Italy–a day in Naples

January 4, 2020 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Naples is big; it is old; it contains stark extremes. How old? The New Castle was built in the 13th century; yes, that one is the new one. Coming from Sorrento one first sees the ship yards, huge apartment complexes where the less fortunate dwell, industrial areas.

Some said they thought it looked dingy. I laughed to myself. These buildings are old and near the sea. Will anything built in the US last this long?

Then we drove up higher and higher into another part of Naples. You can see Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

The island to the right in the distance is Capri. More on Capri in a later post. In this part of Naples it is obvious that some people live very well there.

Then we went lower again driving along the seafront and parked where we could walk to the oldest part of Naples.

A very old cathedral in the background to the left. We wanted to go in but it was closed until later in the day. To the right of this photo, a large group of protestors were shouting slogans, etc. through loud speakers. Military were evident in the square.

A city government building. The statues are of various famous people in the history of Naples.

Looking across the square from the church steps.

The oldest opera house is in Naples. Operas are still performed here.

We walked to another area and went inside this building which is filled with restaurants and shops, many with very high end clothing.

As we left, I noticed the bay was filled with tiny sailboats. It was very windy and I thought they were very brave. Later, I learned that these tiny boats are training boats, the ones you use when you are first learning to sail. It looks daunting to me. I have only sailed on boats much bigger.

Why do so many people still live so near a non-dormant volcano? Someone asked this question. The response was: Why do people live in Florida, Houston where there are hurricanes rather often. Why do people live where there are tornadoes, earthquakes, mudslides? At least Vesuvius provides a beautiful backdrop.

Italy–Spaghetti with Lemon Cream Sauce

December 28, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / 1 Comment

My favorite pasta dish in Italy was like none other I have eaten anywhere. The first time–and the best dish–was in a little restaurant along the side of a narrow street in Amalfi. The Amalfi Coast is famous for its lemons and where they create the best limoncello. Therefore, it is not surprising that they created a pasta dish featuring lemons. When I returned home, I experimented to recreate it. First, the spaghetti–yes, they called it spaghetti–was considerably thicker than spaghetti in the US. I guess it was homemade. I did find a reasonable substitute here, bucatini from Italy.

Here is my recipe for two people:

1/2 lb. bucatini made from durum wheat semolina

1 lemon

heavy cream or half and half

lemon essential oil

butter

Cook the pasta as directed on the package. While the pasta is cooking, using a potato peeler, peel strips from the rind of the lemon and cut into small pieces. If not using lemon essential oil, juice the lemon. After the pasta is cooked and drained, place back in the pot with a couple tablespoons of butter and stir until butter is melted. Add the lemon rind and lemon juice or essential oil to taste. Add the cream carefully–just enough to make a little sauce. Serve and grate parmesan or asiago cheese on the top.

Serve with a nice green salad.

Farther up this street just below the school, we found the restaurant where I ate the spaghetti with this sauce.

The Christmas Tree

December 25, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

My grandson and his girlfriend put up and decorated the tree for me this year. I did put on the lights. Merry Christmas to all my followers and friends!!

writingontherim

In childhood, no fake tree for us.

Just after Thanksgiving, the family search transpired.

Mom and Dad preferred Douglas fir, six feet tall.

Dutifully, we kept the tree holder filled with water,

never used real candles. We put on lights, big ones,

blue, green, red, an inch long, then carefully hung on delicate,

colorful, round balls. The most difficult task: the icicles,

long, silver, reflective. They had to go on just so.

Years later, children gone, Mom and Dad bought an

artificial tree, fake Douglas fir, incredibly real in appearance.

When they left Missouri for Arizona every winter after harvest,

they abandoned Christmas trees, gave me the fake Douglas fir.

I still have it. How long? Decades, several at least. State of the art

when they bought it, it requires work, assembly, strings of lights.

Every year, I tell myself it is time to get one of those new trees with…

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Italy–Sirens’ Song

December 15, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

As we drove along the Amalfi Coast, the guide told us the mythological story of the Sirens. My daughter took a photo out the window of the Sirens’ islands.

Later I wrote this poem remembering the travails of Odysseus.

The melodious Sirens’ song

lured Odysseus

begging to be untied from

the mast.

Even the roaring sea’s

voice whispered in

comparison.

They sang honeyed

love songs to starving

sailors, longing for a woman’s

touch, a kiss, ecstasy.

With knife claws, they

ripped them asunder,

crunching bones, blood

erupting.

Satiated, they sang,

eternal, etherial, deceptive.

Several days later at a shop in Sorrento, while my daughter was looking for a medusa cameo, the owner, a cameo artist, brought out Siren cameos. He insisted the Siren’s have been terribly misunderstood. I wanted clarification but unfortunately other customers appeared and I remain mystified.

Cooking in Italy

December 12, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / 1 Comment

After spending most of the day exploring Pompeii, we rushed back to Sorrento for an evening cooking class up on a mountainside above the main part of the city. We made eggplant parmesan and cheese ravioli. Their take on the eggplant dish was different from any I have seen in the US. They had sliced the eggplant on the diagonal and already cooked it. Each person received several pieces of the already cooked eggplant and a bowl of their homemade mozzarella cheese. We were instructed to place a teaspoon of the cheese in the middle of each piece of eggplant, roll it up, and place it in a small casserole dish with their homemade tomato sauce already in the dish. Instead of layers of eggplant, sauce, and cheese, this was rolls of eggplant filled with cheese atop a tomato sauce in a casserole dish which they baked while we made ravioli.

For making the ravioli, in front of each person they placed a pile of a couple cups of flour and dishes of water and oil. We were instructed to add the oil and a little water to make a stiff dough. Then we were told that the key to really good ravioli dough (and I am guessing any pasta dough) is to knead it a lot. Yes, to do all this, we had to use our hands. After the dough was thoroughly kneaded, we patted it out into an oval and then ran it through a pasta maker several times to make it thin. We laid this rolled dough on the table and then with a ravioli cutter, we cut circles, filled them with mozzarella cheese, but not too much. The key is to get just the right amount of cheese so you have enough but can still fold it over and seal the edges with the cheese inside. It must be sealed thoroughly so it does not fall apart when being boiled in the salty water.

The owner asked my grandson to help cook the ravioli. Here he is working away.

After the ravioli was done, we all sat down and enjoyed the eggplant, the ravioli with their homemade tomato sauce, and their local wines. Making both dishes was much easier than I expected. And fun. The evening was filled with joy, laughter, and good company.

Italy–Pompeii

December 1, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Although I had heard about, read articles, seen photos and documentaries, nothing prepared me for its size, grandeur, and wealth.

To get here you have to climb up a hill. This is where the gladiators lived and trained.

The doors are copies, the rest not. Gladiators lived in the rooms behind the doors and exercised and practiced in the green area shown in the previous two photos.

This is the tiny amphitheater which holds about 1000 persons. Occasionally, performances, e.g. concerts, are still held here.

An we walked around, I took pictures of the various buildings, streets, walls.

Looking back toward the small amphitheater.

This is the large amphitheater which holds 5000. Just like in theaters now, the seats vary in size, view, etc. so that the where you get to sit depends on who you are and how much you have to spend.

Looking toward what remains of the stage and area behind the stage.

Streets were laid out in a grid at right angles to each other. This is a typical street with sidewalks on each side. Notice the large stones in the middle. At times with excessive rain, the streets would flood. The large stones allowed people to cross without getting their feet wet. The spaces in the middle were designed so carts could pass through. Along the sides are spaces for shops.

The wealthy in Pompeii lived in very large, elegant houses, with water collection systems, heated and running water. This is the entry to one such house.

The courtyard at the same house.

What remain of the frescoes there. Considering this was buried for nearly 2000 years…

Part of the dining room. There, like in Rome, people reclined while eating.

We moved on to another house.

More frescoes. Most of them tell a well known story.

When they excavated this second house, they found this table with three legs–common then apparently. This is not a new table, it is one from Pompeii found in this house.

Decorated walls in this second house.

An original floor in the same house.

A place where someone had a shop with items for sale.

We also visited the bathhouse area where there would be separate bathhouses for men and women, exercise rooms, hot water, steam, just like today.

Although the walls, floors, streets and sidewalks are as they were before the volcanic eruption, in some places they have restored roofs to look like what they would have looked like then.

They knew that domed structures are more stable.

Next we walked to the brothel. Many of the sexually graphic frescoes remain. They illustrate different positions. I might also add that both stone and painted penises are everywhere in Pompeii. Why? They were the symbol of a good life, of prosperity, of fertility, of joy, of, well, everything good. I took some photos of the frescoes at the brothel but do not want to get thrown off my blogging site so will not put them here.

Another typical street headed toward the giant city square.

Standing in the middle, looking toward one direction. I was astonished at the size of this place. We went a good time of the year–the off season. The guide told us that in high season there are so many people here, it is difficult to move through them at times.

Looking the other direction with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Before the eruption this volcano was just a tall mountain or so the people there thought. Then it was approximately 10,000 feet. The eruption made it fall into itself and decrease by about 6000 feet.

More photos of the square.

The countryside near Pompeii is lush green.

The view walking down the steps leaving Pompeii.

Thanksgiving

November 28, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / 2 Comments

An icy morning awaited me when I awoke. A slippery slope up to the barn to feed the horses.

Ice covered branches above the kitchen sink window.

Ice and fog looking up the canyon. Yet I think of everything for which I am thankful:

A life filled with adventure

Friends and family worldwide

A job I love

My students

Music and dancing

Good health

Natural beauty surrounding me

Cooking and celebrating life with friends and family

Oh, the list is endless!!

Wishing all of you a joyful day filled with gratitude.

Italy–the Amalfi Coast

November 25, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

On one of our day trips from Sorrento, we headed down the Amalfi Coast. For years I have seen photos and told myself, “Wow”. No photo can do this coastline justice. The highway is excellent but narrow. On many of the turns, only one vehicle can proceed. A large bus cannot travel this highway. Even with the small ones we took, the driver would often honk as we turned a corner which we could not see around.

We stopped at one of the few turnoffs along the highway and took a short hike down to an overlook. This is the town of Positano. I took the following photos while at this overlook.

I love bougainvillea and all colors grew everywhere.

Looking across the Mediterranean.

The land is rugged with both new and ancient buildings hanging off mountainsides and cliffs.

A closer view of Positano.

Another view across the Mediterranean.

The highway, houses hanging off the edge, olive trees, lushness everywhere.

It was a stormy looking day. We kept thinking it would rain but luckily it did not.

The Amalfi Cathedral in the town of Almalfi. Its design is unique and shows the cultural influence of the Muslim world with whom the town was a major trading center for centuries–arches, gold and green.

A typical street in Amalfi. We walked all the way up this street to just below the school, found all sorts of delightful shops, and ate our favorite food of the entire trip. My favorite was spaghetti with a lemon creme sauce. Recipe comes later.

Near the sea looking up into the city. The large building up on the slopes is now a cemetery but used to be a monastery.

Same spot as previous photo, just looking the other direction.

We were supposed to take a little boat trip out into the sea but it was too rough. Ema, my daughter, walked all the way out to the end of the pier.

The water was so high I thought perhaps it was high tide. I was told it was not.

Today I asked my daughter and grandson what/where was their favorite in Italy. We all agree, Amalfi. I also loved Capri–more about there later.

Italy-Sorrento

November 19, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

It takes approximately four hours to travel by road from Rome to Sorrento. To get in and out of Sorrento, the highway goes through three tunnels, one of which is more than three miles long. Like all cities along this area of coastline, Sorrento is a city where many of the buildings hang off the edge of cliffs above the water.

This part of the primary street off the main square is full of shops and pedestrian only. Christmas decorations were already being installed. From the time we arrived until we left, the giant metal tree in the middle of the main square went from just metal to covered with greenery to the installation of lights.

A typical side street off the main street seen in the first photo. Sorrento is the perfect place for those who like shopping in all sorts of little shops or enjoy hanging out in restaurants, many of which are open air along the street, sipping cappuccino.

From the main street, we walked out to a cliff park overlooking the sea.

This photo, taken from the same spot as the previous photo, shows Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. Cities below the mountain include Naples and Pompeii. Several thousand people also live on the slopes of Vesuvius.

Again taken from the same spot, looking in the opposite direction, this photo shows the steepness of the cliffs around Sorrento. Houses, vineyards, businesses, olive and lemon groves hang off the edges. The volcanic soil here is very rich and conducive to intense, successful farming. This is lemon country where limoncello is very popular.

A few feet from the overlook, we visited a very old church courtyard. Very old is relative everywhere in Italy. New can be several hundreds of years old. I kept thinking about the US and question whether anything we have built now or even at the beginning of the country will last as long as much of what I saw in Italy.

Italy–Rome

November 18, 2019 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Where have I been? Italy, on a trip planned for months, a trip with friends and family centered around a group of women writers with The Story Circle Network, a group focused on women telling their stories. Yes, we had classes and wrote every day. When we were not writing, we discovered a little part of Italy. The first half day we strolled through ancient Rome, starting with the Coliseum.

To the left of the Coliseum stands this arch–see a bit of the Coliseum on the right side of this photo.

The Coliseum is so large that it is impossible to take of photo of all of it at once. We were there on a holiday. There was a long line of people waiting to get inside. We did not go inside.

The arch in the first photo seen from the side.

On the other side of the Coliseum facing down a wide pedestrian only boulevard. Many of the following photos were taken along this boulevard. The trees in these photos are umbrella pines. They are everywhere in Rome and other parts of Italy south of Rome.

My daughter and grandson strolling along with friends in the background.

One of the things I found most enjoyable strolling along were the street musicians: One played classical guitar music, farther down the boulevard another was playing popular music while another man danced to it. I wanted to stop and dance along but everyone was walking fast away from me. Getting lost in Rome did not seem to be a great idea.

While sauntering along, I turned around and took a photo of the Coliseum in the distance.

In one short walk in Rome, I saw so many things from thousands of years of history, it was hard to fathom.

Away from the boulevard and walking toward Trevi Fountain, we saw this memorial. It was a rainy, stormy day. I kept thinking it is going to rain but it didn’t. In many places, the ancient, the not so ancient, and the new could all be seen in one place.

And, of course, one of the most famous places in Rome. We found a little restaurant near here. I had my first Italian cappuccino and a delectable desert which I tried to find everywhere else we went but did not. It was in a little cup, 2/3 was a creamy bottom, 1/3 was berries on top.

Walking along another route. I seem to have a little problem taking photos, walking, and keeping my fingers away from the iPAD mini frame while taking some of these photos. So much seen in a mere half day in Rome. Shortly after lunch, visiting the Trivi Fountain, and passing by the above monument, we headed on the four hour road trip to Sorrento.

I could not resist taking a video of the lush emerald Italian countryside south of Rome.

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