Pompeii, Napoli, Roma, Milano...

This week we continue our trip in Italy, so far although mostly rainy it has been great. On Monday we visited the Piazza Bellini and the conservatoire of Napoli, went to the Vomero area, and walked to Castel Sant' Elmo. From there you can see Vesuvio and the city of Napoli, it is a very good panorama, then we hang out around the area before going down by the narrow streets and arrived to the sea where Castel dell' Ovo (Egg Castle) and had some snacks on the way and had a lovely evening at home and we cooked some italian pasta and amazing Mozarella di bufala with some of the most tasty tomatoes I had in my entire life. On Tuesday we finally got better weather so we decided to go to Pompeii for the morning and afternoon and it was just amazing, then once back in Napoli late afternoon we managed to go to Capodimonte Museum. On Wednesday we spent the morning in Napoli and had our last Passalaqcua espresso at Piazza Dante before taking the train towards Rome were we spend almost two days and visited several churches, Colosseum (from the outside) and the ruins of the Roman City, Teatro di Roma, Fontana Trevi, Pantheon, St. Peters Cathedral, and had delicious food at Trastevere, plus I saw several Caravaggio paintings in some museums and at the Capella Cerasi at Piazza del Popolo, we also visited during our first evening the illuminated castello Sant'Angelo and St, Peters Cathedral. In every corner of Rome there is some monument, historic building, museum, Palazzo, restaurant, etc... We really loved Rome. For Akiho was the first time and for me the 3rd time but it felt like the first time again. Then on Friday we headed towards Milano where we stay until tomorrow (Monday) morning when we must finally go back to Germany, as several performances are waiting for us. We are staying in Milano in a very nice neighborhood close to Portello metro station where we had a beautiful flat and from there was like around 20 minutes to the center. We met a friend from Akiho, also singer and a very good mezzo called Ayachan, we had Japanese lunch the three of us together on Saturday and then had a very nice coffee close by, all at Brera area. We saw the Scala, visited the Galleria, and had quick coffee at Marchesi, then headed to the Duomo. We also went to the Santuario de San Bernardino alla Ossa, where the little church has its walls all covered by bones, I must say it was a little creepy and also very intense experience. Today we met again for dinner Ayachan and some other Japanese singers and a critic. But before we went in the morning to Casa Verdi and saw the maestro's tomb where we spent some time in silence both thinking and talking to maestro Verdi. Then we walked the the very modern new Tre Torri district, and then back to Brera to meet a friend of mine and her boyfriend. My friend Marta and I shared a flat together with another friend called Luis back when I was student in London. I have not seen her since like 8 years. It was really nice to have some coffee and grab some quick italian street food with them. Finally at 2:30 pm we watched the performance of Lucia di Lammermoor at la Scala with Juan Diego Flores and Lisette Oropesa. It was a very nice performance, of all I really enjoyed mostly Oropesa it was a very fine performance from her.

As you can read it was a very nice and busy week, there was so many different food we tried, several churches and little new stories to tell to our friends and family, I wish I had the patience to write more down or the way to organized on this blog all the little things, as those things are the ones that make life special but for now I will skeep them, just because if I start I will not finish soon enough to post this blog (I am smiling right now). All I can say is that I really like Italy, since I first visited this country I always felt the warm of its people and the amazing history and traditions and food. I cannot wait to come and visit again. Napoli, Rome and Milano in 10 days has been an amazing trip and we get so much energy and ideas for the next time we are here. About our Pompeii visit, all I can say it is amazing and it is a most for all those who love history and 2000 year old frescos and paintings and murals, which a lot fo them are at the Archeology Museum in Napoli, and I can also recommend you to go there. Pompeii was cloudy and a bit rainy but amazing. We did some research on this site so I highly suggest you do so that you can see beyond just old ruins and houses, still very impressive but better to go knowing the context and the buildings and lay out of the place and its importance in history and how Vesuvio affected this town.

Because we are going back by train, we are talking back to Germany among other things, coffee beans, pastas, bread, cheese, chocolate, sweets. So we are looking forward to take a bit of Italy home and enjoy it in the next few days, specially the coffee.

I hope you are well and take care. See you here next week.