire twentyfive miles of twists, bends, curves, steep climbs, granite cliffs and natural majestic beauty was a treat we will never forget. From the Amalfi Drive we went on to the famous city of Sorrento where we saw emerald hills, orange and lemon groves and silvery olive trees by the thousands on the terraced steep hillsides. The citrus groves were all protected from frost by the use of a canopy made from limbs of trees, woven leaves and willows - much as we use smudge pots in Florida. Sorrento is located upon a natural terrace on a peninsula and is bounded on three sides by steep ravines and, as you wind your way along these hillside drives, you are always dizzily looking down upon lashing waves of the sea which are every delightful shade of blue and green you could mention. Songs, paintings and pictures of |
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the classic Tarantella Dance of Sorrento have made this place famous but we loved it for its delightful atmosphere and its natural beauty. We always thought the fifteen mile drive along Monterey and Carmel by the Sea in California along the Pacific was elegant, but Sorrento and the Amalfi Drive surpass this drive in beauty as each spot on this road today was loaded with entrancing scenery. As usual, we had a cloudy, dull day and could take no pictures. So we hope to come back again as we feel this section of our trip we must show you. Nothing to write about tonight as it rained, snowed, hailed and sleeted today. Therefore, instead of being here in Naples two or three days we had originally planned, we're going to remain until the weather clears as the newspapers say this weather is general throughout Europe. Again no news to record as it is still cloudy with off-and-on rain showers. We did drive about here in Naples and saw the snow on Mt. Vesuvius -- it was bare on Monday. I'm getting caught up with my laundry as I even washed three sweaters today since we have time here to wait for them to dry. Our only reason for waiting here in Naples is to again visit Pompeii, Sorrento and the spectacular Amalfi Drive. According to the Paris edition of the "Herald Tribune", this weather is general all over Europe. So, there is very little use to go north as there it will be even worse than here. Sitting around three days waiting for sunshine is really a task for me as just sitting doing nothing bores me to death. We read the paper, play cards and eat, but that only wastes part of a day. [January 15] At last we hit a clear day and took our same trip as I told you about several days ago. However, today it was much more beautiful because we had sun. We were even more impressed and believe it's one of the loveliest spots we've seen on our trip. So, when coming to Italy don't miss Sorrento and the Amalfi Drive -- that is, if you enjoy natural beauty. In this area of Italy you see the quaint Sicilian carts with their lovely designs, similar to our Pennsylvania Dutch designs, painted on the fragile looking carts with large wheels. The horses which pull the carts are also very elaborately decorated with fancy saddles which boast bells and a section of silver designs that stand about one foot high over the top of the horses backs. These carts look fragile but they carry heavy loads. I purchased a miniature horse and cart to give you an idea of their attractiveness. Also purchased cameos and coral beads and earrings which are native to this area. Today [January 16] is the end of our newsletter week and it certainly was a "lulu". We left Naples after a one week stay and drove to Cassina where there was quite a lot of action during World War II. We saw the ruins of some of the hills and also the large monastery on the summit of a high hill which overlooks the city.- As usual, it was a gray, cloudy day and the area for miles around Cassina is most picturesque and colorful, but no pictures to show its true beauty since there was no sun. Not long after we left Cassina we hit deep snow and miserable |
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highway conditions as the roads could not be kept clear. Therefore, trucks and cars had traffic completely snarled and driving was very hazardous. We had a very high mountain pass to go over and you could not tell the highway from the sides as it was completely white and very deep. I was a nervous wreck until we arrived in Pescara which is along the Adriatic Sea. I dread thinking about going further north tomorrow as they have been having snow all week. Today we had hail several times, snow, sleet and rain and even a little sunshine. Hate to say this, but I just dread the next two-and-a-half months here in Europe as it is predicted they will have a hard winter and, when Naples gets snow, it's unusual and they had it while we were there. (I'd like to be a bear and hibernate until the weather becomes settled as I sure am scared on ice and snow.) Sure hope winter at home is more mild than here and that you are all fine and healthy. Until next week -- Fondest regards, Meredith and Charlotte |