May 2009 Archives

Day Trip Suggestion #3: the ancient city of Pompeii! Just about 2 hours by train away from Rome, experience the ancient city that Mount Vesuvius buried under 60 feet of ash and pumice for 1,700 years! If you're interested in taking this trip, take a look at the tour we offer HERE!

Pompeii was founded by Oscans (people who inhabited central Italy long ago) in the 7th century BC. It was forced to become a member of the Roman Empire in 4th Century BC, but was able to keep its linguistic and administrative autonomy. It finally was forced to become a colony in 80 BC, becoming an important port for imported goods.

Pompeii was buried on August 24th, 79 BC. It was buried so fast that the ruins are almost like a snapshot of "Roman" life at that moment in time. Because everything was buried in an instant, everything is extremely well preserved.

There are places with ancient graffiti carved into the city walls, in Vulgar Latin.

Jars of wine were found with the brand name, and maybe earliest known catchy marketing pun: "Vesuvinum" , combining "Vesuvius" and the Latin word for "wine".

You can see lots of well-preserved frescoes, which give a good peek at Pompeian life!

Ruins of an ancient 1,000 square meter hotel were even found, nicknamed the "Grand Hotel Murecine"

You'll be able to see a collection of eerie plaster casts of people (and a dog) that were found in the layers of ash.

Pompeii and it's sister city Herculaneum are both home to lots and lots of erotic arts ...you can imagine the surprise on the part of the excavators ;). for more about it take a look HERE. In 1819 the King of Naples was shocked when he saw some of this art and had it locked away from the public. It has since spent the years sometimes locked, sometimes opened, and then locked-up again. It was re-opened yet again in 2000 (minors with permission can only see a portion).

To get to Naples from Rome: Take a train from Termini Main station to Naples (centrale), and from there switch to a train called Circumvesuviana wich will take you directly to the Pompeii site. You can take the slower "IC" (inner city) trains, or pay some extra for a faster Eurostar train. OR, if touring with us, a guide can accompany you from Rome to Pompeii as part of the tour! Click HERE to read about it!

Day Trip Suggestion #2: Orvieto! Guaranteed to take your breath away...Orvieto is a town dramatically placed on top of a mountain in the region of Umbria, very close to Rome, which you might not have of about or know very little about:

To get to Orvieto, you can take a train from the main station Termini in Rome, which takes about an hour. The normal train will cost about 7 euros, while the faster (and by "faster" in this case, means faster by only 10 minutes) will cost about 13 euros. Earliest trains are about 5:30 AM, with the last trains returning to Rome being around 9:20 PM. You can then take the funicular up the steep climb into the city.

It's not merely for aesthetics that Orvieto (and numerous other Italian cities) is placed way up on top of a hill/mountain. It's or purposes of defense! This way they could see enemies miles and miles away before they arrived.

Underground: there's more underground to Orvieto than above ground. The city has an unknown number of underground roads, rooms, escape tunnels, cellars, wells, etc. Some of these were made by noble families as a means of escape in case the city was under attack! You can take guided tours through some of these tunnels.

You can always sign up for a Presto Orvieto tour , which includes the Duomo, the Etruscan ruins, and the Papal Residence.

Orvieto's defensive city walls are made from the same material as the mountain it sits on: tuff, a soft volcanic stone.

Orvieto was once a major center for Etruscan times.

The Duomo: the cathedral of Orvieto is awe-inspiring, Its construction started in 1290. If you notice the similarity between it's appearance to the cathedral of Siena, its probably because Sienese architect and sculptor Maitani was called in to work on stabilization and designing the façade. The resident relic is the Corporal of Bolsena, which according to the story is the cloth from 1263 on which a Eucharistic host is said to have bled during mass.

Vino: grapes have been harvested and made into wine there for some 2,500 years..meaning they've had plenty of time to get it right! ;) They are especially known for white wines.

Truffles: in the surrounding areas grow the ultra-rare white truffle, treat your tastebuds!

Food & Wine: take a look HERE for some recommendations on where to eat and where to taste wine.

During the Sack of Rome in 1527, Pope Clement VII escaped Rome and took refuge in Orvieto. This is when he had the Pozzo di S Patrizio built, of the "Well of St. Patrick", an extremely well designed well (which actually didn't end up striking water until well after the Pope had died).

Who are those guys dressed in funny uniforms around the Vatican? I'll give you a hint: they aren't Italian.... Here's the low-down on The Swiss Guards you've probably heard about before:

The Swiss Guards guard the Papal Palace, serve as bodyguards, and as ceremonial guards. They've been loyally guarding the Vatican since 1506.

Though most people attribute the Swiss Guards to the Holy See, throughout history they also loyally served in France, Spain, and Naples. Most notably at the French Court between 1497-1830.

One of the most well-known episodes in Swiss Guard history occurred in France in 1792 while trying to defend the Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution. Originally 900 Guards in total: 600 of them were killed during the battle or after surrendering, 160 more died in prison or in the battles after called the September Massacres, a few were formally tried and died at the guillotine, and about 300 survived due to being in Normandy at the time of the battle. In their honor there is a monument in Lucerne of a Lion, defeated and laying on top of broken symbols of French monarchy, with "To the Loyalty and Courage of the Swiss" inscribed.

Why Swiss guards and not Italian guards? The Swiss mercenaries have always had a reputation for loyalty. This is a form of security that not all guards guarantee in the same way, as others throughout history have been more prone to changing sides.

The Sack of Rome in 1527 by Charles V of Spain ended with 147 of the 189 Swiss soldiers dead (those that survived were helping Pope Clement VII escape). Every year new guards are sworn in on a ceremony on May 6th, to commemorate the day.

Currently there are 107 Swiss Guards total: 1 commander, 5 officers, and 101 soldiers.

To be eligible to become a Swiss Guard you must meet all of the following requirements: you must be Swiss-born male, unmarried, Roman Catholic, between 19 and 30 years old, at least 1.74 meters tall, have completed basic Swiss Military training, and with a "stainless reputation". Depending on rank, guards can serve anywhere between 2 and 25 years.

It's rumored that Michelangelo himself designed their uniforms...but this is a debated fact. The uniform is blue, red, orange and yellow, and looks distinctly Renaissance. It has a high ruffled collar and white gloves. Generally a black beret is worn with it. There's also armor, as well as an armored helmet, weighing 30 kilos, but generally this is only worn during ceremonial occasions.

There are a few traditional weapons: a long sword, a halberd (tall pole with a blade on top), and a partisan. Since the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II there was some "upgrading" if you will, to their arms and training. Now they have increased training in unarmed combat and small arms, as well are armed with non-ceremonial weapons such as small pistols and assault rifles.

In May of 1998 the Swiss Guards had their first major scandal in over 100 years when the Commander and his wife were murdered by one of the soldiers, who then according to Vatican reports committed suicide. The circumstances surrounding it all are unclear, and there's lots of speculation.

Your most likely occasion to get up close to a Swiss Guard will be during the Papal Audience, or if you get Papal Audience tickets at the famous Bronze doors, which are the entrance to the Papal Palace.

Current controversy involves whether or not to allow women into the Swiss Guards, which has always been exclusively for men.

Ah the beauty of the day trip...hop on a train or bus, see something totally different and new, and then back "home" by evening! Italy is a small enough country (relatively speaking, of course) that makes it pretty easy to see quite a bit, even if you are stationed in just one city. Especially when your home base is Rome since it's so well connected to everywhere else...as they say "All roads lead to Rome". In light of this, I've decided to devote a number of blogs in the future to Day Trip Suggestions. This one's: Florence!

The enchanting Renaissance city of Florence, located in Tuscany, is one of Italy's most popular cities for Wanderers to explore. Florence is a small and charming city, friendly and easy to navigate. It's Duomo in the city's center always reminds me of a giant dollhouse. It's really a totally different experience than other Italian cities, which is one of many reasons it's a must-see. And from Rome it's a train ride of 1 ½ hours...smooth as burro! ;) Here's a few reason's why you should make a day trip to Florence!

It' easy to get there! As i mentioned before, it's a short train ride, through Tuscan sunflowers and hills! A fast train will speed you there in less than 2 hours. Even easier, take a look at our Florence Day Trip we offer, as we will arrange all transport for you, accompany you to and from, tour you through Florence and it's major galleries, leave you a few hours to explore on your own, and then have you back in Rome by dinner!

The atmosphere: there's something just plain charming about Renaissance Florence...the architecture, the colors, the stone streets, the bridges, the windy blue skies... as far as larger cities in Italy go, it's just one of the most pristine places to visit.

Shopping: Florence is famous for leather and gold markets. Purses, wallets, jackets, sketchbooks, belts, briefcases, etc etc...The major markets with all things "pelle" are along most of the Via dell'Ariento between Via Nazionale and the Piazza San Lorenzo, and also at the Mercato Nuovo (between Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo). As far as gold and jewelry go, the proverbial 'end of the rainbow' is at Ponte Vecchio, a colorful bridge very close to the Uffizi galleries.

Gelato: ok it's true you can get gelato all over Italy...but it's ALSO true that certain flavors are particular to certain regions! I've always felt that Florence has the best Cocco (coconut) and Panna Cotta ('cooked cream' literally, tastes a bit like crème caramel).

The Arts: The Uffizi gallery is one of the oldest galleries in the world, and has inside masterpieces such as 'The Birth of Venus' by Botticelli and Da Vinci's 'Annunciation'. The Academia has it's own bragging rights as the home of Michelangelo's statue of David.

Edibles: As an appetizer crunch on some 'crostini' (bread with a pate' and salami or prosciutto), 'fettunta' (roasted bread with garlic and olive oil) or melon slices with prosciutto. Then 'bistecca', a barbecued t-bone steak. For dessert dip almond cookies called 'cantucci di Prato' in a small glass of Vin Santo, a type of after-dinner drink which is a sort of strong sweet wine.

Drinakables: Tuscany is a region filled with wineries and olive oil farms. Nearby Florence is the Chianti region, so you should have no problem finding Chianti. Look for the purple label which says "DOC" or "DOCG" to ensure it's made in the actual Chianti region. After dinner sip on Vin Santo, a strong sweet wine.