Tuesday, 25 June, 2019
Even in the early morning hours, Napoli was SCORCHING!
Nonetheless, we had to execute our plan which was to get up early and explore this wonderfully chaotic city before our 11:00 a.m. B&B checkout.
After that, it would be on to our trip to the island of Ischia, about 50 minutes from Napoli's harbor by hydrofoil, for three days of vegetating by either our hotel's pool or down by the sea in a lounger.
But first, we had to see some more of Napoli's major sights.
Great statue on a huge roundabout
near our well located B&B
Impressive building at the next
roundabout up the street
As is always the case in Italian cities
large or small, a World War Memorial
First stop, Napoli's Duomo
built by importers French
Anjou kings in the 14th-century
The Duomo, a.k.a., the Church of Naples
A lion guarding the Duomo entrance
The eastern sun bursting
through the Duomo's windows
Who doesn't love a good
baptismal fount?
Doubting Thomas
That will be my pose for the next
three days in Ischia
Looking Holy
If enough of us step on his tomb . . .
. . . it will wind up looking like this
Gold mosaics are always
a nice touch
As are ceiling murals
Two thin lions supporting the
Duomo's Main Altar
The happy-go-lucky nuns who taught
me at St. Phillip the Apostle School
in Pasadena, California!
Again with my beach pose in
front of St. Andrew
Is he giving us the finger?
That's MUCH more civil
I liked the Cardinal's red hat
Simply . . .
. . . AMAZING detail!
The most important symbol
in Christianity
Napoli's Duomo, a combination of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, was well worth the visit. Especially if you are into religious art done to excess.
Which I am.
We were off to our next stopping point via one of Napoli's more interesting streets known to locals simply as . . .
. . . "Spacca-Napoli"
The name translates into "split Naples" and it bisects the city.
So many fun shops
are found on this street
Anybody need a Maradona statue?
Nuns out for a stroll
Buena H.S. Bulldogs fan in Napoli?
Punch one if you need it
for that next earring
Again with the Ischia beach pose
For some unknown reason, we walked into a random chapel that faced this reclining Neapolitan.
Highlighting a hand
Grand but I have no clue
what it represents
A bright, cheery tomb
Obelisk on a piazza
Another quaint shop
Napoli welcomes you
with open arms
The Revolution continues . . .
Creative way to beat the Sun's
brutal rays that will hit this spot
soon enough
What the . . .
. . . ahh, it is the façade of the
Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo
The façade of pyramids survives from a fortified 15th-century noble palace. It was turned into a church in the 16th-century.
It gives little clue as to the magnificent Neapolitan Baroque interior.
A monument in the piazza
in front of the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo
Baroque it is then!
As my Lonely Planet guide book puts it, ". . a gob-smacking blast of baroque that could make the Vatican blush . . ."
Loving the Cupola
Pensive AND Irritated
The Main Altar
We have just got to do something
about our ceilings in Camarillo's
Casa Contreras
More tomb art
Majestic
A prayerful visitor
Padre Pio is BIG in Italy
We had much more to see but were strapped for time, so we headed back towards our B&B.
The Revolution continued
Just a random fountain
in downtown Napoli
We checked out of our B&B easily and caught the next hydrofoil to Ischia.
Ciao Napoli!
Mt. Vesuvius was dormant
Laurie wasn't
LAND HO!
Our first glimpse of isola Ischia.
This is going to be sweet!
Why Ischia and not nearby Capri you may ask?
Americans tend to swarm to Capri while Italians go to Ischia.
That's why.
Porto Ischia lighthouse
That bar across the street has
our names on it!
An Ischia church
There are more to be sure.
The view from our room at the
Don Pedro Hotel
YES!
As I said, Padre Pio is BIG in Italy
After a refreshing dip in the hotel's pool, we headed down the hill to explore Ischia's port village.
We headed that-a-way
Colorful mooring lines
A half liter of red and a Sprite
to create Spanish tinto de verano
and we were set!
Laurie near the harbor entrance
Here comes a car ferry from Napoli
Just a relaxing spot on
the Bay of Naples
Loosely translated as
"Asshole, Don't Smoke!"
I'm OK with that.
I agree 100% with this sign
No President Trump,
this is not what you think
You see Donald, in Italian a bimbo is a baby. They sell baby related items not porn stars.
Our probable hang out for
the next two days on the sea
I got a haircut and a beard trim
here at Laurie's behest
It was a GREAT moment in Italian, cross-cultural relations.
Artsy
Another Ischia church
Lemons are BIG in Ischia
Cool shop
Ischia's World War Memorial
That's a lot of names for a small island.
Gesù at the top
Ischia island map
Ischia's famed
Nonna Surveillance Network
hard at work
Who needs cameras?
What a colorful island!
Communal Thermal Baths
We may have to try one while we are here.
Sunset falls on Porto Ischia harbor
What a day!
Maybe this is why we were both
so ready for an early bed tonight?
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