Columbus (CA 74) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 85 text:

Y ZOO smaller ones, iis 20 couris, and iis Il,OOO halls. Chapels. rooms. ancl aparlmenls one can see 'ihe world's granclesi' collec- 'rion of painlings, sculpiures, fapesiries, and relics. Here also is Michelangelo! amazing work on fhe ceiling of The Sisfine Chapel. Raphael's The Transliguralion and Coronaiion of Jrhe Virgin, and ihousancls of worlcs by 'rhe world's greaiesf ariisls. lv1ussolini's residence, Jrhe Palazzo Venecia i'emp+s everyone +0 i'rain his camera on lhe balcony from which Il Duce macle his violeni speeches noi i'oo long ago. Rome is oiien called 'ihe oily of Founfains. and 'ihe lourisi can easily unolersiancl Jrhis afler he has walked several blocks. ancl he sees as many founlains. The largesi and mosf celebraiecl of l'hem is lhe Foniana Di Treni, ancl by Jrradiiion if one of fhem ihrows a penny mio ii' on lhe eve before leaving Jrhe ciiy 'rhen liaie will have him rei'urn wiihin a year. Noi far away is l'he magnificeni lvionumeni +o Vicior Emmanuel ll which Jroolc 26 years +o compleie. The visil i'o ihe l-loly Cily is highlighfecl when Pope Pius granis an audience and The Holy Faiher makes an inspiring speech in very goocl English.

Page 84 text:

many oT The crew were TorTunaTe enough To Talce one oT The exciTing Tours offered each Time The ship visiTed Naples. JusT a Tew hours away by The excel- lenT Rapido service, The lTalian capiTal was wiThin easy range OT The sailor's camera and poclceTboolc. This Trip oTTered Tive days oT relaxaTion in one OT The ciTy's modern hoTels and an opporTuniTy To see The very cradle oT our modern civilizaTion. The eTTicienT ITalian Train arrives in one oT The mosT modern and large sTa- Tions which can be Tound ThroughouT The world, and iT is a surprise indeed To see whaT lies only a Tew blocks away. There is The old Roman Forum, originally a marlceT place and cenTer oT Trade buT Tinally The cenTer oT religious and poliTical liTe OT The Romans. AT each sTep, The TourisT sees his- Tory wriTTen in marble. NoT rnuch TurTher sTands The sTaTely Colosseum, marvelously preserved and mam- moTh even by modern day sTandards. lT covers six acres, is one-Third oT a mile in circumference and T50 TeeT high. This sTrucTure is a grim reminder of The second and Third cenTuries when Thousands oT ChrisTians were rnarTyred on iTs bloody sTage. AnoTher noTorious hisTory book picTure is ThaT Arch oT ConsTanTine which poses even more maiesTically Than iTs phoTographs irnply. The Tamous PanTheon builT in The year 27 B.C. in commemoraTion oT The vicTory over AnThony and CleopaTra is The mosT perTecT Roman Temple. Since 609 The PanTheon has been a ChrisTian church and wiThin iTs walls are The Tombs oT Two lTalian lcings and many Tamous painTers including Raphael, IT is a circular sTrucTure wiTh a diameTer oT I43 TeeT aT The boTTorn. and iTs huge dome has a 28' opening aT The Top. The PanTheon is used Today as a church as iT has done Tor I3 cenTuries and is Truly a monumenT To Roman archiTecTure. As The Tour progresses, The works oT The Renaissance are unTolded, wiTh The wondrous accomplishmenTs oT Raphael, Bernini. and Michelangelo. The mosT rnagniTi- cenT building in The world, ST. PeTer's CaThedral, sTrilces The pilgrim breaThless wiTh iTs beauTy, size and perTecTion oT proporTion. One enTrance To The CaThedral is sealed wiTh concreTe and has a large cross painTed on iT. This is one OT The Tour Holy Doors fPorTa SanTal which are opened only during The Holy Year, which is every 25 years. The oTher doors are in The ancienT beauTiTul churches of SanTa Maria lvlaggione, Basilica oT'ST. John, and ST. Paul's ouTside The walls which also is visiTed. The VaTican, a ciTy wiThin a ciTy cannoT be denied The disTincTion as being .LL L . . I . .i u u il'---2 ROA

Page 86 text:

ITALY Enirance +o La Spezia 7he porl of l.aSpezia lies a+ The head of ihe Gulf of Spezia on The Ligurian Coasr, 43 miles easl-soulheasl of Genoa, and 40 miles norlh norlh-wesl of Leghorn. The gulf is large and surrounded by mounlains Before The war of I94-O, l.aSpezia was The largesl llalian Naval Operaling base. and had developed 'lo some exleni' as a commercial porl: Approximaiely 70 percenl of lhe pori' faciliiies were deslroyed by 'rhe Germans, l3u'l' damages are almosl complelely rebuilr. The lown is buill up Through Jrwo valleys and is spli'l' in 'lhe cen'l'er by a ridge-reaching almosl' lo The walerfronl in a norih-souih direclion. To The easl' of 'lhis ridge are The freighl yards, small facrories and workers homes. To lhe wesr is The business clislricr and doclc yards. Because of The war damage and insuliicienl oulside illuminalion l'he Town now has a drab appearance especially al nighr. There are several good reslauranis including Risloranie Mariini and Risroranre Ruffini. Prices ln resfauranis and bars are reasonalole. l.aSpezia iisell has lillle of inleresl, loul Jrhe surrounding counrryside is very beauliful and offers much lo 'lhe sighlseeing shuH'erbug '. The. village of Lerici, 4 miles ro The soulh is an in'l'eresi'ing liH'le place and a popular summer resori. H has an old caslle and good examples of medieval archiieclure. Scenes near K K 'Phe Fleef landing K 11 1 . - A SPEZIA