John Pierce (DD 753) - Naval Cruise Book

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ports, established itself by transporting Crusaders to the Holy Land. The city is much like our own large cities. The shopping district offers everything our own do at about the same prices. Just beyond the center of the city is a park where the Unknown Soldier of Italy rests under a massive arch and an eternal flame. Looking through this arch, a large floral display can be seen, the three ships of Columbus, whose home was in Genoa. The four days here went quickly, which was not regretted, for home was getting closer and closer. VILLA FRANCE The 2-day ski party to the Maritime Alps set out early in the morning from the land- ing in 2 buses. Through Nice and into the hill country beyond, they drove. After an hour ' s drive through the French countryside, the bus entered the Alpine country. A nev- er-to-be-forgotten ride up through a deep gorge of red rock brought us up to those majestic snow-covered mountains, the Alps. Those next two days most of us spent sliding down the slopes, in various positions. One frigid night in the unheated hotel there was enough, and it was on odd-looking party that limped off the bus in Nice that second night. A number of the wounded ' took a bit of the local mountain dew to help deaden the pain of the various sprains and bruises, and by the time they reached Nice, they were feeling no pain at all. But, despite all the gripes, most of us were looking forward to that next liberty in Nice. GENOA (Tour to Switzerland) A two-day tour to the Swiss Alps was arranged from Genoa. On the trip, our buses stopped at Milan and, while the ar- rangements for our visas were being made, we visited the points of interest. We saw the Duomo, a Renaissance cathedral in Gothic architecture; the world-famed La Scala Opera House; and viewed the fading Da Vinci masterpiece, The Last Supper. We stayed overnight in the village of Lugano, on the Lake Lugano in the south- ern part of Switzerland. The typical Swiss chalets nestled on the floor of the valley present a beautiful setting, and the con- genial villagers made our brief stay very pleasant. We had the thrilling experience of riding to the top of Mount San Salvador on a cable car. The view of the towering, snow-cov- ered peaks was breath-taking.

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Rome. The excavated treasures of ancient Rome stand amid the modern city ' s struc- tures. Monuments and statues are found on every square. Works of Michelangelo, Bernini and Cellini adorn the countless fountains. Temples over 2000 years old still endure, most important of which is the Pantheon, which is still used at a Catholic Church. Its dome is second in size only to the Basilica of St. Peter ' s. We entered the Coliseum and saw where the Christian mar- tyrs died to entertain Roman aristocrats. The crown of the city is the Vatican. The area is completely independent and has its own government. Dominating Vatican City is the Basilica of St. Peter. The actual size of the tremendous structure is not at first apparent because of the perfectly propor- tioned architecture. Aside from being the largest church in the world and having the largest unsupported dome in the world, St. Peter ' s houses the most valuable collection of art and precious gems in the world. The works of the greatest painters and sculptors adorn the church. The highlight of our visit was an audi- ence with Pope Pius XI. His Holiness re- ceived the group of visitors from every part of the world at his winter residence at the Castle Gondolfo, outside Rome. It was a fe fc ■v • - memorable and inspiring event for every- one. GENOA One day of steaming through heavy seas brought us to the maritime city of Genoa, and again, as in Naples, we backed up to our moorings. Genoa, always one of Italy ' s largest sea-

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GIBRALTAR Here, finally, was that long-awaited last port, Gibraltar, the gateway to the Medi- terranean. We steamed past the Rock and slipped into our moorings in the early light. There above us stood that fortress rock that has guarded the entrance to the Mediter- ranean since man learned to sail the open seas. The city itself consists mostly of small houses and narrow streets that find their own way up the side of the mountain. Gibraltar wasn ' t much of a liberty port as far as entertainment goes. As one sea- man aptly put it, That ' s all it is, a rock. No matter where you went in the city, parts of a fortress or defending wall could be found. This whole mountain is actually a fortress itself, being honeycombed with passageways and gun ports Again we noticed the British influence in this city, perhaps more than before, for as you walked through the streets you would see the bobbies and the soldiers that marched in that high-stepping, arm-swing- ing style. And once again we struggled with shillings, pounds and pence. Most of us spent our time in town or took a trip up to the rock which looked out over the strait to Africa across the way. That night, there were few of us who were reluctant to come back to the ship, for this was the last liberty before heading . . . home.