Sicily, Italy September, 2016

Palermo 

My main interest in Palermo was the opera.  Madame Butterfly is not a favourite of mine, but I wanted to experience an opera in that famous house.  I did.  One of the reasons that should be obvious I guess, about why opera is seldom performed in the great opera houses of Europe during the hot summer months is that the old houses are not air conditioned, and being vertical interiors, the people in the rings must tolerate very high temperatures.

The night I was there, I was in the 2nd ring and it was well over 30 C.  The performance was good, although Butterfly is one of the operas in which much of the audience tolerates two hours of just o.k. music for the final one minute in which the soprano sings one of the greatest of all arias. On this night, the star soprano sang well throughout, but when it came to the soaring finale, she missed the High C.  I was disappointed, but felt sorry for her as she had otherwise doing just fine.

Grand hotel et des Palmes

This is a kind of amusing story.  This huge and limbering 19th C. hotel was The hotel, grand ballroom, and several restaurants of Palermo and Sicily for many decades.  Being Palermo, people think Mob(s), but just visiting Sicily it is hard to find any trace of this aspect.  But in 1957, Lucky Luciano allegedly organized a Mob summit at the des Palmes which all the major thugs of the time attended.  No word remains of their menu.

Now those days are far in the past.  The lobby is dark, the hallway carpets are a mess, many of the hallway walls make then new arrival feel as though he chose the wrong hotel.  But the rooms are large - 3x most hotel room sizes of today.  They all have been nicely renovated and have the best possible large marble bathrooms and every convenience. 

Breakfast is held in the former grand ballroom.  It is one of those now-hollow and almost tacky places one would like to duty the necessary duty and get out of fast.  But the desk staff are highly trained professionals.  They won my greatest respect for their kindness.  I mentioned to the evening clerk that I would be leaving too early in the morning for breakfast, and he immediately said, "Oh then we will prepare a basket for you to take along,  Just ask for it when you check out in the morning."  And so it was.  A beautifully organized and prepared breakfast in a bag, which included 13 items. I was very impressed.

Otherwise, Palermo is just a pedestrian old city with a large port and handsome opera house.

Syracuse

I visited several cities between Palermo and Syracuse mainly to see ruins.  But the ruins I was most excited by were in Syracuse itself.

Most of the ruins are down inside of or at the edge of a very old quarry.  I have not been able to find any information of when the quarry operated, but by the ages of the trees, I would guess it must have been 18th and 19th C.

There are a few caves and one resembles an ear. It is referred to as Orecchio Dionisio, or Ear of Dionysus.  Look closely at the bottom of the photo and you will see the size of people compared with the size of the cave opening.  It curves around inside and seems to run back 60 feet or more.

At the top left of the bottom photo is a cone shaped tower.  That is actually a holy site.  On tope (not shown) is a tiny statue of the Virgin Mary and the cone is one of her teardrops.  A lot of pilgrims visit the site.

Syracuse is an attractive and comfortable city. There is a small island just across a bridge from Syracuse named Ortygia which is attractive. Now it is a major tourist attraction, and is mainly restaurants and shops.

As you might expect, this area is visited by a lot of large yachts.  The Moonlight II is one of the largest, and is  harboured in Syracuse waiting for charters.  There are a lot of great interior photos on the internet.  It is 280 feet in length and recently was sodl.  The asking price was 85.000,000.00 Euros.  One of the locals said that a full tak of petrol cost $750,000.

One photo above I took from the internet.  But on the bottom one in the Port, just behid the orange barriers those little things are men working.

I had one of the finest hotels of the trip in Syracuse; the Grand Alfeo Albergo is so attractive and comfortable, wonderfully designed and has a professionally trained desk staff you wish every hotel had.  If  you are in Siracusa, you should try to stay there.

Catania

Catania was a surprisingly pleasant city in which to spend a day. It had beautiful piazzas, streets and historical buildings.

The Bellini opera house in Catania

Bellini was one of the greatest opera composers - many think THE greatest composer.  Catania has this beautiful small house with the name Teatro Bellini in the white marble at the top.  They were currently playing is most famous and loved work, Norma.  That opera is currently being performed in Toronto with one of the greatest sopranos alive - Sondra Radvanovsky - and is by far, the most important cultural event of the year here.  A Globe & mail reporter recently compared her performance as almost equal to that of Maria Callas - a comparison so strong that none of the people I know have ever heard such a statement.  I will know better in three days when we attend.

The ultimate statue of the man of our times, which is September 2016

Each period of history has its own concept of what the ideal man must be. This brilliant work by Dario Tironi  was on display at the Italian fine art gallery in Positano. You can see a lot of his other work on Google.

He has made the man of our time of cast off junk, most of which is electronic and plastic.  In this case, the form of the man is precisely identical to a renaissance statue in the Vatican.  It is remarkable how elegant and smooth every curve is and that the proportion is so perfect. On the bottom image, lower left, you will see the white plastic head of an evil character. Sr. Tironi is very talented.

Other works in Positano

Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi and Positano, September, 2016

It is very tempting as an independent traveller, to try to find an acceptable hotel on the most advantageous island along this spectacular coastline.  The hotels are very expensive as September is now the most crowded travel month of the year in Europe (yes more so than August now).  The most popular and practical island is Sorrento which you can use as base for visiting other towns along the route.

One of the most popular ways to get to Sorrento with luggage, is the Circumvesuviana which runs from Naples' main train station.  It is definitely the Rick Steves way of travel.  It is a rough old narrow guage which crams up to 1200 people (at least) into a few old cars and rumbles along for about 50 - 90 minutes through between 15 and 35 stops as you stand in the heat and crowds.  But it's cheap.

During peak travel months, there are busses that go to Sorrento from Naples.  Many people choose the ferries.  We took the Jet boat which is comfortable and powerful

The Jetboat runs Capri > Sorrento > Amalfi > Positano and back.  I like to stand out on the back open deck where the jets are noisy and vibrating and the sound and smell of the sea are great.  The mountains and small villages  along the way, look like works by Cezanne: very beautiful, and in perfect weather too.

One of the advantages of the ferry is that instead of seeing the coast from the shores or cities, you see it all from the sea.

We spent six hours on Positano, which is regarded - with Amalfi - to be the most beautiful with the best view.  

I could not capture the views so took two from the internet.  It is a wonderful place.  A small two -lane highway runs through it high up, and there are two streets, both vertical and one is the decline and the other incline.  Luckily there are not many cars or noisy motorbikes.  There are some provisions for getting luggage up and down from the docks and highways, without which it would be a challenge.

I don't know what one would do in any of these coastal villages for more than a day.  There are some sleek shops which entertain women, but I think a day is more than enough for that.

British airways B747-400 Transatlantic Business class, Sept-Oct 2016

Like most air passengers, one of the least attractive parts of a trip is the discomfort of the whole process from boarding to knee busting seats, bad food, etc etc. I like and admire everything about the Boeing 747-400; its four huge engines, it 16 wheel landing gear and especially flying on the upper deck in the bump.

Of course, check-in is a breeze.  I think there is a fast track through security for Bzns and 1st class passengers, but I have Nexus, so I pass through as fast a I can make the machine accept me (my eyes actually).  Then the passenger waits in a nice lounge.  The Toronto one is not nearly as large as in many of BA's airports, but it is comfortable and serves a remarkably fine,complete meal at 5 p.m.

I flew in the bubble - upper deck- outbound.  My seat was only 12' from the cockpit.  The pilots left the door open until takeoff and I could watch them prepare for the flight.  You will see from the photo that the huge seats are in opposing U configurations: one seat faces forward and the next faces back. In between the opposing seat is a cleverly designed drop-down, layered, opaque window.  The distance between seats is about six feet - yes, six feet.  So nice.

The oblong metal device on the back of each seat is the footrest for the opposing passenger, which drops down to form the end of the bed for the lay flat seats.  You will notice that one the upper deck, the aisle is about 40" wide o something we almost never see on aircraft today.

There are 20 seats on the upper deck, and once dinner and drinks are served, there is almost no foot traffic at all and it is somewhat like flying on a very large private jet.  One thing that happens as soon as the giant jet reaches cruising altitude and the seat belt sign is off is that some passengers ask for their BA pajamas from the crew.  They then rush off to the bathrooms and reappear ready for sleep.  Their giant seats silently slide down absolutely flat and they apply the nice blanket and eye covers and sleep through most of the flight.

On boarding and disembarking, the Bzns section looks like the flight of giants.  If you ever wondered how those very tall and large men deal with airline seats, the answer is that many  just fly Bzns class. None of the men on my flights were overweight, they were just really tall and built like football players.  Thy also were some of the first to order pajamas and suit up and sleep.

The whole experience made Air Canada's bzns class look silly - which it deserves.  The menu and food served was light years superior to the junk AC serves and I could not even eat.  One BA flight started with Gressingham duck rillette celeriac remoulade kumquat compote and red currant gel, or Somerset Brie w/chanterelle mushroom, artichoke salad apple gel and pickled walnut (my choice) etc,

Then a salad followed by a remarkably high quality and well-cooked beef steak, with mushroom risotto, smoked runner beans, Thai shallots and sherry vinegar jus.

There were also nice chicken, Salmon and Orecchiette pasta entrees offered.  Desserts were:  light and dark chocolate delice and lemon tart with raspberry compote (really nice - something you would expect in a top-flight restaurant), or Cheddar and Stilton, or selection of fresh fruit, then coffee, tea, Chocolates and a brilliant selection spirits including a Glenlivet master distiller's reserve which I could not resist despite my rule of not drinking on aircraft.

The crew were absolutely professional every moment.  It all was entirely worth the cost, something I have never said about Air Canada

One thing I cannot adjust to is the slovenly manner in which a percentage of air passengers dress today. There are always some men in shorts and flip flops.  They are reliably men who ought not show themselves in either as both highlight their cheap, junk taste in clothing as well as some of their most unattractive parts.

On the outbound flight, the passengers were most what you would predict to be paying more than usual.  On the way home, there was middle aged man taking his elderly parents back to Toronto.  He could not have been dressed worse; baggy jeans that truly looked as if he just came in from slopping the hogs or his construction job.  The rest of him was in equally awful apparel for the occasion.  The three fares someone paid came to at least $12,000, and even for that sum, he could not bother to improve his appearance. He was definitely not alone in the contest for best slopping-the-hogs dress.

Some of the econ passengers I saw boarding were just beyond belief.  There was a late mid-aged man who honestly looked as if he got up from the sidewalk begging for coins. He had not shaved for a couple of weeks.  He had pants on which were WAY down on his behind - below it in fact,  Hard to believe people take the honour of flying on a $600 million aircraft designed to be the ultimate in human air travel but dress like bums and slobs.  One young woman was in all black, new looking kind of gym jersey and pants, and entirely across the back of her butt - side to side in giant, reflecting gold letters was the word JUICY.  That I could not figure out at all.

There used to be a lot of 747s in the air and I flew on many and several times on the upper deck on many different international airlines.  Only once I was in a Combi 747.  That is where almost half of the rear of the main deck is walled off and freight is loaded on.  On that day, I watched as a number of race horses were led on board with their vets and trainers.  They were so quiet and odorless that I think few passengers had any idea they were sharing a place with horses.  But this BA 092-093 set of flights was certainly the best ever.

I must mention one big flaw here.  You cannot split an air ticket.  If you would like to fly Bzns class Transatlantic and then take econ. on the rest of the 90 minute flight (to Rome) you are obligated to remain in bzns class (although it appears that there is no fare advantage to split on that flight).
But the shock was to go from seats six feet apart to the regular knee crushing 17".  The single difference between econ and bzns is that they put a blocker in the middle seat so you will not have a passenger next to you.  But otherwise the seats and the food are the same as economy.

Otherwise, they were the two best flights I have ever experienced.

Naples, September 2016

 The bottom photo above is somewhat amusing.  Naples is on a very steep hill and the narrow stone-paved streets are as steep and often slippery. Notice the three large bollards to prevent vehicles from descending into that street.  The street behind my camera is actually steeper and you can imagine that there was some nasty event that caused these to be placed there.  They were the only ones I saw of that size and strength - even in that neighbourhood.

                                                                ***

When I told friends I would be visiting Naples, all sighed, or grimaced as though I was doomed to a ghastly fate they were aware of, but, of which I was apparently ignorant.

I have read that it takes a few days to become accustomed to Naples, and I would say that is accurate. So many towns and cities like Paris and most of France, Assisi, and much of Rome, have been sand blasted out of the centuries of coal burning darkness into an almost Disneyland level of white virginity.  Naples is NOT one of those cities.  It retains it coal blackened dignity everywhere.  It is also massively vandalized by graffiti.  I like the great double doors of old buildings intended for horse drawn vehicles to pass through.  One shown below is of the very most beautiful wood and design, and even that has been repeatedly vandalized.  Even all church doors are covered in spray paints.

The church interior was just a neighbourhood church near my Naples hotel.  I happened by as the sun hit parts of the altar and it looked as though a miracle might have happened somewhere, but it was only the sun, I guess.

An amusing aspect is that Italians north of Sicily and North of Naples, say in each case that They are different countries.  WE are not like them at all. Historically, they have a point or two.  Today, they are referring to the somewhat madness of Naples.  It is painfully noisy mostly because the really narrow streets, sidewalks and close walls of the city that are stone or masonry.  The sounds of motorcycles, trucks and humans echoing is unforgettable.

Traffic is constantly spoken of as dreadful in so many cities, but Naples is somewhat of a special case.I think the polite term would be bonkers.  I could not believe the ambulances with ear destroying sirens screaming and red lights flashing  to which few cars would ever yield.  I watched in disbelief a van with large markings reading:  Human organ transplants enroute and not one car would yield to that van.  It was a situation of merging lanes and the emergency vehicle was trying to turn left into a lane, but cars kept pushing tightly in front of the van.   I saw several other ambulances in the same situation where they might as well shut off their lights and sirens as they were getting no  respect.

The streets  also run in odd directions and constantly have names like Via San Giovanni di Spaccanapoi of last year's pasta in the refrigerator under the cheese or similar long names.  I read of one traveller who drove 4 hours from Assisi to Naples and then spent four hours driving around Naples to first find his hotel and then a parking place.

Lastly, pedestrians have their own special contribution which seems based on the Vietnam or Indonesian model.  To cross traffic where there are no lights or zebra lines, just start walking and vehicles will probably not hit you.  It worked for me.  This method infuriates nasty and selfish drivers and especially motorbikers who  do notwish to slow down for anything at all, ever.

During the entire trip I never once feared for my security.  When I asked friends who said they feared crime in Naples to name the problem, they would respond "pickpockets."  I personally do not see pickpockets as "crime."  Men so dumb as to wear a fat wallet on their butts do not deserve my sympathy. They are male Kardashians. They also usually carry every piece of i.d. and credit cards they own in the same place and are shocked when it  all disappears.

My first hotel was near the Port and it is an area - like most of Naples - said to look gritty.  My second hotel was only half a kilometer away, right next to the large university, and at first glance, it was solid graffiti everywhere, trash generously spread around and seedy to say the least.  Yet, it was a perfectly safe area full of families and children.

The Hotel was the Decumani, Hotel di Charme.  It was built in the 17th C. and was the residence of the last Archbishop of Naples in the Bourbon kingdom.  The rooms are all renovated and it is modern and comfortable.  There are a number of aspects of the original building, one of which is a grand ballroom where breakfast is served.

Like neighbourhoods in major cities, I am sure there is some crime there.  One thing I saw really surprised me.  A block from my hotel, there was a Smart car parked.  Most of the external door panel on the passenger side was missing - the centre broken out and missing.  I looked closely and previously had no idea that Smart car are all plastic.  Every exterior panel of that car was about three-eights thick plexiglass - or whatever it they used but it is plastic. 

The streets are often more like alleys - only 12' wide.  People leave their doors and windows open for ventilation in apartments are that remarkably tiny.  That often make for nice compositions that the interloper cannot resist photographing.

The Palace of Capodimonte

This is now the most important art gallery and collection in Naples.

By the way, Capodimonte means "Top of the hill," not "tiresome junk sold on Home shopping channel."  This handsome palace was built for Charles VII, King of Naples around 1738.  It houses some imporatnt works of art today, but many rooms have been left in the original state with furniture and decorations.

Above is The saint removing a thorn from the paw of a lion - a favourite of mine for years and I was so happy to see the original.  I do not know the significance, but the lion is staring hard directly at the viewer.  The peasant boy playing his flute is assisted by his dog which is howling in harmony.  Dogs are common in religious works of the period as symbols of loyalty to their masters (Jesus, in fact).

Naples is a fascinating city, and importantly the gateway to the Amalfi coast.