Baltimore (CA 68) - Naval Cruise Book

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CAPRI SORRENTO While tied to a buoy at Naples, many men of the Baltimore had the opportunity of touring the beautiful Isle of Capri . The Navy tourists left Naples on the bright, white excursion boat Capri . On arriving at Capri, the party was immediately divided into small groups to tour around the island in motor launches. The coral and rock formations fascinated and caught the eyes of everyone. The most spectacular sight was the world-famous Blue Grotto . A small tunnel in the side of a huge bluff led to an enormous cavern, which assumed an almost eerie blueness from the reflection of the sun ' s rays which entered through the cavern ' s single opening and filtered tlirough the water. Lunch was served the touring party at the Hotel Metropole, where a real Italian spaghetti meal was thoroughly enjoyed. In typical Itahan tradition, a violinist and guitarist played and sang songs of the Isle to the saUors. Later , the party again broke up into small groups, hired taxis to complete the tour on their own, and returned to the ship in the evening. The Isle of Capri

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POMPEII ' ■m. Pompeii, buried when Vesuvius erupted in 25 B. C, and centuries later dug out from under the volcanic ash and greatly restored, offered every- thing from a museum with human bodies almost perfectly preserved by the ash to faded pictures on the walls of the restored homes. All the things that were necessary to housekeeping in this ancient city have been recovered, and jewelry and bits of cloth were also unearthed and have been preserved. The public forum (or market), the temples to the various gods, homes of peasants and those of their masters, pubhc baths, a bakery shop and a wine shop, and even the local brothel, were all brought to our attention during the tour. We visited what had been the home of Cassius, one of Caesar ' s cohorts, and saw the room in which was hatched the plot to assassinate Caesar. This was the place where our sailor-historians were really in their element, but everyone was greatly impressed with the thorough job of restoration that had been done. Returning to Naples, we took the shore route, which brought us by Salerno and Salerno Bay, the hillside resorts of Sorrento and Amalfi (where we had lunch in a quaint hotel high above the sea and the beach) and provided us with some of the most e quisite views of our cruise.

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ROME TOUR I i Baggage and lire in hand, our tour party arrived in Rome ' s ultra-modern railroad terminal. Hustling a bit, we squared ourselves away in hotel rooms and hopped aboard a sight-seeing bus. Rome - the Eternal City - remains as interesting as history intended it to be - the old walls, arches and pillars of the Forum, and fountains crumbled in quiet dignity, defying time. The fabled Colliseum, contrary to popular belief, was used not for the sacrifice of Martyrs during the persecutions, but rather for gladiatorial contests. The Martyrs were sacrificed in ' circuses - every one of which has been replaced by a church as a tribute to their suf fering. St. Peter ' s, on the site of Nero ' s mammoth circus, is known throughout the world not only for its varied magni- ficence, but also as the predominant symbol of Christianity. We toured the Catacombs, vast underground galleries which were used as a place where the Christians could hide from the Roman soldiers and where they could bury their dead. As nothing was scheduled for that evening, we had a chance to visit some of the local night spots which proved similar to those in the United States. The following morning we returned to the Vatican City where we visited the huge museum and marvelled at the works of sculpture, paintings, and statues of historical interest. In the afternoon, we had an audience with the Pope, which was of particular interest to us all. That evening we boarded the train to return to Naples with a real hope that we would some day be fortimate enough to return to Rome - the Eternal City. A ,y ' ; MM . ' Wf - ' ' » • !--e