This morning we take the train to Naples from the scruffy train station in Pompei. The train station and the train cars are covered in graffiti. The Circumvesuviana line runs from Naples all the way out to Sorrento. We didn’t know that when we took the car to Sorrento yesterday. But the train is slow and makes every stop along the way so it probably would have been way slower than the car.
Disembarking from the train in Naples we find ourselves in a blur of people, vehicles, and noise. It is a very busy place. The urban scene is not interrupted by parks at least as far as we can see. In the streets the people, bicycles, cars, taxis, motor scooters, buses, and trucks play an elaborate game of chicken.
We make our way to the Pio Monte della Misericordia. Founded in 1601 by a brotherhood dedicated to merciful acts, it is famous for its art works, including Caravaggio’s The Seven Works of Mercy. In the painting over the altar are depicted the acts of mercy that the brotherhood aspired to – feeding the poor, visiting the sick and incarcerated, burying the dead, giving drink to the thirsty, and clothing the naked. We rent the audio tour and view the paintings in the church and nearby picture gallery.
Next we make our way to Naples’s Duomo. Usually these cathedrals are situated in a large piazza but in Naples everything is pretty much on top of each other. A section of the cathedral traces it roots back to Paleo-Christian times. There are mosaics from the 4th century, about as old as any Christian art there is in Europe.
A stop for lunch at Pizzeria Aiello’s! We are railroaded by the serving person into having a seafood pasta and an octopus starter. I really want a pizza. After all this is Napoli, the birthplace of pizza. I eye other patrons pizzas hungrily as watch John and Sarah suck on their enormous shrimp heads. I am just not that adventurous.
So, feeling grumpy for lack of pizza, and achy from all the walking, standing and stair climbing, I dart through the traffic to the Archaeological Museum. Here we are looking forward to seeing the wall paintings and mosaics from the Pompei excavations.
The wall paintings are amazing. Many have an almost impressionistic element to them. Also perspective! After the fall of the Roman Empire it would take until the late 14th century to regain these elements of art. We are wowed.
Dinner tonight is at Vincanto again. What a great place. If you are ever in Pompei, it is a great place to eat. Just let Yuri pick out your wine and courses. You’ll be pleased.
