Itala September 18 - 22

9-18-09 Friday Day 7

Venice Ravenna Assisi

In the morning we boarded the bus and were on our way to Assisi with a quick stop for lunch. The landscape varied between cultivated flat land to hilly and mountainous terrain. The lowlands appeared prosperous with many crops growing but the highlands had many buildings with half or all their roofs missing.

We reached Assisi in early afternoon and walked on the cobbled streets to the cathedral, the one Francis of Assisi made famous. A locale guide walked us around, explaining the many fresco wall murals. It was a beautiful building with high, domed ceilings all painted with fresco scenes. Many famous painters left their work on these walls and ceilings. By the time we left the church, we were ready for a nap and almost overslept and missed our supper.

9-19-09 Saturday Day 8

Assisi Pompeii Naples At sea

In the morning we drove towards Pompeii and arrived there in the middle of the afternoon. Pompeii had been buried in ash and hot lava because of its location at the foot of Mount Vicarious. Many people had been buried alive when in olden times, the mountain erupted. Today the city has been excavated of ash, and the original cobbled streets and buildings exposed. On the streets we walked on, about fourteen feet of ash had been remover. The buildings on both side of the street had been stores and places of business. At the time of the eruption, many of the occupants of Pompeii were suffocated and berried in the hot ash from the mountain. On display in glass cases were two petrified bodies caught by the ash. From their positions, it appeared that they had died in agony. In one area the diggers uncovered mosaic floors with detailed pictures of warriors on horse back that look as good as when they were first installed. The colors were bright and vivid.

The local guide told us that the worst problem the preservationist had was the unauthorized digging and selling on the black market of artifacts that are national Italian treasures. The government doesn’t have enough money to protect all the sights were the ground contains artifacts.

After our tour of Pompeii, we went back to the bus. Our driver, Eduardo, stood there next to his wife. He introduced us to her, She was a good looking Italian woman. We next drove to the ferry boat, which was the size of an ocean going ship. In order to board her, we had to climb many steps. Constance Sham, a young lady who lived in Penang Malaysia, grabbed my backpack and carried it up the steps to the hatch where we boarded the Ferry. She said it was heavy but that didn’t stop her from carrying it. Because I was walking with a cane and was limping, our fellow travelers were very concerned and helpful. It was time to eat. We found the ships restaurant on the fifth floor, had a good meal and proceeded to our cabins for our night at sea.

The cabins were small with a lower and upper bunk. The lower bunk was about two feet wide and the upper bunk a little wider. The aluminum ladder to get into the upper bunk was rickety. We puzzled over our sleeping arrangements. First I helped Lorene climb the ladder to the upper bunk. We could see that was too dangerous. Then I climbed the ladder. I thought of how many times I had to get up at night. It would be too much for me. Then we both tried laying on the narrow lower bunk. We would have to synchronize our breathing and not roll over to keep from falling out. Next, in desperation, we took the mattress and bedding off the upper bunk and put it on the floor. That worked. I slept on the bunk and Lorene slept on the floor.

9-20-09 Sunday Day 9

At sea Palermo

The ferry was an ocean going vessel set up to carry many passengers to and from Sicily. It was an overnight trip with enough cabins to take care of the local and tourist trade. It was a sturdy and well built ship that rolled very little when the water got rough. In the morning after breakfast, we prepared to board the bus for our tour of Sicily. Constance Sham, the girl from Malaysia, grabbed my back pack and carried it until we were off the boat and on the bus. I thanked her for her kindness. Most of our group was ready to help in any way if my bad knee held us up. It was comforting to be with congenial, helpful companions. We enjoyed their company. In the evening we went to an optional fish dinner. The waiters kept bringing out platters of shrimp, prawns, oysters, octopus and several types fish. With the meal we were served white of red wine. We became more congenial and drank a few toasts to each other. Sitting to our left were Barbara and John from Florida and Teresa and Joe from Las Vagas.

Lorene and I were the only couples not married in the group. Our table mates began teasing us about stopping the tour so we could have a wedding. Soon the word spread to the other tables and we all had a good laugh but no wedding. After a final toast, we climbed into the bus for a return to our hotel for a nights sleep.

9-21-09 Monday Day 10

Palermo Selinunte Agrigento

This day was spent mostly in traveling. We had lunch at a restaurant on the coast were we could walk on the sand at the waters edge. We stopped at another sight where we were given the choice of walking up hill to the ruins or staying with the bus. Most of our group elected to stay with the bus. One old lady said, “If you see one rock, you see them all.” My wife, Ronnie, used to say much the same thing

9-22-09 Tuesday Day 11

Agrigento Piazza Armerina Enna Taormina [Giardini Naxos]

We traveled through the vineyards of the southern hills to enjoy a visit to see the colorful mosaics of the fourth century Roman Villa of Cosale. Then we were off to see the splendors of Piazza Armerina before stopping to view the fortress town of Enna. Next we arrived in the scenic resort of Taormina where we spent the next two nights.