I'm not used to doing a tour at such a hectic pace. Our program is winding down, and the next few days will be spend in the south. Not Calabria south, but Salerno and Naples south. We trudged onto the bus at 6 am, which was more then a little unpleasant after such a late dinner and long day on the 6th, which was Jackie's official birthday. We went shopping in Roma (again), and then got some intensely flavored pear and apple sorbetto at San Crispino, by the Pantheon. Afternoon bellinis and prosecco at the beautiful rooftop bar at the Hotel Raphael was a great way to just relax and look over the vast expanse of the city below. The service, however, was terrible. No one comes to Rome for snotty British waiters who, in all seriousness, roll their eyes when you order a bottle of wine under 50 euro. Dinner was a group dinner with wine expert Ian D'Agata - by the Trevi Fountain, Il Traconi. We had some serious Roman specialties - fried zucchini blossoms, bucatini alla matriciana, sage green braised artichokes. And salted bread. It was an incredible amount of food, and the amount of traveling we we had to do today was not expected or pleasant.
Driving through Napoli with a quick photo stop, then onto a terrible lunch at Pompeii. It was the biggest tourist trap I have ever seen, and the food was unedible. I think eating the dust off of the ancient ruins would have been more flavorful. Pompeii is the second most visited archeological site in the world behind the Pyramids in Egypt, and the largest in the world. It is overwhelming, and very sad to me. I appreciate seeing this ancient city so beautifully preserved, but there is something so haunting about seeing the lives of these people halted in midstep.
Another few hours of driving to the small fishing town of Casal Belino, where we greeted the fishing boats as they came in with their catch. There is a fishermen strike tomorrow, so many of the boats with singing names like Santa Maria and Angela Madre didn't go out, sitting there in the setting sun, lightly bobbing in the clear water. I didn't realize Italy's love for striking extended to all careers. Those who were not allergic to shrimp -which means everyone but me- tried the raw, clear shrimp with a light squeeze of lemon. The fishermen proudly showed off their catch, ecstatic about the attention they were getting over their mounds of vividly colored, saltwater dripping shrimp, crabs, octopus and shark.
Southern Italy is beautiful - it needs not be said. But this is not "Under the Tuscan Sun". The reality of life in Italy is very different from the romantic history painted. When you go to smaller towns, it's easy to see the glimpses of poverty that are so masked in what many American's perceive to be the "Italian" experience. The "Mediterranian Diet" isn't a spa program - it was a way of life based on heartbreaking poverty. They didn't have any money to have any other options. Our professor, born and raised in Roma, recalls a time in the 1970's when it was not possible to leave the house on weekends due to riots and rampant terrorism. It's easier to imagine this Italy when you're not dreamily staring at the Colosseum, driving through rolling hills, watching children farming huge fields with the harsh sun beaming down. Italy can seem easy, but it's not. "Imagining" history is not as important as remembering it, and when people open their eyes a little wider and see small towns without tourism, it's hard to forget.
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