View on Naples from the Castle Sant Elmo

This sunday I passed in Naples. I wanted to visit the castle and the museum that you have seen together with me from the port but did not planned it for the next days. My husband said me: the weather is still good and who knows if it will maintain so -go now there. And I followed his advise. Fortunatelly -because the weather changed yesterday, it's too cold and the wind is very strong.

Here in the center, on the hill, is the place I visited. What you can see is the wall of the Carthusian monastery. Behind it is situating the castle. I thought, it is the castle from early medieval times but I was wrong. It was built in XVI century. The monastery is older.



The castle is interesting because there are very beautiful views from it's walls. There were 2 exhibitions there, too. One, I did not visit it, -something about cartoons. Ther other is permanent and you can follow the development of the trends in the painting from the beginning till the end of the passed century. The guides explain what you see there.

After it I went up on the wall and made some photos. Here is the "classic" view of Naples with Vesuvius. By the way, if you look forward, behind the volcanoe, more or less the same distance, I think, will be the house where I sit now to tell you about this city. :-)))



Here is the other famous image. Probably you've seen it many times. But I'm sure, you did not associated it with Naples. Next time you'll visit it, remember that this helmet ("elmo" in Italian) is collocated in Castel dell' Elmo (with the island Capri behind it).



Surprising was the other view from the wall. The very desired in the Roman times part of this region where there were ( and there are till today) healing springs. Where Virgil ( Publius Vergilius Maro) collocated the entrance in the Hell. Where the other volcanoe, Solfatara, scares the persons living around it. Where there are many interesting attractions for the discovering this zone tourist.

Eternity

I thought about the Eternity after I've discussed the life of Jesus between His childhood and 33 years. My friend wanted to know what I think about the possibility that Jesus passed some yars of His life in Tibet.

Well, I don't want to speak about it now. I simply wanted to understand: what feelings I have after this call. I opened the photos of my visits of Greek and Roman sites this year. And understood that all  I feel now is possible to explain in only one word: Eternity. Maybe I'm not right, maybe I choosed a wrong definition. Here are the photos that made more impression on me.
Do you agree with me? Is it the right word to explain the concept?

(Photo 1,2 -Paestum; 3 -Roman town under  Naples; 4 -the view from the crater of Vesuvius on Sorrento coast and Capri)

The Very First Baptistry

Spring is just the main character of the life in Italy, we had more than a week of the relatively sunny days, and all the institutions awoke after the letargy of the winter inactivity. In Naples, there are different and very interesting exhibitions, an entire bunch, that are connected to the week of the culture, when the entrance in all the national museums is gratis.

I wanted to visit the castles situating over the city but the weather was not too good and I decided that the most wise way is to stay in the museums that morning. So, the itinerary was urgently changed just in the car and I had to visit the Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro (here is the photo of the best piece-the mitre http://www.museosangennaro.it/ )

The actual Dom is built near one of two antique doms of the city, that is actually called Basilica of S. Restituta. Very beautiful and unique building that was created in IV cent. (!) Today, it practically has not the traces of that initial sanctuary.



The right part of the Basilica has an interestiong mosaic inspired, I think, by the mosaics of Constantinople, created in 1322.



On the left, you can find access to the most antique Baptistry (in Europe). It was built at the end of IV century and has unique, literally, mosaics that no one other site has. The Baptistery is actually opened for the visits after many years of important restaurations.



What is interesting in this site that the capitals of the columns are not from the Roman villas -that is usual- but they have signs of the cross and other christian symbols.

The catechumen had to rise his eyes to the god during the christening and could see all these signs over him.

Here are some photos of the mosaics.

Santa Lucia in Naples

Quarter Santa Lucia of Naples is very beautiful. You have to go for a walk there if you visit this city. And it's unpossible that you miss it, if you decided to walk there. Because this quarter is situated just behind the Royal Palaceabout a km far from thje port where your cruise ship waits for you. By the way, I've just wrote about the restructured port of Naples ( “New” Port of Naples and Mariner of the Seas in Naples ) and went in the city to see the ship of Royal Caribbean, Mariner of the Seas. Because the weather was so good and I had free time, I decided to spend some hours to see the places I like there.



I wanted to visit the fortress Castel dell'Ovo (on the photo, in the sea) to take some photos in this incredible medieval building, but did not want to walk all that way from the port to the castle -about one km, I think. So, I asked one man that was clearly from this place about a short way. He said me that there is only one but not very nice street, and, at the end, decided to accompain me. You can see the mountain road we took just behind the 5-star hotels of the sea front. You will see it, that road, on my next photos closely.



All the street was this way: go and return. 100 meters forward, 100 meters back.



And the castle was just under me, so near but so far... The first Greek sailors decided to leave on that rock in the sea and they used this mountain to excavate the caves for their needs and for their gods.



One of the bends of the street opened a splendid palace. Abandoned. The man that accompained me told, the residents burned it once to protest when the muniсipality wanted to transfer them from the caves where they live (you can see them on my next photo)

 

These "houses" and "apartments" are the caves in the side of the mountain. Did you ever claim your house? Look at this photo in the period when yoou are not content with your accomodation. But they are sure, I think, that their houses can not fall down during the earthquackes...