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THE MOUNTBATTEN SCHOOL Tour di Roma, Sorrento, Pompeii e Monte Vesuvio 25-31 Maggio 2017 Il Capo di Gruppo: Mr Cox Vice Capitone: Mr Gentle Assistente Capo: Miss Morgan, Mrs Willis Nome dello studente: 2 Welcome to our tour of Rome, Sorrento, Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. You can expect to have an amazing time, see fantastic sights, experience the excitement of travel, take in the history and culture of a very special place, and make some great new friends. Emperor Vespasian’s Colosseum, AD 70 LUGGAGE AND FLYING We fly with British Airways from Gatwick. On both flights you can take a bag for cabin luggage and your suitcase will go in the hold. Remember to pack liquids - including toothpaste and creams - in your hold luggage as this makes life easier. You can take bottles of 100ml or less onto the plane, but they must be in see-through plastic bags and security will check them. They will make you throw away any larger containers including drinks. You must pack tweezers, scissors, or anything that is potentially a ‘weapon’ in your hold luggage. You can take a cabin bag up to the dimensions of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm, including the handle, pockets and wheels. The bag must fit into the bag gauge available at the check-in area. Most students just take a rucksack/shopping sized bag. Please check website if unsure. Hold luggage is 23kg. The maximum dimensions of the bag are 90cm 75cm x 43cm, including the handle, pockets and wheels. Any weight over will be charged to the student. Cabin luggage Hold luggage Website link for British Airways: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/baggag/public/en_gb 3 A 1930s model of ancient Rome around AD 100. Note the imperial palace overlooking the Circus Maximus chariot-racing stadium to the left, the red brick aqueduct, the Roman Forum top left of the Colosseum, and the nearby gladiator training complex WHAT TO PACK Money You will need around €150 euros and a small amount of pounds for the drinks at the airport. You will want to keep money for the final few days, including an evening meal on the last day. Please ensure you have a very safe wallet/hip bag. You will be responsible for your own money, and buying snacks/lunch and drinks at meals. Passport You will not get on the coach without your passport and EHIC card. Water bottle It will be hot; you will need a water bottle to re-fill, or need to buy water regularly. Mobile Phones A mobile phone is useful but please remember to turn internet roaming off! Continental adapter You will need this for any electrical appliances. Valuables Pick pockets will pounce on tourists. Treat your possessions as uninsured and look after them carefully! Medicines and Toiletries You are responsible for providing inhalers and painkillers. Please label name clearly. Take plenty of high factor sun cream. Clothing & Shoes It will be hot and you will need a shower in the evening. To save taking two outfits for each day, change for dinner, then keep these clothes for the following day. Bring a light coat in case of showers. Girls will need to cover heads/shoulders in churches. There will be a lot of walking. High heels and flipflops will be no good for climbing to the top of St Peter’s. Swimming Pool clothing You should bring a towel, swimming costume and a swimming hat for the pool (some hotels require this). Guide books The DK Eyewitness book on Italy is great; buy a used one on eBay for a few pounds. Rucksack A light rucksack is essential for the excursions. Use this as plane hand luggage. 4 TRAVEL DETAILS & EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBER Flight Times & Pick Up Times BA 0546 BA 2611 London Heathrow to Rome Fimicino, departing 10:45, arriving 14:20 on 25 May 2017 Naples to London Gatwick, departing 21:05 arriving 22:50 on 31 May 2017 05:30 08:30 10:45 14:20 Meet at school, ready to depart at 05:45 – passports in hand luggage, not in hold luggage Check in at Heathrow Depart BA 0546 Arrive at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, Rome Return flight BA 2611 is scheduled to land at 22.50. We expect to be in school by 1.00 on morning of Thursday 1 June. Parents: please check planes are on time online and add 2 hours to return to school. Students will phone you once we are on the coach with an estimated arrival time. Symphony Coaches are the transfer in the UK. Emergency contact numbers in Italy: 07572 464069 07947 891549 ACCOMMODATION Rome – Hotel Pacific Viale Medaglie d’Oro, 51 Roma, 00136, Italia, Tel: 39 063 9732072 Sorrento – Hotel Giosuè a Mare Via A Caruso, Meta, Napoli, 80062, Italia, Tel: 39 081 8786685 Interior of the Pantheon in Rome, 27 BC Alexander the Great, detail of mosaic at Pompeii Below: Palatine Hill with Imperial Palace (background) and Circus Maximus (foreground) 5 Itinerary Thursday 25 May Friday 26 May Saturday 27 May Sunday 28 May Monday 29 May Tuesday 30 May Wednesday 31 May Morning departure. 3.45pm arrive at hotel. Walk to central Rome for some of the sights including the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain. 8.30am arrival at Vatican Museum. Lunch, then visit to St Peter’s, climb Michelangelo’s Dome (€5 extra). 9.15am arrival at Castel San Angelo followed by walk to Colosseum for a visit at 3.30pm then Roman Forum. Night walk to market stalls of Trastevere along River Tiber. Central Rome to see the Wedding Cake, Trajan’s Market and Capitoline Museums. Coach to Sorrento, stopping en route at Monte Cassino. Full day visiting Mount Vesuvius and from 2.30pm, Pompeii Early lunch in Santa Maria Capua Vetere followed by excursion to Royal Palace at Caserta. Fly home. Emperor Augustus, AD 1st Century Food & Dining Breakfast We will break our fast in the hotels – normally self-service – rolls, jam, juice, coffee etc. Lunch You will be given the opportunity to visit cafes or buy food and drink from stalls. Do be adventurous at lunchtime, as evening meals tend to be reasonably simple as the hotel is catering for all tastes. You can also buy food before we go out each morning from a nearby supermarket, which can be cheaper. Evening Meal All students will be expected to sit down and eat together and not leave the table until given permission to do so. At restaurants you should dress appropriately. You will probably want a snack at Naples airport. There is usually a big first course of pasta, then a smaller main course and a simple dessert. Do try as many types of food as possible; it is part of the experience of going abroad. Only water is supplied at mealtimes. There will be a charge if you would like an alternative drink. The Roman Forum 6 Café Culture Traditionally, Italians drink cappuccino (plural = cappucini) in the mornings only. They like their coffee strong (favourite brand – Lavazza) and enjoy espresso or even espresso doppio (a double shot of espresso). You may prefer your coffee milky (café latte), with a dash of milk (macchiato) or a black filter coffee (Americano or café lungho). Do not simply order a latte as you might in Starbucks – they will give you a glass of cold milk. Cioccolatte caldo is hot chocolate. ‘The’ (pronounced ‘tay’) is tea. It is most likely to be served without milk unless the waiter knows that you are English and will generally be undrinkable. The Mountbatten School Visits Code of Conduct Remember to be polite and cooperative at all times, whether dealing with each other, members of staff or members of the public. You are representing your school. Listen carefully to all instructions and act on them. Punctuality is important. Always report at the time and place agreed with members of staff. Never go anywhere without clear permission from a member of staff. Always go in groups of at least three, never alone. Treat others and their property with respect. Ensure hotel rooms or accommodation is kept and left tidy. Report all incidents or breakages to a member of staff immediately. Quiet and lights out at the agreed time. Coaches are to be kept tidy, no litter or chewing gum. No smoking and no alcohol. These and any other prohibited item must not be purchased to be brought back e.g. fireworks, penknives or laser pens. Failure to follow this code of conduct will result in sanctions being applied: Minor incidents will be dealt with on the visit by the member of staff with responsibility for behaviour. Sanctions may be a verbal reprimand or loss of free time. Serious incidents will be dealt with on the return to school and could result in a ban from further visits. In the unlikely event of a student committing gross misconduct the student will be sent home from the visit early at the expense of the parent. Signed (Student name):_________________________ Date: _____________ The Roman Forum in Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background 7 RULES FOR SWIMMING 1 No student may enter the pool area without the permission of a teacher. 2 Any student in the pool must be able to swim a minimum of 25 metres. 3 There must be no running on the pool-side. 4 Bombing, diving and rough play is forbidden. 5 The whistle (or agreed signal) means stop, look and listen. It must be obeyed instantly. 6 Three whistles means evacuate the pool. 7 Spectacles, if worn in the water, must have unbreakable lenses and suitably secured. If we are able to swim in the sea you cannot swim past the point marked by the teachers, and obey all instructions from the lifeguards. USEFUL INFORMATION Roads can be very dangerous and traffic is on the left. Take great care. The Police are not always as helpful as in the U.K. They can be very unpleasant if you get on the wrong side of them, so be polite at all times You will be able to change money but will have to pay commission. You can also use the ATMs. Best to take your money with you from England. Pickpockets are just as keen to exploit the unsuspecting tourist as they are in London. Take care in any crowded area that your wallet, or purse is not visible; the closer it is to your body the better. The quality of toilets can vary greatly. Try to use the toilets in galleries and the hotel. Once in your hotel room, ensure that you make yourself aware of fire notices and exit routes. Take care when paying in shops – have a friend with you and hold up the note, especially a large denomination one, and say how much it is. Do not buy anything from street vendors and never agree to a portrait painting, hair braiding etc. Make sure you have plenty to drink – carry a bottle of water with you. Pack your bag/rucksack carefully each morning, with water, sun cream, etc. This is your responsibility, as are things like putting on sun cream, making your money last, etc. You are part of a group, and that can be a pain as well as a pleasure. There can be long queues, some waiting, and you may not be able to put your own needs first. 8 The Colosseum The most spectacular remaining edifice of ancient Rome, the Colosseum has a history that is half gore, half glory. Here, before 50,000 spectators, gladiators would salute the emperor and cry ‘Ave, imperator, morituri te salutant’ (‘Hail, emperor, men soon to die salute thee’); it is said that when one day they heard the emperor Claudius respond, "or maybe not," they became so offended that they called a strike. Designed by order of the Flavian emperor Vespasian in AD 72, the Colosseum was inaugurated by emperor Titus eight years later with a program of games lasting 100 days. The arena has a circumference of 573 yards and was faced with travertine from nearby Tivoli. Its construction was a remarkable feat of engineering, for it stands on marshy terrain reclaimed by draining an artificial lake on the grounds of Nero's Domus Aurea. Originally known as the ‘Flavian Amphitheatre’, it came to be called the Colosseum because it stood on the site of the Colossus of Nero, a 115-foot-tall gilded bronze statue of the emperor that once towered here. Inside, senators had marble seats up front and the Vestal Virgins took the ringside position, while the plebs sat in wooden tiers at the back, then the masses above on the top tier. Over all was the amazing velarium, an ingenious system of sail-like awnings rigged on ropes and maneouvered by sailors from the imperial fleet, who would unfurl them to protect the arena's occupants from sun or rain. Once inside, take the steep stairs or elevator up to the second floor, where you can get a bird's-eye view of the hypogeum: the subterranean passageways that were the architectural engine rooms that made the slaughter above proceed like clockwork. In a scene pre-figuring something from Dante's Inferno, hundreds of beasts would wait to be eventually launched via a series of slave-powered hoists and lifts into the bloodthirsty sand of the arena above. Legend has it that as long as the Colosseum stands, Rome will stand; and when Rome falls, so will the world. Not that the prophecy deterred Renaissance princes (and even a pope) from using the Colosseum as a quarry. In the 19th century, poets came to view the arena by moonlight; today, mellow golden spotlights make the arena a spectacular sight. Although the Colosseum had 80 entrances, it only had one exit which was named after the Roman goddess of death—the Porta Libitinaria—which was how dead gladiators were trundled out of the arena. Historians state that most of these warriors did survive to fight another day. If the die was cast, however, the rule was a victorious gladiator was the person to decide to take his opponent's life. He was often spurred on by the audience and the emperor’s up or downturned thumb. 9 The Roman Forum The Roman Forum is one of the most popular sights in Rome. It was once the centre of the mighty and extensive Roman Empire – it was from the buildings that once stood in this area that the Empire was planned, achieved, and governed. Walking the cobbled streets is like walking through time – you can still see the ruts made by chariot wheels. Even the funeral of Caesar took place in this space. These few acres hold more history than most cities. Many buildings can be dated precisely due to names or dates on their pediments. The main points of interest in the Forum are: Temple of Saturn – the oldest survivor, built around 500 BC Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine – dates from 308 AD; the largest building in the Forum Temple of Venus and Roma – built in 135 AD. Temple of Julius Caesar – dates from 42 BC Temple of Vesta – built in 3rd century BC House of the Vestal Virgins – built 6th century BC Curia Julia (Roman Senate) – built in 44 BC Temple of Antonius and Faustina – built 141 AD Arch of Septimius Severus – dedicated in 203 AD Umbilicus Urbis – from which the distance to all points in the Empire were measured; after all, all roads led to Rome. The Curia Julia, which is where the Senate met, remains largely intact. Built in 44 BC, you can go up to the door and look at the marble mosaic floor and know that Roman Senators walked on those intricate designs 2,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the jumble of rocks and half-columns can be confusing; the following images give an idea of what the Forum was like. Digital reconstructions of the Temple of Caesar, the of Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, and the Curia Julia 10 11 A Visit to the Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums have something that no other great museum can offer: the great frescos of Michelangelo and Raphael that are part of the history of the buildings and the papacy itself. Few visitors to the Vatican Museums come away unmoved by what they see - especially in the Sistine Chapel. The sheer scale of Michelangelo's ambition and achievement (he painted more than 600 figures in all), the coherence of the compositions and the consistency of the artistic quality is heart-stopping. And just as interesting, several of the works from classical antiquity - the Belvedere Apollo and Torso, for example - are the originals that inspired the Renaissance artists. In addition to Michelangelo’s fresoes in the Sistine Chapel, there are other works of art from ancient antiquity and the Renaissance that make the Vatican Museums unique. Aldo-Brandini Wedding Fresco This is an exceptionally rare and beautiful example of an original Roman fresco, found in the 1800s. Apollo Belvedere and Torso Belvedere Here are two very important statues from ancient antiquity. The statue of Apollo is a Roman copy of a Greek bronze. It is one of the most influential antiquities among Renaissance artists, and considered a supreme example of classical sculpture. For centuries it was the most admired sculpture in existence. The Belvedere Torso is a battered fragment of a twisting, muscular male torso (probably Hercules, because of the lion skin he sits on). It dates from the first century BC and was hugely influential during the Renaissance, especially for Michelangelo - note the similar pose of Christ in the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. 12 Perseus Opposite Apollo is Canova’s depiction of a triumphant Perseus with the head of Medusa. Sculpted in 1800, it shows the tremendous and enduring influence of the statues of antiquity. Laocoön This extraordinary statue dates from ancient antiquity and is at least 2,000 years old. It depicts the agonizing death of the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons who were killed by serpents sent by Athena. Displayed in the Imperial palace of Emperor Titus in the 1st century AD, it was rediscovered in 1506 and identified by Michelangelo, who restored a missing arm. The original arm was found in 1905 and reattached in 1957. It is thought to be the very statue displayed in the Palace of Emperor Titus praised in the highest terms by the main Roman writer on art, Pliny the Elder. The group is ‘the prototypical icon of human agony’ in Western art, and unlike the agony often depicted in Christian art, this suffering has no redemptive power or reward. The suffering is shown through the contorted expressions of the faces which are matched by the struggling bodies, especially that of Laocoön himself, with every part of his body straining. Raphael Rooms These are a suite of four rooms decorated by Raphael. The project to cover the ceilings and walls of four of the Pope's private apartments took him twice as long as Michelangelo's work on the Sistine ceiling (they started at the same time) and Raphael had help from assistants. Perhaps the greatest is the Room of the Segnatura, which includes The School of Athens, a homage to the scientific achievements of classical Greece in which Raphael gives Plato the face of Leonardo da Vinci. Bronze Pine Cone Almost four metres high, this bronze stood near the Pantheon next to the Temple of Isis. It was moved to the courtyard of the Old St. Peter's Basilica during the Middle Ages and then moved again, in 1608, to its present location. The Double Helix Staircase Designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932 this impressive double helix, staircase allows people to ascend without meeting people descending; the main purpose being to allow uninterrupted traffic in each direction. It encircles the outer wall of a stairwell of approximately fifteen meters wide and with a clear space at the centre. The balustrade around the ramp is of ornately worked metal. The staircase is located at the end of the museum visit and we will leave by this route. 13 The Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel is one of mankind’s greatest achievements. It is here that the Conclave of Cardinals secretly elect a new Pope. The Chapel is a high rectangular building. Its measurements are those of the Temple of Solomon, as given in the Old Testament, about 25m long and 15m wide. The ceiling is painted by the master of all masters: Michelangelo. In the middle of the ceiling is The Creation of Adam where God is touching the finger of Man. The frescoes on the ceiling were painted when Michelangelo was just 33 years old. Michelangelo came back in his sixties and painted The Last Judgment on the wall behind the altar. While in his 30s, Michelangelo was commanded by Pope Julius II to stop work on the Pope's own tomb and to devote his considerable talents to painting the ceiling. Michelangelo laboured for 4 years (1508-12) over this epic project. It was so physically taxing that it permanently damaged his eyesight. All during the task, he had to contend with the Pope's incessant urgings to hurry up. It is ironic that a project undertaken against the artist's wishes would form his most enduring legend. Glorifying 14 the human body as only a sculptor could, Michelangelo painted nine panels, taken from the pages of Genesis, and surrounded them with prophets and sibyls. The most notable panels detail the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the creation of man. Thirty years later, Michelangelo returned from Florence and began the masterly The Last Judgment. Here, Michelangelo presents a more jaundiced view of people and their fate; Christ sits in judgment and sinners are plunged into the mouth of hell. On the side walls are frescoes by other Renaissance masters, such as Botticelli. The Ceiling has four components. These are the central spine depicting nine scenes from the Book of Genesis. On the sides are the prophets and sibyls. In between are the lunettes and spandrels with the ancestors of Jesus. In the four corners are the pendentives with scenes of the people of Israel. The centre has stories from the Old Testament. The first group of three shows God creating the Heavens and the Earth. The second group of three shows God creating Adam and Eve and their disobedience of God and expulsion from Eden. The third group of three pictures shows the plight of Humanity, and in particular the family of Noah. God creates the Sun The Prophets and the Sibyls at the side represent the coming of Christ. Seven of these are Israeli Prophets, and the remaining five are the female Sibyls of the Classical World. The alternating male and female figures are seated on thrones and are depicted reading manuscripts, books or scrolls. The Lunettes and Spandrels illustrate the ancestors of Christ. Michelangelo decided to illustrate four Biblical passages related to the salvation of Israel in the triangular areas at the corners of the ceiling known as the Pendentives. The stories include David and Goliath. The Last Judgement behind the altar is a depiction of the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity. The souls of humans rise and descend to their fates, as judged by Christ surrounded by prominent saints including Saints Peter, Paul, Sebastian and John the Baptist. While traditional medieval last judgments showed figures dressed according to their social positions, Michelangelo created a new standard. His groundbreaking concept of the event shows figures equalized in their nudity, stripped bare of rank. The artist portrayed the separation of the blessed and the damned by showing the saved ascending on the left and the damned descending on the right. 15 The Delphic Sibyl, one of Michelangelo’s most iconic creations 16 17 18 The Roman Forum and Palatine Full of temples, basilicas, and arches, the Forum was the centre of political, commercial and judicial life. You will want to see the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Romulus, the House of the Vestal Virgins, and the huge Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius. Nearby is the Palatine, the vast site of the Emperor’s palace. The Trevi Fountain Built in 1762, the Trevi Fountain is one of Rome’s greatest sites. Neptune is flanked by two Tritons, and a virgin points to the source of the fountain’s waters. Throw two coins in – one for a wish, and one so you return to Rome. The Piazza Di Spagna The Spanish Square, which dates from the 17th century, is the most famous in Rome. The Spanish ambassador residenced here. The Colosseum Rome’s greatest amphitheatre was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in AD 72. Deadly gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights were staged free of charge by the emperor. The 80 arched entrances allowed easy access to the 55,000 spectators. Huge awnings (the velarium) shaded spectators from the sun. Ramps, trap doors and winches enabled spectacular, but bloody shows to be held. A badly wounded gladiator would surrender to the crowd and wait for a ‘thumbs up’, or ‘thumbs down’ from the Emperor. It has survived earthquakes, and constantly being plundered by popes for other equally vain projects. Other uamphitheatres are more complete – Verona and Nimes remain largely in tact – but nothing conjures up the grander and barbarity of the Roman Empire like it. Nearby is the Arch of Constantine, built by the great Christian Emperor just before he moved the capital from here to Nuova Roma (New Rome) to Constantinople, which sealed the final The Piazza Navona decline of the imperial city. The world’s most beautiful piazza follows the plan of Emperor Domitan’s hippodrome. St Agnese Church which dominates the piazza dates from 1652, a period of history where each Pope would seek to out-do his predecessor. Bernini’s magnificent fountains date from the same period. St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Site of the martyrdom of St Peter, the Vatican is home to the popes who succeeded him. Decisions taken here have shaped the history of Christendom. Dominating the Vatican – a state within a state - is the Basilica of St Peter’s. The Piazza San Pietro was built by Bernini between 1656 and 1667. The great church draws pilgrims from all over the world. This is the second great church on this site. Completed by Emperor Constantine in AD 349, the first was pulled down by Pope Julius II in 1506. It took a century to complete; many architects were involved, but its great dome is by architect, painter and sculptor Michelangelo who also painted the ceiling of the nearby Sistine Chapel. His stunning sculpture of Mary and Jesus, Pieta, completedThe Pantheon This Roman Temple to ‘all the gods ‘is truly awe-inspiring. No other when he was 25 is near the entrance to St Peter’s. building from ancient antiquity is in such good condition. An immense portico with granite columns quarried in Egypt screens the vast perfect dome. From the front, look carefully and you will see a slightly larger triangular pediment behind the main one; this is a rare example of the Romans getting their measurements wrong. The height of the dome is 143 ft. A perfect hemisphere; if mirrored it would just touch the marble floor. Built by Emperor Hadrian in AD 125, it was the largest dome in the world until 1436. The concrete ceiling is ‘coiffered’, meaning a pattern with lots of concrete cut out; this looks beautiful, but also reduces the weight. Light floods in through the ‘oculus. Italian kings are buried here, as is Michelangelo’s rival, Raphael. ROME – The Eternal City 19 The Four Papal Basilicas of Rome Basilica of St Peter’s, Rome The centre of the Roman Catholic faith, St Peter's draws pilgrims from all over the world. Few are disappointed when they enter. It is thanks to Peter, the first Apostle and the first pope and leader of the Church, that the most important basilica in all Christendom, the St Peter's Basilica, was built in Rome. Peter was given his name by Jesus because he was destined to be the foundation ‘stone’ (in Italian ‘Pietra’) on which the church would be built. He was imprisoned, and then released, following which he left Jerusalem and headed for Rome. Here he became bishop and then reigned as the first pope for 25 years. During the fierce persecution of Christians by Emperor Nero, he was imprisoned and died by crucifixion sometime between AD 64 and 67 on the Vatican Hills in the Neronian circle. Rumour has it that he wanted to be put on the cross head-down as he did not feel he was worthy of being crucified in the same manner as Jesus. The Basilica is built on the site of St Peter’s execution and burial. In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine built the first basilica in honour of the saint. At the dawn of the Renaissance, Constantine’s Basilica was falling down. Many artists were involved in the rebuild, but it was Bramante and Michelangelo who were most important. Bramante built the immense central body in the form of a Greek cross. Michelangelo was the designer of the enormous dome. He was also responsible for the majestic exterior with its gigantic columns. In 1626 Urban VIII commissioned Bernini to continue the work. After falling from favour under Innocent X, he was brought back by Alexander VII (1655-67) to design a vast square in front of the basilica. Bernini's solution was to design a piazza in the form of an ellipse, bordered by a quadruple colonnade forming a portico wide enough to let a carriage pass. The foci of these are indicated by marble disks on each side of the two fountains; standing on either of these disks you can see only one row of columns, instead of four. From the portico, you enter the Basilica through five heavy bronze doors. Inside, the effect is truly impressive. With its vast size, it is difficult to work out the true scale of the objects inside. At St Peter's, nothing exists unless it is ten times as big as what it appears to be from a distance. The engraving on p.22 shows the enormous relative size of St Peter’s to other great buildings; the Basilica dwarfs every other church. St Peter's is also an extraordinary museum. Don’t miss Bernini’s baldachinno (made with bronze looted from the roof of the Pantheon) or the incredible marble of Mary and Jesus by Michelangelo. It is called Pieta, which in Italian means 'Compassion'. And then there is the exterior, where all around the church, you will see the magnificent marble columns of Bernini that enfold the surrounding square in a spectacular and metaphorical embrace. 20 Archbasilica of St John in the Lateran St John Lateran Archbasilica is the oldest of Rome’s four papal basilicas, and is used by the Pope in his role as Bishop of Rome. Constantine founded the first basilica. Following a fire in 1308, the Pope moved to St Peter’s. However, St John Lateran remains the main seat of the Holy See. The present church was constructed in the 1700s. The bronze entrance doors came from the Roman Senate that originally stood in the Roman Forum. The twelve images of the apostles and disciples are by Bernini and Michelangelo. Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore is the only one of the four papal basilicas to have kept its original structure. However, it has been embellished with baroque details so looks very different to its initial design. Special details within the church render it unique including the 5th century mosaics of the central nave, the triumphal arch dating back to the pontificate of Pope Sixtus III (432-440) and the 13th century apsidal mosaic. St Paul Outside the Wall Saint Paul the Apostle was beheaded by Nero in 65 AD. This basilica is built on top of his grave outside Rome’s Aurelian Walls. Consecrated in 324, it was the largest church in Rome until the consecration of the new Basilica of St Peter in 1626. However, on the night of July 15, 1823 it was destroyed by a fire. The new Basilica was reconstructed as close as possible to the original. It is in this Basilica that every year on the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, January 25, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity solemnly opens. 21 22 Sorrento Sorrento is one of Italy’s most beautiful towns and overlooks the Bay of Naples. The Roman name for Sorrento was Surrentum. The position of Surrentum was very secure, protected by deep gorges. The only exception to its natural protection was 300 metres (984 feet) on the south-west where it was defended by walls, the line of which is necessarily followed by those of the modern town. The arrangement of the modern streets preserves that of the ancient town. However, little from Roman times remains visible. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Sorrento was ruled by the Ostrogoths, before a return to Roman rule under the Easter Roman Empire. By the ninth century, Sorrento was an independent city state though came under control of the Duchy of Naples. It later came under Norman influence when it was conquered by Roger II of Sicily. In 1558 it was sacked by elements of the Ottoman navy as part of the struggle between the Turks and Spain, which controlled the southern half of Italy at that time. The attack led to the construction of a new line of walls. In 1656 a plague struck the city. However, Sorrento remained one of the most important towns of southern Campania. In the 19th century the economy of the town improved markedly, favoured by the development of agriculture, tourism and trade. In 1861 Sorrento was officially annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy. In the following years it confirmed and increased its status of one of the most renowned tourist destinations of Italy, a trend which continued into the 20th Century following archaeological developments at Pompeii. Today, Sorrento is a beautiful, bustling, stylish town with lots of, shops and piazzas to sit, eat and drink. Mount Vesuvius As the photograph overleaf shows, Mount Vesuvius is a truly immense volcano and dominates the Bay of Naples. It has erupted many times. The famous eruption in 79 AD was preceded by numerous others in prehistory, including at least three significantly larger ones. Since 79 AD, the volcano has erupted on at least 34 occasions, the most recent being 1944. There has been no eruption since 1944, and none of the post-79 eruptions were as large or destructive as the Pompeian one. 23 The eruptions vary greatly in severity. On occasion, eruptions from Vesuvius have been so large that the whole of southern Europe has been blanketed by ash; in 472 and 1631, Vesuvian ash fell on Constantinople, 750 miles away. A few times since 1944, landslides in the crater have raised clouds of ash dust, raising false alarms of an eruption. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD was one of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions in European history. Mount Vesuvius spewed a deadly cloud of volcanic gas, stones, and ash to a height of 21 miles, ejecting molten rock and pulverized pumice at the rate of 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing a hundred thousand times the thermal energy of the Hiroshima bombing. Several Roman settlements were obliterated and buried underneath massive pyroclastic surges and ashfall deposits, the most well-known being Pompeii and Herculaneum. The remains of about 1,500 people have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum, but the overall death toll is still unknown. The only surviving eyewitness account of the event consists of two letters by Pliny the Younger, who was 17 at the time of the eruption, to the historian, Tacitus. He was observing from across the Bay of Naples: Broad sheets of flame were lighting up many parts of Vesuvius; their light and brightness were the more vivid for the darkness of the night... it was daylight now elsewhere in the world, but there the darkness was darker and thicker than any night. I cannot give you a more exact description of its appearance than by comparing to a pine tree; for it shot up to a great height in the form of a tall trunk, which spread out at the top as though into branches. Occasionally it was brighter, occasionally darker and spotted, as it was either more or less filled with earth and cinders. 24 25 Pompeii The ghostly ruins of ancient Pompeii make for one of the world's most engrossing archaeological experiences. Much of the site's value lies in the fact that the town wasn't simply blown away by Vesuvius in AD 79 but buried under a layer of pumice stone. The result is a remarkably well-preserved slice of ancient life, where visitors can walk Roman streets and snoop around millennia-old houses, shops, cafes and amphitheatres. Pompeii was founded in the 7th century BC by the Campanian Oscans. It became a Roman colony in 80 BC. After its catastrophic demise, Pompeii receded from the public eye until 1594, when the architect Domenico Fontana stumbled across the ruins while digging a canal. Exploration proper, however, didn't begin until 1748. Of Pompeii's original 66 hectares, 44 have now been excavated. Pompeii is unforgettable. Without having to use much imagination, it is easy to travel back 2,000 years – walking along the high pavements, hopping across the road on the stepping stones, peering at the ruts made by generations of Roman carts, or at the election slogans painted on the walls by hopeful candidates. Much of the population, perhaps more than 17,000 out of an original 20,000, had evacuated after a series of earthquakes prior to the eventual eruption. The old, the ill and the hopelessly optimistic seem to have sat it out – and died. The skeletons of one family have been found, crouched together in a back room of a large house. One of the group was in her late teens and almost nine months pregnant. That presumably explains why they stayed put. Others may simply have decided to get on with their jobs and ignore the warnings. More likely they have ended up as some of the dead ‘bodies’ you can still see on the site, crouching in corners, head in hands, or clinging to each other as the debris fell – the shape of their clothing, even their facial expressions as they died, preserved. These are now some of the biggest attractions of the ancient town: vivid, if ghoulish, reminders of the real people who lost their lives in the disastrous eruption. They are not literally ‘bodies’ at all, of course. One ingenious 19th-century excavator had the bright idea of pouring plaster of Paris into the cavities left in the lava around skeletons. 26 On our tour, we will look out for: The House of the Tragic Poet - this is among the best-preserved private houses and features the famous ‘Beware of the Dog’ mosaic at its entrance. The Temple of Isis – this temple is one of the most vividly preserved in the whole town. The brothel – this is now the most-visited building on the site (more visited than in antiquity, no doubt) – and you may well have to queue to get in. The Stabian Baths – these give you the best idea of what Roman bathing was like. There are richly decorated vaulted rooms for a good steam and a swimming pool and exercise yard. The amphitheatre - 150 years older than the Colosseum, it's the earliest amphitheatre to survive anywhere in the world. Royal Palace of Caserta The Royal Palace of Caserta was constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. With 1,200 rooms, it is by far the largest royal residence in the world. Construction of the palace was begun in 1752 for Charles VII of Naples, who worked closely with his architect, Luigi Vanvitelli. However, Charles never slept a night at Caserta as he abdicated in 1759 to become King of Spain, and the project was carried to only partial completion for his third son and successor, Ferdinand IV of Naples. As at Versailles, a large aqueduct was required to bring water for the prodigious water displays. Like its French predecessor, the palace was intended to display the power and grandeur of an absolute Bourbon monarchy. The royal palace has more than 40 monumental rooms completely decorated with frescoes when, in comparison, Versailles counts only 22 monumental rooms. From 1923 to 1943 and during World War II the palace was the location of the Italian Air Force Academy. From 1943, 27 during the allied invasion the royal palace served as the seat of the Supreme Allied Commander; Sir Henry Maitland Wilson and later Sir Harold Alexander. In April 1945 the palace was the site of the signing of terms of the unconditional German surrender of forces in Italy. The enormous gardens are also inspired by the park of Versailles and are full of fountains, cascades and statues from classical Antiquity. Monte Cassino This beautiful medieval abbey was the site of one of the most devastating and bloody battles during the Second World War. During the Battle of Monte Cassino the Abbey made up one section of the 100 mile Gustav Line, a German defensive line designed to hold the Allied troops from advancing any further into Italy. The Gustav Line stretched from the Tyrrhenian to the Adriatic coast. The British mistakenly thought that the monastery was a key German stronghold and that capturing the monastery would open up Highway 6 and lead to Rome. On 15 February 1944 the abbey was almost completely destroyed in a series of heavy American-led air raids. The Commander-in-Chief Allied Armies in Italy, General Sir Harold Alexander of the British army ordered the bombing. The bombing was conducted because many reports from the British commanders of the Indian troops on the ground suggested that Germans were occupying the monastery, and it was considered a key observational post by all those who were fighting in the field. However, during the bombing no Germans were present in the abbey. Only after the bombing were the ruins of the monastery occupied by German paratroopers of the 1st Parachute Division, because the ruins provided excellent defensive cover, aiding them in their defence. Between 17 January and 18 May, Monte Cassino and the Gustav defences were assaulted four times by Allied troops, the last involving twenty divisions attacking along a twenty-mile front. The German defenders were finally driven from their positions, but at a high cost. The capture of Monte Cassino resulted in 55,000 Allied casualties, with German losses being far fewer, estimated at around 20,000 killed and wounded. There are now 4,271 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Cassino War Cemetery. 289 of the burials are unidentified. Within the cemetery stands the Cassino Memorial which commemorates over 4,000 Commonwealth servicemen who took part in the Italian campaign whose graves are not known. A British soldier fights in the ruins of the abbey The British cemetery at the foot of Monte Cassino 28 Handy Phrases to use in Italy Parla Inglese? Grazie Prego Per favore / per piacere Buon giorno Buonasera Buona notte Come sta? (singular) Come state? (plural) Mi scusi / scusi Arrivederci Dov'è ... ? Gabinetto / bagno Mangiare Stazione Ristorante Dove posso trovare un.../ Vorrei qualcosa da mangiare Come posso andare a... Qual è la strada per... Quanto costa? / Quanto costa questo? Polizia / Carabinieri Aeroporto Stazione Farmacia Medico Albergo / Hotel Supermercato Negozio Museo Posso fare fotografie? No grazie Sì grazie Vai via! Do you speak English? Thank You You are welcome Please Good Morning - Good Afternoon Good Evening Good Night How are you? How are you? Excuse me Goodbye Where is ...? Lavatory/Toilet To eat (verb) Train station restaurant Where can I find a... I would like something to eat How can I go to.... Which way for... How much does it/this cost? Police Airport Train station Pharmacy Doctor Hotel Food store Shop Museum May I take photos? No thanks Yes thanks Go away! Rome from the top of the dome of St Peter’s Italy has hosted three Olympic Games 29 30 Italy: An Introduction Young nation in an old land, known to the ancients as Italia centuries before the country bore the name, Italy stands as a cornerstone of western history. 'All roads lead to Rome', is still true. Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, and Napoleon ruled here; Constantine the Great found divine inspiration in Rome and spread Christianity throughout his empire. In Italy Giotto pioneered, Michelangelo and Raphael created, Leonardo asked, Bernini sculpted, Machiavelli schemed, Verdi and Puccini composed, and St Francis of Assisi prayed. Rich in natural beauty, gilded with sunshine, and epitome of la dolce vita - the sweet life - as seen in Caravaggio's portrait of Bacchus, Italy attracted pillagers and princes from beyond the Alps; for centuries they carved up the peninsular like booty. Unified since 1870, and once again prosperous, Italy still cherishes the sweet life, while revelling in the past so storied that 18th century Edmund Burke called it the ‘native land to us all’. Etruscan Civilization, 700 to 200 BC Before the Romans, central Italy belonged to the Etruscans – a mysterious people who left only fragments of their written language. Farmers, miners, and engineers, they built sewers and drained the swampy valley that would later become the centre of Rome. They had an intuitive side too, divining the future by gauging the direction of thunderbolts or contemplating the livers of sacrificed animals. Wary of the Greeks of southern Italy, their main trading partners, the Etruscans ignored until too late the upstart Romans, who attacked their city states for 130 years before subduing the last, Velzna, in 265 BC. Rome and the Empire, 509 BC to AD 476 Lauded by the poet Virgil in 29 BC for its supply of grain, wine, olives and prosperous herds, Rome also boasted an ample supply of generals, engineers, and lawyers. Romans won their independence from Etruscan rule in 509 BC, claiming power for the 'Senate and People of Rome'. The letters SPQR are still seen all over the capital city. Their government was a republic, administered by two consuls nominated by the Senate and elected by the assembly of male citizens. Six hundred years and countless wars later, the Republic had been replaced by a mighty empire counting at least 50 million subjects from Britain to Armenia with the city itself a stew of one million or more people from all corners of the emperor's reach. Roman generals were forbidden from entering Rome with their armies. When Julius Caesar crossed the River Rubicon, the die was cast, and he replaced the Republic with a dictatorship. When he was murdered his young nephew Augustus became the first emperor. The epitome of power, he is the model that would31 be dictators ever since have tried and usually failed to copy; the sunniest month of the year is named after him, not the other way round. None of his successors had his guile. As Euripides wrote, ‘Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.’ Many Roman Emperors like Nero went mad, and many more were murdered. AD 69 is known as the ‘Year of the Four Emperors’; Galba was murdered by the Praetorian Guard, Otho committed suicide, and Vitellius was killed on the orders of the year’s fourth emperor, Vespasian. In AD 260 Emperor Valerian was captured and became the Persian king’s personal footstool. When he eventually died, he was stuffed and mounted. Historians still debate why the empire collapsed – the city of Rome was sacked twice in the fifth century AD before Odoacer finally took control in AD 476 – but there is no disputing Rome's legacy in architecture, politics, law, urban planning, literature and languages still spoken all over the world. Rome’s legacy is everywhere. Barbarian Invasions and the Byzantine Empire, AD 200-600 Emperor Diocletian split the Roman Empire into eastern and western halves in AD 286, in part to defend Italy from northern tribes. A master administrator, Diocletian also split his provinces into smaller units, each one known as a 'diocese'. Diocletian is the only emperor to voluntarily give up office; he retired to his vast palace in Split to grow cabbages. The eastern empire soon flourished ruled from Constantinople, Emperor Constantine's new capital on the Bosphorus, but by 476 Germanic armies had triumphed in the west. The final western emperor, the preposterously named Romulus Augustulus was forced to abdicate at Ravenna and was exiled. The imperial vestments were sent to Constantinople (today known as Istanbul). Under the reforming Emperor Justinian, the eastern empire, known to us as Byzantium (but not to them; they simply regarded themselves as ‘Romans’) did recover Rome. But recovery was shortlived. A century later the Lombards from Germany divided Italy into three dozen duchies. Italy's political fragmentation would last for over a thousand years. City states like Florence, Siena and Venice would rule their citizens. But even in defeat the Romans were conquerors: The Lombards adopted Christianity, Latin and Roman Law. Together these would become the bedrock of Western Civilization. 32 Papal States, 756 to 1870 and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 After Emperor Constantine recognized Christianity in 313, church landholdings grew quickly, thanks to donations from the faithful. The eighth century Pope Stephen II used a document bearing Constantine's forged signature to claim a swathe of land from Rome to Ravenna. Called the Patrimony of St Peter, it would be ruled by popes for most of the next 11 centuries. On Christmas Day 800 AD, the pope crowned Charlemagne as the new Holy Roman Emperor. This cemented papal power over Italy and also demonstrated that the eastern emperor no longer had any authority in the west. The immense power and wealth of the church can be seen all over Italy as successive popes tried to out-do their predecessor in their artistic legacy. However, the split between the Christian Catholic church under the Pope in Rome, and the Christian Orthodox church under the Patriarch in Constantinople has been a constant and remains with us today. The Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire continued to exist for many centuries. Its artistic masterpieces can be seen throughout the eastern Mediterranean. When the west collapsed into anarchy and the Dark Ages, it was from Constantinople that Christian civilization clung on. The Byzantine Empire survived until 1453 when the Walls of Constantinople, completed by Emperor Theodosius II in 413 were finally breached by the gunpowder and cannons of the Turks. Rome’s 2,000-year history came to an end. The Plague 1347 to 1743 Bang in the middle of the Mediterranean (the sea at the middle of the world), the Romans, then the Venetians were great merchants. But Italy's search for wealth became its curse when Genoese sailors, plying the lucrative east-west trade routes, brought the plague to the Sicilian port of Messina from the Crimea in 1347. Soon la peste was slashing across the peninsular, often carried on wittingly by people fleeing diseasewracked cities. The deadly mix of bubonic plague, transmitted by fleas; pneumonic plague, spread by humans; and insect borne septicemic plague would recur in cycles over the next 400 years but the first epidemic was by far the worst – killing at least a third of Italy's 10 million people between 1347 and 1351. The Renaissance, 1400 to 1527 The 1454 Treaty of Lodi brought peace to Italy's sparring city states. But social tensions grew as a new merchant class emerged. Moneychangers and shopkeepers challenged feudal lords for power while the newly invented printing press meant that bishops no longer controlled the spread of knowledge. Entranced by classical themes and influenced by Greeks fleeing to Italy after the final collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453, wealthy families such as the Medici commissioned works from artists experimenting with new techniques. The result was an outpouring of masterpieces as city state tried to out-do city state. In Renaissance Italy local rivalry was expressed in art, not football. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, are merely the best known of many hundreds of artists inspired during this 'rebirth' of classical ideas. 33 The Counter Reformation 1527 to 1700 Stung by the mutinies of Germany's Martin Luther and England's King Henry VIII - and by the sack of Rome in 1527 to 28 by rampaging troops many of them German Protestants – the Roman Catholic Church retreated into orthodoxy. It banned books, confined Jews to a ghetto, and burned heretics at the stake. The church's partner in the Inquisition, Spain, controlled southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia, while most of the north belonged to the Holy Roman Empire – based in Germany and, as Voltaire would note, neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. Galileo (right), who confirmed Copernicus' theory that the earth orbits the sun, thus disproving biblical teaching about the earth being the centre of the universe, was put on trial by the Inquisition and imprisoned. The tentacles of the ultra conservative Catholic church reached every part of Italy and Spain. This partly explains why the most important scientific discoveries and industrial inventions came from Northern Europe. Isaac Newton's theories would not be published in Italy until the late nineteenth century. The Enlightenment, 1700 to 1800 As intellectuals in France and Britain sang the praises of reason and basic human rights, backward and divided Italy – her glories presumed to be long past – became a playground for tourists. Rome's crumbling ruins, as well as excavations at the newly discovered towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, exuded a romantic fascination best demonstrated by every educated man who went on his 'Grand Tour' of Italy. Napoleon in Italy, 1796 to 1815 Young and ambitious, the French general Napoleon insisted he wanted only to transport liberty equality and fraternity across the Alps. He drove out the Austrians annexed the Bourbon-ruled south, made his brother Joseph the King of Naples, and declared himself King of Italy. During Napoleon's brief reign he plundered dozens of art treasures - including the Mona Lisa - sending them to the Louvre in Paris. But Napoleon also planted an important seed: for the first time the political state had used the name ‘Italy’. Italian Unification, 1815 1929 Influenced by democratic uprisings across Europe in 1848, Italians stepped up their campaign to unify Italy. Diplomat Camillo Cavour and firebrand Giuseppe Mazzini fanned the flames of Il Risorgimento - the resurgence. Giuseppe Garibaldi stitched together an army that swept south. With defeat of the Papal States in 1870 modern Italy was born although the Vatican would not recognize secular Italy until 1929. Today virtually every city in Italy has a road named Via Cavour, Via Mazzini and Via Garibaldi. 34 Italy since 1929 After a costly First World War, extreme left and right wing influences soon took over. Benito Mussolini (right) began his dictatorship of Italy in 1929. He did more than make the trains run on time. There was much industrialization, but with his brutality Italy paid a terrible price. He made a disastrous alliance with Hitler, and launched a war for which Italy was not prepared. Uniquely, Italy fought both world wars on both sides. The Second World War was a disaster. Apparently, a German officer ran into Hitler's bedroom, and woke the Fuhrer with important news. 'Mein Fuhrer, Mein Fuhrer, the Italians have entered the war!' Hitler, unconcerned, replied, 'Send two divisions. That should be more than enough to crush them.' The aide responded, 'No, Mein Fuhrer, you do not understand. The Italians have joined the war on our side!' At this, Hitler panicked. 'Send ten divisions immediately!' The fighting in Italy was amongst the fiercest of the war. The many Commonwealth War Grave cemeteries show the sacrifices made. There was heavy fighting at Anzio and up much of ‘the leg’ of Italy as the Germans dug in. There were very heavy losses around the historic monastery at Monte Cassino. However, two days before D-Day on 4 June 1944, Rome was liberated. Upon seeing the ruins of the Colosseum, a poorlyeducated American general apparently said, 'Gee, did our boys do that?'. Thankfully, little of Rome was destroyed by the war; President F D Roosevelt overruled Winston Churchill and forbade the aerial bombing of Rome or Florence. However, Florence fared less well than Rome when the Germans blew up every bridge across the River Arno bar one – the glorious Ponte Vecchio (literally ‘the old bridge’). After the disastrous fascist dictatorship of Mussolini, Italy moved to democracy. Italy adopted a system of proportional representation. Whilst very democratic, this has led to political fragmentation and instability. It is rare for any political party to have overall parliamentary control. Consequently, since 1945 Italy has leapt from one political and economic crisis to another and has had over 50 different governments and an endless list of forgettable prime ministers. Somehow, however, la dolce vita carries on. 35 36