Pawcatuck (AO 108) - Naval Cruise Book

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Q f W xyf ruins seem to bear out the fact that the morals of the mlpeople left much to be desired. Ra' Leaving Pompeii we headed for Amalfi. The wind- wing road we took gave us a wonderful view of the Medi- iogterranean many hundreds of feet below. Arriving at hAmalfi, a quaint resort town, we stopped for dinner. EHere we enjoyed an excellent meal made more pleasant Wg by the music of a small Spanish band. 4 Our iinal stop was at another resort town, Sorrento. if Unfortunately we .stayed at this world famous mecca ll for tourists only long enough to take a hurried look if' around and buy a few souvenirs, but many of us felt th that we should like to return some day and explore more closely its narrow streets shaded by beautiful Utrees, and hear again the music and laughter of its Epeople. ' is A half hour later we were back in Naples, tired per- haps, but content in the knowledge that we carried with us a few more unforgettable memories of our Mediter- ranean cruise. CAPRI 3 About twenty miles south of Naples lies the famous E Isle of Capri. The two hour trip is made in a sturdy 9 open excursion boat. The trip went rapidly, though, 9 with animated but limited conversations with the Ital- X ian passengers. 9 First on the agenda was the Blue Grotto. The Grotto is a water filled cavern which can be entered only from f the sea. The opening is so low that a rowboat is the e largest craft able to squeeze through. Even then it is necessary for the occupants to lie prone at the entrance. - Once inside, however, the cavern enlarges considerably. 1 The most striking feature of the grotto is the eerie, luminous, blue glow that the water gives forth. The - small boats slipping through the glowing water in the t otherwise darkened cave give one the impression that he has been transplanted to a strange new world of fantasy. E I . In order to get to the more elevated parts of the is- ' land it was necessary to ride the Funiculare, a cable car which runs up into the hills at about a forty-five degree angle. By this time we had worked up a sizeable appe- tite and so were grateful for the opportunity to take time off for lunch. In the afternoon we were shown the exotic rock gar- dens of the island and were treated to some breathtak- ing views of the rocky crags jutting into the sea far below. A visit to the Ville of St. Michael and a bus ride around the island completed the days activities. By seven P. M. we were back in Naples. To us the Isle of Capri was no longer merely the title of a song.

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4 Michaelangelo, Botticelli and Perugino adorn the walls and ceiling. The Vatican museum offered works by Ra- phael, Titian and many otherltalian masters. After lunch we proceeded to the Coliseum, one-of Rome's famous landmarks. With a little imagination we could picture the great throngs which once iilled the massive arena to watch gladiators and beasts fight to the death. Now many portions of the Coliseum have fallen to ruin but much of the grandeur still remains. From the Coliseum we went to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, the burial caves of the early Christians. We were guided through only a small section of the under- ground vaults but we saw enough to sympathize with those who found it necessary to congregate there. Leaving the Catacombs, we once again took up our journey along the Appian Way, this time heading for Naples. Supper at Formia rounded out our day and although we were tired, we were able to ask When is the next tour to Rome ? THE POMPEII, AMALFI. AND SORRENTO TOUR A memorable experience wasthe tour to Pompeii, Amalfi and Sorrento. Our first stop was at a cameo factory a few miles outside of Naples. Here we were able to observe for ourselves just what constitutes the making of a cameo. It became apparent that the value of the finished product is determined by two factors, the nature of the raw material and the skill of the craftsman. A short ride brought us to the ancient city of Pom- peii located almost at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius. Here, more than three hundred years before the birth of Christ, some twenty five thousand people lived a re- markably civilized existence. Pompeii was buried by the erruption of Mt. Vesuvius in seventy-nine A. D. Since 1861 the Italian government has been systema- tically excavating the city and today a large part of it is now open to the public. A few of the more famous structures we observed were The Basilica, also known as the palace of justice, The Forum, which was the center of the life and activi- ty of the-city, and the Amphitheatre, a hugh circular arena which was the scene of sports events and bloody performances. The Amphitheatre was capable of seat-' ing more than twenty thousand spectators. As our guide led us through the straight paved streets he pointed out what were once shops, homes, temples, baths, aqueducts, gambling houses, hotels and whatever else was necessary for a completely functional city. Upon entering a bath house we found dressing rooms, swimming pool, and cold, warm and hot bathing rooms. Hot baths were heated by furnaces located be- neath the floors. . Legend has it that Pompeii was destroyed by the gods because of the sinful life of its inhabitants and some of the statues and paintings found among the l I 1 1 ri It i ... ,...:.,.- I il lv I la l ll i 1 U y : 6 1 l l l a l 1 1 1 l l l i l 4 j l i w i l i F 1 l l r i V V n y i v w

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.+i,, 1 FLORENCE The trip to Florence, Italy, including a stop at Pisa, was the main conducted tour while the Pawcatuck was at Leghorn. Starting early in thenmorning and winding through the more industrial section of Leghorn., then through the semi-agricultural landscape that eklsts 1n the Province of Tuscany, the tour party arrived in Pisa. Although the surrounding area shows quite a few signs of the battles of the last War, the Cathedral, the Bap- tistry and the Leaning Tower, for which Pisa is so famous, remain unscathed. The Cathedral was very impressive but did not have the simplicity and beauty that characterized the Baptistry. And the tower itself, containing the bells to toll the events at the Cathedral, stands, as an engineering phenomenon rather than an example of Italian artistry and architecture. The trip from Pisa to Florence, although containing no specific sights of interest, was characterized by the North Italian agrarian landscape and glimpses of the local inhabitants and their Ways. Upon entering Florence, the visitor is immediately impressed by the higher standards of living visible as -compared to other Italian cities. Transportation, up- keep of the buildings, dress of the citizens and the higher quality of the local merchandise all impress one that Florence is a wealthy and prosperous city. Lunch was served in a fine local restaurant. Easily remembered was the narrow circular stairway and long climb to the head of the stairs. The tour visited the Medici Chapel containing statues of Michaelangelo of Dawn, Dusk, Day and Night, the residential district, ,a mosaic factory, a leather goods factory, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the most interesting and outstanding part of the trip, the Pitti Palace. At the Pitti one saw the world famous Madonna of the Chair gy liaphael, and paintings by Rubens, Titian and Van yc . Although much more of Florence could have been seen, and there certainly was quite a bit more to be seen, those in the tour parties feel they gained a bit of an insight into Florentine character and the forces be- hind her people's pride. BARCELONA The .Pawcatuck's first visit to Spain found many of us anxious to make a tour to the city of Barcelona, our port of call, and to the rather mysterious place called Monserrat. We had heard that Monserrat was the traditional place of the Holy Grail, the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper, but other than that we were not well versed. First, of course, a bus took us around the city of Barcelona, starting out about 0800. We saw the Cathedrals and large buildings of this city of nearly two million inhabitants, and then began our ride to Monserrat. We were surprised and inspired when out Of 1'el3t1Ve1Y flat country a mountain seemed to rise ver-