Day 3: Napoli

We spent our last morning in Rome playing fetch with Benda and ordering our final panini from the bottega (in Italian of course!) Then it was onto the bus to Napoli. Passing through more rural areas of Italy on the drive with students playing Italian music created a light and relaxed atmosphere which contrasted our at times hectic experience in Rome. 

We certainly knew we were in Napoli instantly as so many of the brightly coloured homes were decorated with soccer flags and jerseys dedicated to the beloved local team. Our first stop, however, was the ancient Roman city of Ercolano where we met up with our local guide, Michele. He told us that Ercolano was first discovered by chance underneath the volcanic matter left behind by Vesuvius when it erupted and charred the city, and then archaeologists kept digging and discovering more and more underneath a place where a new town had been built. It was amazing how well-preserved the city was considering how old it was and the fact that everything there is still the original materials laid there by the Romans all those years ago. While Ercolano was originally a coastal city, the ground level is now much higher due to the volcanic disruption and so the sea is a little further away. We saw ancient Roman homes covered in intricate frescos and mosaics, original restaurants and shops, and even a garden with fruit trees. We learned that the reason why the food tastes so good around here is due to the fresh produce that is grown in volcanic soil. It is not just the recipe but the ingredients that matter. At the end of our tour of Ercolano, we viewed some ancient Roman jewellery that has been found among the ruins which would still be quite fashionable even by our modern standards.

From Ercolano, we made our way to the coastal town of Salerno. Approaching Salerno, we started to see brightly coloured homes on the sides of mountains and medieval castles built so high up they seemed like distant clouds of brick among the greenery. After a quick check-in and rest at our hotel, we met Michele again for an evening tour of the local area. We walked along the beautiful beachfront which reminded many of us of places such as Williamstown and Sorrento back home but we could all agree that this was in another league of beauty. 

Revitalised by the ocean air, we walked up to the Duomo di Salerno, a stunning cathedral with varied influences in its architecture and art. The ingresso (entrance) featured archways combining both Roman and Gothic styles with Arabic influences. As it is coming up to the Festa di San Matteo (feast day of St Matthew), who is the patron saint of this town, preparations were in full swing for the annual celebrations which meant mass was on when we entered the church. As we descended the stairs to visit the tomb of San Matteo himself, we could hear the angelic melodies being sung and played from above. It was a moving experience to be surrounded by such a strong culture of faith and knowing that we were visiting the remains of one of the four gospel writers, a significant historical figure within Christianity. The artwork on the ceiling, which is intended to represent paradiso (heaven) featured plenty of angels along with scenes taken directly from Matthew's Gospel. Heading back onto the streets, we stopped in briefly next door at the place which displayed a hand-painted nativity. The characters were like cardboard cut outs but much nicer and made of sturdier wood rather than cardboard. It was interesting to see how many everyday characters such as poor families, farmers, and musicians were featured. 

With an hour to spare before dinner, we explored the streets of Salerno, shopped and window shopped in all kinds of stores including ceramics shops, souvenir stores, clothing and make-up shops, bookshops and more, and enjoyed a refreshing granita to cool down. 

After this, it was time for dinner, and when in Napoli who could go past a traditional pizza? We ate at Gia Giù where we were treated to a bit of gastronomical theatre in the form of a starter inspired by our choice of pizza. Some flavours, such as the Gia Giù: Il sogno (the dream) came with "aria" di caffè (air of coffee) and ground coffee topping, enhancing the fresh flavour of the tomato. It was a lovely moment for us to share our highlights of the trip over truly authentic Italian pizza. We then walked off our meal and built up our appetite to allow space for a typical brioche con gelato (brioche with icecream) at the local gelateria Nettuno. At the end of the night, we bid farewell to our incredible tour guide, Michele, and breathed in the fresh ocean air on our way to the hotel for a well-deserved night's rest.