ITALY Naples, Civitavecchia & Livorno, June 27-29

            In Naples we took a ship’s tour in the afternoon. It was the one recommended for the less able with the least amount of walking. It was almost a lost afternoon. The Italian young lady spoke reasonable English but had an accented, sing  song voice very hard to listen to. She told us the name of every street we turned into, and we seemed to turn in circles and she told us ‘this building we have seen before – from the front’.

            In the old part of the city there were Roman ruins and sad to see the graffiti everywhere on the very old and the not quite so old. There was no graffiti in Israel or Turkey, but it was bad in Greece and here again in Italy. What does that say about these nations?

            We stopped for refreshments of either icecream, a cool drink or coffee at a coffee shop on the heights overlooking the bay, with Capri and Mount Vesuvius in the distance. The apex of Vesuvius was covered with a cloud that I took to be caused by the steam from the volcano, which last erupted in the 1940s.  Ship’s tours today took in the remains of Pompeii desctroyed in 79AD by an eruption of Vesuvius which covered the city in a flood of hot ash and mud that hardened immediately and preserved the city and many of its 30,000 people killed in the eruption. It was only rediscovered 1500 years later.  Bruce and I visited Pompeii a few years ago and I still have vivid mental pictures of the place and even of plaster casts of some people frozen in time. 

            If Vesuvius erupts about once in every hundred years, why are there villages halfway up the slopes today? Perhaps modern monitoring gives more reliable warning of eruptions?

            Civitavecchia is the port for Rome, so there was a very busy harbour, and we did not go into Rome. We spent four days there a few years ago. Our big adventure for the day was to take my electric scooter off ship for the first time. It is too heavy to put under a bus or in a taxi. It doesn’t fold like my TravelScoot. The crew ‘boys’ with the wheelchair ensign on their blue vests helped get it down the gangway and we ‘walked’ along the wharf where three very big ships were lined up one behind the other. There was us –‘Sea Princess’ – and behind us was an MSC ship even bigger than the Sea Princess. Behind again was a Costa Ship nearly as big. The MSC and the Costa had their own  “Cruise Terminal” buildings where people were arriving by coach with large suitcases and checking-in for cruising, or going off in coaches to explore Rome.

            At the entrance to the Secure Area next to each ship was a Port Security Man complete with a gun in the holster on his hip to make sure only bona fide passengers entered. There was lovely sun warming us as we toured along beside the ships. The day was much cooler than it has been.  Probably about 24 degrees with a breeze.

            As the tours for Rome had set off very early and would only be back about 6pm, dinner tonight was “Open Sitting”. That means there are no set meal times, and restaurants are open from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. When you arrive at the restaurant you are seated at the nearest incomplete table. Not at your usual table. This is interesting as you meet and talk to new people.

            The third Italian City – Livorno – is the gateway for exploring Florence and Pisa. I have vivid memories of Florence from our visit a few years ago. Michelangelo’s David – only a replica – is huge and has so far avoided the attentions of the ‘modesty’ brigade and still has his private bits complete, with no plaster fig-leaves over the top. As someone once said, there must be a box of ‘interesting parts’ somewhere of bits removed from works of art in some parts of Italy. I loved the square and Cathedral there – but not today.

            We choose instead to take the local shuttle bus into town. We went early so Bruce could be back in time to watch the Rugby Test Match about noon between the Wallabies and the British/Irish Lions. We were in the Piazza Grande by 9.15am. The sun was lovely and warm. No wind. So we strolled along the main street. At least Bruce strolled and pushed and I sat in the wheelchair. At first we wondered why the shops – which looked well kept – were all closed. We thought about it. Was this Sunday? It was Saturday. So why?

            We passed a large MacDonalds all closed up. Maybe shops here didn’t open till 10am. But Macdonalds not open for breakfast? A closer look seemed to indicate that this MacDonalds was permanently closed. It had a run-down look about it, and when we peered through the not so clean glass windows, the inside looked abandoned. Bruce has an affinity with MacDonalds from home where he reads their Telegraph, so it was disappointing. No coffee there today. When in Rome years ago we learned they didn’t recognize Bruce’s “Long Black” and called it “Americano”. I think Bruce had been practicing his “Americano please”. Not to be.

            It struck us that we hadn’t seen the ‘golden Arches’ for a while. There was one in Jordan in the distance. None in Egypt. None in Israel or Turkey, and saw one somewhere in Naples on our big tour round the city.

            The shops did open at ten o’clock and more people appeared. I like to look in local shops to see what local people are buying and what they are paying for it. There were a couple of upmarket ‘dress’ shops with what I thought were very ‘upmaket’ prices, and I also explored one with much lower quality and prices -aimed at young people by the look of things.

            Apart from the couple of upmarket ladies clothing shops the town has an old and run-down look about it. Postcards outside shops and news stalls wanted me to believe the whole coast was full of beaches and resorts all along this coast. I can only say I haven’t got that impression.

            Then we looked down a side street and discovered the ‘Saturday Market’ in full swing. This was very alive with people and activity. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit stalls. I thought the quality and prices were reasonable to good. There were lots of tomatoes everywhere. Different sizes and styles and cheap. I thought “Yes. Italians and tomatoes.” There were refrigerated butchers’ stalls. Small goods and delis. Shoes and handbags. ‘Everything’ stalls that said

‘1-2 Euros’. I thought ‘$2 shops’ from home. Above the markets loud Church bells tolled at 10.00 o’clock and at 10.30. Why? A service? It all added to the atmosphere. This is Italy – a Catholic Country.

            We set out back to the Shuttle Bus and were struck by the number of motor bikes and Vespa Scooters  parked in profusion along streets. We were back on the ship in plenty of time for the football. There is always some anxiety about the satellite reception but it came through loud and clear where it was shown on two small screens in Ship’s Casino with lots of men and few women gathered around on the Casino chairs pulled up together.

            A good game. Even better that the Wallabies won after the final whistle. Great cheers in the Casino!

            Ship’s Excursions to Pisa and Florence dribbled back late again, so dinner was ‘Open Seating’ again.