Oriskany (CV 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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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.

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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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,f r. ..... on the road I 4 I I I TALIANS sing or whistle while they work. But an aria from a Verdi opera just isn't appreciated by sailors when it comes from a bus driver skidding around turns, passing cars ahead on narrow roads along the edge of cliffs. That's what the drive from Naples to Sorrento was like. The views were amazing and enchanting. Each turn of the road opened new vistas of blue water and jagged rock below. Clusters of toy houses miles ahead hung over sheer stone. The driver enjoyed the view as he hummed. The sailors kept foot on brake and eye on road. Sorrento itself was worth the trip. lt's the place that gallant Italians bring their brides on wedding trips. Then for years they will have an excuse to return many times. Brilliant color fills the main square. Subtropical flowers grow to huge sizes and fantastic shades of red. White buildings form a quiet background and knarled trees seem aged. To reach the beaches, workmen years ago cut tunnels and stairways into the face of the cliffs. At the bottom, golden sand contrasted with the black rock towering above. And the Water was clear and cool and blue. Despite all these attractions, the people of Sorrento did not depend on the tourist trade. Outside the town, they cultivated the olive, oranges and lemons. ln town they produced a world- famous white wine. Craftsmen worked carefully on inlaid wood for export as tables, desks, and other furnishings. Some small pieces were brought back to the ship by visiting sailors. Hfsh Pofllfs on the surrounding mountains present breathtakllw views of black volcanic beaches, toriuous roads and Pink me roofs in Sorrento.