Arrivederci Roma...and on to Salerno.

Our last day in Rome was a Saturday, so we decided to take advantage of a market that I’d read about in a great little book about the neighbourhoods of this city. Big thanks to Linda for lending us this book which we used quite a lot during our time in Rome. Situated close to the Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus), the Mercato di Campagna Amica was a wonderful find and one we’d recommend to anyone who has the time to visit it if in Rome. Along with a couple of meat and fish vendors, there was fresh produce, olive oils, cheeses, and breads to chose from....it’s a bit of a food lover’s paradise. One stall sold nothing but mushrooms - and they were beautifully displayed. Everything offered for sale at this market has to meet strict criteria regarding how it’s grown and from where it is sourced. Filled with locals it was busy and loud and lots of fun....most people were obviously regulars.
In a small outside section - more of a courtyard - there’s a handful of food stations that cook to order. Tables and chairs are scattered around so that customers can sit and enjoy their offerings....from vegetarian soups, to skewers of grilled meat, fish or vegetables. There’s also a small bar where drinks are available.....and if not buying from the food stations, customers often sit and eat what they’ve bought from the market vendors....which is just what we did. We’d bought some cheeses and breads to take home - but most of it never made it - it was eaten at the market!
There’s not much left to see of Circo Massimo - mostly just a large field - so we carried on past it, while imagining all the chariot races that were held there. Across from the market we spotted a little church - the basilica St Anastasia and popped in for a quick look. We also passed the remains of two Republican Temples that sat side by side, looking a bit forlorn and abandoned.
The Teatro di Marcello (Theatre of Marcellus), we found really interesting. Named for the nephew of Augustus in 13 B.C. it became a model for other theatres, including the Colosseum, throughout the world. Approximately one third of the curving facade still remains and we were able to wander through this ancient place accompanied by only a few others. Used for performances until the 5th century, it was transformed into a fortress in the 1100s. In the early 16th century a Renaissance palace was built - the upper levels are still inhabited - which gives the whole structure an unusual “look!” Work has recently been done on other ruins around this area and a pedestrianized path connects it to the Portico d’Ottavia, three marble columns from The Temple of Apollo, and other assorted ancient remains.
With only a couple more hours of light left, we doubled back past Circo Massimo and walked about a kilometre to Terme di Caracalla - one of the largest of the ancient bathing complexes, and one of Rome’s best-preserved ruins. Construction of it began in 212 A.D. - it took 5 years and 9,000 men to build. In the 5th century it was considered one of the 7 wonders of Rome, accommodating up to 1600 bathers
at any given time, and up to 8,000 a day.
After using the changing rooms, bathers would move from hot pools, to others that were tepid and then finally into pools that were cold. Two gyms were available plus an Olympic size pool - the only building that was open-air. It’s believed that other buildings in this area may have been used as libraries and meeting rooms....archaeological excavations are on-going.
We can attest to the size of the place - the remains of the buildings still stand tall and are large in area. Some frescoes remain and the mosaics are incredible, especially in one Natatio (Olympic pool). Geometric in their design, the Emperor Caracalla chose only the finest materials, and the greatest artists of the time to work on them. Now, carefully and meticulously restored, they appear wave-like when looking at them - which was the original intent! The pool itself was divided into 3 sections by gigantic grey granite columns, had niches for marble statues and apart from its size (50 x 22 metres), had walls over 20 metres high.
History tells us that Romans like to play board games - not only at tables, but in other locations.....gaming boards have been found carved into floors in various places. At this location one was found carved into the marble at the edge of a large pool, where people could play while seated in the water.
The Goths cut off the water supply to the aqueduct that supplied the city of Rome in 537, so obviously the Baths could no longer be used. It became a free hospice for pilgrims and then a cemetery. Gradually it was abandoned and used mainly for agricultural purposes. Almost immediately after the water stopped flowing, materials were removed and used for building - but it was in the 16th century, in violation of the Antiquity laws, that Cardinal Farnese “procured” a treasure trove of items from the Baths making his collection the finest and richest of its time. Many sculptures are now in museums, but in storage facilities there are still 2600 pieces and fragments waiting to be identified.
In the time that we spent there, we were mostly alone in our wanderings through the arches and buildings...admiring not only the artifacts and mosaics, but the grandeur and beauty of this thermal complex, built 1800 years ago. I’m not quite sure where everyone was on this dull and showery afternoon - but as a loud horn sounded to tell us it was getting dark and time to leave, we were happy that we’d taken the time to visit. One last thing of note.....Opera is performed here on summer evenings....now that would be magical!
With huge thanks to Adrian and Kate for this wonderful week in Rome - a very generous & thoughtful 50th anniversary gift to us - the next morning our time in Rome ended. We were driven to the train station by Valentina who had picked us up from Rome airport (was it actually a week ago?).....and we were on our way to Salerno.
Having visited the train station to buy our tickets, we knew it was huge complex - with a large shopping centre and lots of cafés. We happened to have our coffee and morning pastry at a place with complimentary filtered and mineral water - available at a water station and quite a welcome feature. This forward-thinking café also offered a different and inexpensive pasta dish every day - made from scratch, on site. As we watched it being prepared, we were amused by a quotation from Sophia Loren written on its glass fronted countertop - “A woman who knows how to make pasta to perfection has prestige”........a cheeky nod to let us know we were in a café at an Italian train station!
The 90 minute train journey to Salerno was an easy, gentle ride through agricultural areas and rolling hills - with picture-perfect Italian villas along the way. After a while, the hills became larger and higher. Individual villas gave way to small villages that were built into cliffs and hanging from ledges. At times we were high up and could see way down into valleys with more small villages....we also saw some ancient aqueducts. After we passed through a part of one mountain, via a very long tunnel, we emerged to see the ocean sparkling in the distance.....and soon enough it was the urban sprawl of Naples. With just a 10 minute stop in the city, we reached our destination of Salerno in less than half an hour.
We’d been advised by the manger of our rental property to ask the taxi driver to drop us off at the “easiest” access point - telling us the name of a small square. She did mention that it would be easier than using the elevator to come up the hillside from the old town (once again we’re back to narrow streets). Somewhere in translation the message was lost on our taxi driver, he decided - insisted really - that we should be dropped at the bottom of the elevator, which would take us to the top of the hill.
He rounded down the fare, pocketed the euros quickly and without waiting for a tip, was gone...we took the elevator that went to the top of the hill - almost!
With a choice of 2 entrances to the building, both of which involved dragging the suitcases up quite a few flights of cobbled steps, we made our choice and made it to one of the downstairs doors. Our cheery manager, Roberta, greeted us from atop some steep, concrete inside steps which we had yet to climb with our bags.....but we made it....and it was well worth the effort!
The spacious apartment is filled with light and has an amazing view down over the city and its port. With 12 foot high ceilings it’s in one of the oldest buildings of town. Renovated and decorated in bright colours, it still has a quite a few quirks, which make it interesting. As in most old apartments, the kitchen and bathroom are small, but functional - the bedroom is spacious as is the living area which handles the overflow from the kitchen - a bright red fridge. With huge windowed doors, there’s a tiny balcony (great for hanging laundry) which gives more opportunity to admire the view.
Our first afternoon we did our usual shopping for supplies and then walked along the seafront, joining local families for their early evening stroll. Did we find the best place for gelato? We did - actually a place recommended by Roberta - she was “spot on”......is it the best gelato ever? Could be....think we’ll be trying it again to make sure....and I think we’ll be enjoying Salerno!