Mitch's Encounter at the Amphitheater of Spartacus in Capua

It never ceases to amaze us how much history surrounds us in Italy. Capua is about 30 minutes from our home and it is the site of the amphitheater where Spartacus the gladiator trained. He was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic.

Miranda happily posing with her "M" of ruins.

Going down below the amphitheater, where the animals were kept.

Check out these ferocious animals!

Apparently, Mitch is not as ferocious as the two, well-fed, "stray" dogs we encountered on the way out of the amphitheater! They approached us quickly while barking, sniffed around Mitch (who was on a leash) for a few seconds, and then one started to attack our poor baby, taking a bite out of his side and his tail. Luckily it was only a matter of a few minutes, but it was scary! After an emergency visit to an Italian vet in Pozzuoli for some morphine, stitches, and antibiotics, he's recuperating. Although I'd say with this look, he's milking it for what it's worth. Sydney's already written a letter to Santa on his behalf:

"Dear Santa, My dog got hurt. He's been good. His stocking is hanging up. From: Sydney. [P.S.] My dog's name is Mitch."

After-Christmas Update: Santa filled a second stocking full of treats for poor Mitch, thanks to Sydney's letter!

Sorrento at Christmastime

The main square

The Morks were brave enough to tag along on a Norwood Italian adventure!

 We're off to see some Christmas lights!

Miranda's found her kindred spirit. 

"No, I didn't touch Elfie," as her nose grows as long as Pinocchio's!

Connor, and Avery who's got Pinocchio by the nose!

(This one's for Kathleen, my hot air balloon-driving friend!)

We stumbled on the quaint Sorrento Christmas market.

Sydney: "Look at those beautiful globes!"

 No, that's not an Italian hand gesture (Miranda's hat was bothering her neck.) 

She's bad lately, but not THAT bad!

Not too many chimneys in Italy?

Weekend in Rome

In what has been our most last minute get-away yet, the Saturday after Thanksgiving we headed up to Rome for a one-night stay. We decided at 1pm on Saturday to book a last-minute deal at a hotel in Rome, hopped in the car and arrived about two hours later! We checked in, valet parked the car for the weekend and were ready to explore the city on foot. 

First we stopped at the Spanish steps, which were crawling with visitors in the late afternoon warmth of the sun.





Then we proceeded to Trevi fountain, which was also very crowded, but we managed to push the girls through the crowds to get a photo and let them throw coins in over their shoulders.

On the way to Piazza Navona, we stopped in the ancient Roman Pantheon, where Brian gave us a quick tour (he had visited Rome when the USS Nassau stopped in Italy in 2010.)

Finally at Piazza Navona, the Christmas market had just begun. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it was a little cheesier than what I had imagined, what with the fluorescent lighting and carnival type booths. Clearly most things being sold were junk made in China. I guess I was hoping for some Italian-made Christmas ornaments and decorations, etc. But it was fun nonetheless! 

The girls enjoyed the carousel the best!

Brian encouraged Miranda and Sydney to enjoy drinking the fresh water carried into town from higher ground by the ancient aqua ducts. Although I'm always worried about drinking the water in Italy, we saw other people drinking it first, so when in Rome...

On the way back to the hotel, we walked by way of Campo di fiori, quickly past the busy intersection in front of the Victor Emmanual monument (nicknamed the "wedding cake,") and by way of Trevi fountain one more time to see it lit up at night. We slept well after all that walking!

But Sunday morning, we were (read: I was, at 31 weeks pregnant) still a little tired! So, after our hotel's buffet breakfast, we set out to visit some famous artwork in the Borghese Gallery (within the Borghese Gardens) and then caught a Hop On/Hop Off bus to see a few more sights. We ended our trip with a stop into Hard Rock Cafe for a little taste of "home" (nachos!) before we headed back home to Naples. 

Herculaneum (Ercolano, Italy)

On Veteran's Day, we ventured with Nana and Aunt Laura to nearby Herculaneum, a fascinating ancient Roman town destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, despite having been inactive for more than 800 years prior. The town was buried under approximately 50 feet of mud and ash and remained undiscovered for more than 1600 years. Then, in 1709 it was accidentally discovered by workers digging a well.

Pompei, a neighboring city, is bigger and more famous for having been destroyed by the same volcano eruption, since it received the brunt of the initial volcanic ash destruction. However, Herculaneum (pictured here) appears to be more well preserved since it was covered later and mostly by a type of volcanic mud and ash mixture.


It was long thought that most inhabitants of Herculaneum had escaped, since it was a relatively small city, more wealthy, and there was more time to evacuate as compared to Pompei. However, since 1981, 300 skeletons have been excavated from near the seashore, which is most notable because Romans generally cremated the dead and this was the first time Roman remains had been available for scientific study.

Mt. Vesuvius looms in the background

Ancient Roman snack bar

It was amazing to see how much of the original structures, wood, marble, and even paintings were preserved for all these years, encased in the volcanic mud. My personal favorite, of course, was the snack bar seen here--an ancient type of fast food and the original Mediterranean diet. How very modern!

Original marble flooring

Original painting

All For Naught Wrought Iron?

After having seen a friend's Italian wrought iron fruit bowl with a built-in banana hanger, it jumped to the top of my list of desired Neopolitan souvenirs. (Of course, I'm still learning about all my options!) It is handmade in Italy, decorative, holds a ton of fruit in the bowl, and saves space while keeping the bananas separate from the other fruits to prevent spoilage. Maybe it's the dietitian in me, but I knew I had to have one! (That huge yellow fruit is an Italian egnazio hybrid melon...it's white on the inside, but tastes much like a honeydew melon.)

So, finally, even when my veteran friends couldn't make it as planned, I was determined to find Ciro's and Luigi's wrought iron stores. Melissa was game to be co-pilot, and even taught me how to plug in the GPS coordinates that Linda had serendipitously provided just in the nick of time that morning. And after a major run-in with some branches on a narrow road (sorry, honey), and after safely driving through the busiest Italian intersection I've driven through yet, we made it to the stores!

Rumor has it Ciro and Luigi are brothers who don't get along, hence their stores are side by side and not one and the same. Ciro speaks some English, has more simple designs (his description, not mine), sells mostly by order, and is generally less expensive. Luigi speaks no English, has more of a selection, brings his stuff to the NEX now and then, and is more expensive. Ciro doesn't make fruit bowls. Luigi does. Ciro was open that day. Luigi was not. Oh well, at least we know where we're going for next time!

So, this week, we returned again, determined--even though I had to bring along my littlest shopper (which I try to avoid at all costs). Luigi was open that day. And Luigi had one fruit bowl. Check. Plus three decorative demijohn stand sets on order. Check, check, check.

The High Price of Gas

This may be stating the obvious, but gas is really expensive here. It's about 1.7 Euro for a liter, which translates to about 6.50 Euro per gallon, or almost $9 per gallon! Fortunately, we receive 400 liters of NATO gas coupons per month to subsidize the cost. But it's still about $5 per gallon with the coupons.

The coupons help a lot, especially because you can stockpile them from month to month. When you live on base and only have one car like we do, they go further. So far, they have covered all our gas expenses, even with taking a fairly long road trip about once a month. Even with driving 80 to 100 miles per hour!

They are only valid for a fiscal year (from Oct. 1 to Sept 30), so yesterday was the day to trade in any coupons you haven't used in the last year. You get a credit for them and can apply it to your October monthly ration. The downside: if you've stockpiled them for a whole year to be able to travel when you want, then all of a sudden you're back to only 400 liters for the month of October.

You can also only use the coupons in two chains of gas stations, Agip (soon to be ENI) and Esso. But there are many Agip and Esso gas stations, so it shouldn't present a problem.

Notice I say shouldn't present a problem. Oh, the "discussions" Brian and I have had about refueling in Italy, and it's only been 4 months! Here's the gist:

"Someone" likes to wait till the gas warning light goes on, then insist we have at least 70 miles left (while continuing to drive at 80 to 100 miles per hour) and that we'll be fine. "Someone" is usually driving, which normally is a good thing.

"Someone else" likes to be efficient and refuel when we're about at about a 1/4 tank and happen to pass an Agip or Esso conveniently located along the road we're on. "Someone else" also can't help to envision what a major inconvenience running out of gas would mean, especially in a foreign country. In fact, due to "someone else's" active imagination, we were once so low on fuel that "someone else" had to insist on being left behind at the agriturismo near Lecce with the dog and kids while "someone" went alone to find a gas station. (It was a gamble, but "someone" did return, in case you were wondering.)

So, indeed we have found there is a high price of gas in Italy, and furthermore, it's not just economical...if only the gas coupons could help alleviate the emotional costs! Nevertheless, there will still be more road trips in our future.