Oriskany (CV 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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The Collosseum. From these stands, now stripped gf their original marble, the Roman pop- ulace once watched the games gf fhe gladiators. R 0 E Continued Sailors en route to the Eternal City found that all railroads lead to Rome. Once within the City of the Seven Hills the tour party found home-like comfort and recreation at the U.S.O. Chaplain Barras and the boys enjoyed coffee and English conversation with a lady at the club. Venturing forth into the city, sailors saw it as a mixture of the old and the new . . . a place of cobhlestones and churches, tiny cars, modern motorbikes, friendly merchants and pretty girls. i Umbrellas shade a 0orist's stand on the steps before a Spanish-style church,

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Within the walls of Rome, magnificent churches stood at almost every square. The Pantheon, earliest used to worship all the Roman gods long before the birth of Christ, was shut down as a pagan temple in 390 A.D. Later, in 609 A.D., it was consecrated as a Christian church. Today it symbolizes the religious life of Rome in its change from paganism to Chris- tianity. Most impressive of the old Roman buildings was the Colos- seum, an arena seating 40,000 to 50,000 persons when it was finished in the year 80 A.D. Its shows and circuses often lasted 100 days. Traditionally, many Christian martyrs died there. The Roman Forum stood between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. Columns, pediment and masonry were all that were left. Oriskany sailors also saw the Baths of Caracalla, the walls and gates of the ancient city, the Trajan column and the Arch of Constantine. Meanwhile modern Rome tried to match the monuments ofthe past. The Memorial to Victor Emmanuel rose in marble and gilt in front of the Forum. Clean lines of the new railroad station displayed a utilitarian beauty. There was, however, no hypnosis by the past. Life moved swiftly and with laughter in commerce and entertainment. Restaurants glittered and night clubs were subdued for Roman in- timacy. Sailors, trying to sat- isfy the urge for knowing the Eternal City within three days, seldom slept before dawn. alleries Michelangelo designed the magnificent dome of St. Peter's ' 0 Roman copy ot a Greek statue Upper-The tour party appreciated fresh air after the dank atmosphere below in the Vatican G - - Lower-Early Christians buried their dead in these underground crypt:

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Cf-IPRI A Capri miss develops poise. xcursion launches iam Marina Grande harbor. A COM! of paper will hold your purchase. Waterfront buildings house entrance of thi: Funicular. Q X rf' HE Isle of Capri in the Gulf of Naples captivates Europeans the way IVlartha's fi Vineyard does New Englanders and Catalina the Southern Californian. It's rugged but the edges of precipices and mountain slopes have been softened by years of Weather and civilization. Late in June, daily tours from the ship took the two-hour trip by excursion boat to Marina Grande, the fishing port of the island. In the first few minutes, sailors bought musical cigarette boxes from the mainland, silk kerchiefs from the north of Italy and some tourist ash trays. Then they rode the funicular to the town of Capri high in the saddle between the two peaks. On the main square summer people sipped cool drinks at sidewalk cafes. OH the the square, the streets were so narrow a pedestrian could stretch out his arms and A touch buildings on both sides at once. Shop f windows displayed Paris fashions and hand made sandals. It was a place straight out f of the children's story-books. E y Despite the miniature quality of the town, interiors of houses were spacious. The sharp slope allowed people on almost any fioor to step out into their gardens. ig The gardens, of course, were terraced. A road wound around ledges of cliffs to the mountain-top town of Anacapri, a more open collection of villas and churches. In the church of San Michele, the floor was laid with earthenware tiles depicting Adam and Eve in Paradise. But sailors will longest remember the Blue Grotto, down the shore from Marina Grande. Wheii the water Iay calm, rowboats easily negotiated the low and narrow entrance. Inside, a strange blue light Filled the dome overhead. It was the morning sun reflected upward from the bottom of the water.