October 4 - Pompeii, Cassino & Assisi

Today was an interesting day on our tour.  We made three stops and each represented three distinct eras in Italian history.

Our first stop was at Pompeii.  This was an ancient Roman village that was covered in volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.  The people and buildings of Pompeii were covered in up to twenty five meters of ash and pumice stone, which rained down for about 6 hours.  

Alley way

Basilica

In the 1738 workmen digging the foundation for a royal palace discovered the top of the ruins.  Because of the sudden burial of the town, most of the buildings and artifacts remained intact with their original frescos and paintings.  Many cavities were found in the ash which corresponded to decomposed corpses.  So far excavations have uncovered over 1,000 bodies.

Victim of Volcano

Among the interesting buildings uncovered were the gladiator school, public baths, the theatre, the town square which contained the local forum, market place and temples.  Also discovered was a brothel.  On many of the houses were pagan symbols, the most common being a penis which stood for fertility and good health.  It also was used as a road sign giving directions to the brothel.

Marg was so impressed that she wants to visit the Naple's museum, where they have many of the artifacts, when we visit the region again.

Strikes have nowadays become part of Italian culture and a way of life.  Not that Italians are happy with strikes but, as with most other things they say "ci arrangiamo"  or “we do the best we can.”  During the first week of our vacation there were three separate one day strikes.  There were two strikes that stopped public transportation and a third strike by the maintenance workers in the Coliseum, that closed that attraction.

The public transportation strike at Sorrento closed the road between Sorrento and Naples. Luckely we got past the picket line before they stopped traffic.

Pompeii's Forum

Our next stop was the Commonwealth War Museum in Cassino.  During the fall of 1943 and winter of 1944 Canadian troops fought alongside with other members of the Commonwealth to try and dislodge the Germany army from the defensive positions overlooking Monte Cassino.  Over 1,000 Canadian soldiers are buried here or listed on the Cassino Memorial because their bodies were never found.

Commonwealth War Cemetery

It was a sad moving experience to walk among the grave markers of these young men, some who were teenagers, who gave their lives in the liberation of Italy and defense of freedom.  It brings tears to your eyes as you realize that it was their sacrifice that allowed us to live the lives that we have lead.

Commonwealth War Cemetery

Commonwealth War Cemetery

On a lighter note, there is an Italian tradition that when you see a flock of sheep, you wave to them and you will get good fortune.  So every time we pass some sheep everybody waves.

Our last stop of the day was at the medieval town of Assisi.  This is the home of Saint Francis, who is the patron saint of Italy.  St. Francis and the order he founded are guided by 3 principles. These are Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.

The basilica of St. Francis is actually two distinct basilicas.  The lower basilica contains the grave of St. Francis and the upper basilica, built after his death, contains a series of famous frescoes depicting his life.

Basilica of St. Francis

We lucked out as today was the last day of the Festival of St. Francis of Assisi.  We arrived in time to see the blessing from the Bishop of Assisi to the people of Italy.

Basilica of St. Francis

The buildings on the streets of the old town are preserved medieval structures. The buildings can be dated back to the fourteenth century.   Barbara, our guide, is from Assisi and you can tell the pride she has in her home town.

Assisi

Assisi

Assisi

Marg going shopping in Assisi

Most of the buildings in the old sections of an Italian town seem to follow the same basic layout.  The ground floor is where you will you find the stores and restaurants.  Apartments are found in the floors above the stores.  The flat part of the roof is a communal patio. Some of the larger buildings will have a courtyard garden.

In 1997 the town of Assisi was struck by a major earthquake.  There was major damaged to many of the buildings in the old part of the city.  The roof of the upper chapel in St. Francis Basilica collapsed and killed several people.  The Italian government was very quick in providing financial assistance to the region and most of the damaged has been fixed.

Our hotel, the Ròseo Hotel Assisi,  is outside of the old town but is an excellent place to stay. The room was bigger than most and very comfortable.  The facilities were bright and accommodating.