22. Napoli - round and about (including one Caravaggio)

To be honest, the whole prospect of Naples has always intimidated me somewhat, and we have skirted around its edges on each visit to Italy - visiting the ancient site of Pompeil, staying in Salerno, visiting the Amalfi coast, travelling through on trains between points further south and Rome...

This time we decided to set aside some time to explore at least part of Naples, with an eye on the national Archaeological Museum and Caravaggio paintings in particular.

We decided to rest our heads in much calmer Pompei, and travel to Naples as a day trip. I think our decision was justified, and although we got a lot from our toe-dipping in Naples, it's still a bit too frenetic and noisy and chaotic for my taste (people pushing and in close proximity in very narrow streets are never my idea of fun, especially with THREE people together, one of them young. You can never walk together and usually end up on a group-march, single file).

Still, I'd now like to return to Naples and discover more.

The pictures are a bit diappointing. It was a grey and drizzly day to start with, and it was hard to get good light in the narrow streets....

Below: Piazza near the central railway station.
Below: Via Tribunali, a main shopping street, in the Spaccanapoli section of the city
Below: In the same area. I don't know what this building is.
Below: A smaller street off via Tribunali
Below: The small octagonal chapel of Pio Monte di Misericordia houses one of Caravaggio's masterpieces, The Seven Acts of Mercy. The chapel is a lovely haven free of the noise and chaos outside. We were there alone for most of our visit and able to sit and contemplate the painting before us for a long time.
Below: The Caravaggio painting, Seven Acts of Mercy.
Below: Piazza Riario Sforza with the Guglia di San Gennaro (Spire of San Gennaro), dedicated to the patron saint of Naples in 1636, to thank San Genaro for saving the city from an eruption of Vesuvius in 1631. The yellow building on the right is the Hotel Caravaggio. It looks nice.
Below: A view of rooftops from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Below: Pizza at a local pizzeria near Capodimonte
Below: The Bay of Naples from the park at Capodimonte
Below: Advertising within the central railway station. "Vesuvius and Etna...Never So Close As Now."

Below: A decent reproduction of The Seven Acts of Mercy c 1607

23. Napoli - National Archaeological Museum

The Museo Archaeologico Nazionale in Napoli is where original mosaics, frescoes and other objects uncovered from ancient Pompei and Herculaneum and other excavations around Vesuvius are housed. There are also Etruscan and Egyptian relics, Greek and Roman sculptures. It is a magnificent museum.

Possibly the most memorable room is the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet) - a collection of ancient erotica from pompei and Herculaneum. It was reopened to the public in 2000 after decades of being restricted to those with academic interest and permission.

Below: Ben joins in discussion with these classical wise ones.


Below: Hercules' bum
Below: The Farnese Hercules - made by Glykon of Athens, it is an enlarged copy of a sculpture by Greek master Lysippus. Napoleon is said to have regretted leaving it behind when he left Italy with his loot in 1797.
Below: The Farnese Bull, behind drapes while the room is being restored. You can see it here. According to Pliny the Elder it was commissioned at the end of the second century BC and carved from one whole block of marble. It was imported from Rhodes as part of the collection of artwork and sculptures owned by Asinius Pollio, a Roman politician. It is widely considered the largest single sculpture ever recovered from antiquity, made by Apollonius of Tralles and his brother Tauriscus.
It represents the myth of Dirce. She was tied to a wild bull by the sons of Antiope, Zeto and Amphion, who wanted to punish her for the ill-treatment inflicted on their mother, first wife of Lykos, King of Thebes.
Below: Three pieces from the Gabinetto Segreto collection
Below: Is that a gun in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?
Below: One of the most famous pieces is this fresco of Priapus - Mercury from Pompei
Below: Amazing mosaics from . This was my favourite part of the museum, apart from the gabinetto segreto. The bottom one is from the large theatre at Pompei. There are many others, and they are all absolutely beautiful.
Below: This model of Pompei, the idea of archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli, was made of wood, paper and cork between 1861 and 1879. It reproduces every detail found in the ruins to that time. In some cases when detailed records of decoration are needed, the model is the only remaining source.

24. Napoli - Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte (including one Caravaggio, a A Gentileschi and a Brueghel)

The purpose of our visit was to look at two paintings we've longed to see for ages - Caravaggio's Flagellation (160710) and Atemisia Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes (1597-1651)

There is an amazing lot of other magnificent works of art, brilliantly displayed as well; it ranks as one of the best art museums I have visited. There are some Brueghels which can take your breath away. Amid more "usual suspects" - cricifixions, annunciations etc, there is a painting The Blind Leading The Blind by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, which is beautifully rendered. It is a subject I haven't seen in art before. There's also his Misanthrope.

The Cravaggio is hung in isolation at the end of a very long corridor. As you appraoch, it is framed by innumerable doorwars and arches. The lighting is dramatic. The whole effect is quite breathtaking and derserving of this powerful and dramatic work.

The Royal Palace of Capodimonte was built by Charles VII Bourbon as a hunting lodge, starting in 1738. Charles inherited his mother, Elisabetta farnese's art collection. 17th century artists and travellers flocked to look at it. Visits were halted during French rule (1806-15) when the palace became the residence of Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat.

In 1860, the Galleria d'Arte Moderne was established.


Below: I forget who these were by, but they impressed me!

Below: Caravaggio's Flagellation
Below: Artemisia Gentileschi Judith Slaying Holofernes
Below: Pieter Brueghel the Elder - The Blind Leading the Blind

26. Travellin' around

Below: Pompei Scavi - the station on the Circumvesuviana line which is on the Sorrento line. Many visitors to the Pompei site arrive here.

Below: Ercolano -The station for visiting Herculaneum's ruins.
Below: the Circumvesuviano - return from Sorrento. This is the train we were on when we over-shot the station.

Below: the brand new regional train taking us from Pompei to Naples for our return to Rome. So new the remnants of the plastic which had covered the seats was still visible.

Below: the train from Naples back to Rome.

Below: leaving Naples
Below: The station at Lucca
Below: Waiting at Viareggio (I think) for train to Genoa
Below: The train from Viareggio to Genoa

Below: train from Pisa to Lucca