GARGANTUAN steps

Monday, July 02, 2012

the last trip

My final year in medical school has finally drawn to a close, and after a gruelling three weeks of exams, a week off out of London, with lots of sunshine, good food, and excellent company, was very much appreciated! What better place to go to then back to Italy, the country I first toured when I came to London. For the first time, I didn't go to Rome (still my favourite city in Italy, and one that I've been to on each of the three occasions I've been to Italy). This time, it was the next two biggest cities (after Rome) in Italy - Milan and Naples. 

Many thanks to Alex for doing the bulk of the planning, including flights, accommodation, food and travel (just about everything). Also, he spoke and read Italian pretty fluently, which was extremely useful. My input - a good conversationalist and better-than-average photography skills. Alex had previously been to Milan as well, and I'm grateful that he was flexible enough to visit this beautiful city again. My reasons for visiting Milan were definitely not to help kick-start the Italian economy via its shopping avenues. More than anything, the twin wonders of the Duomo and 'The Last Supper' painting by Leonardo da Vinci were each a sufficient reason to visit this city renown for its glamour and fashion. I have to add that the Gelato ice cream, especially on a scorching summer day, is an attraction in itself.

Day 1 - Milan: The Last Supper, Milan's Duomo, and a taste of Italy's finest

The flight out from London Heathrow to Milan was delayed that morning, but we still landed in relatively good time. We even managed to get into the city centre earlier than expected, but things went downhill from there. The metro (Milan's equivalent of the tube or MRT) was closed, and funnily enough, the tram to our hotel was not running either. We ended up walking to the hotel, with our luggage, in 32 degrees of scorching sunshine (after coming from London which was at a mere 20 degrees), which made for a nice introduction to Milan. We found out later that there was a nationwide transportation strike, which was a real nuisance, after having miss the bus strike occurring on the same day in London. The receptionist at the hotel further tested our patience with her rude service. We were in a rush to catch our allocated time-slot to see 'The Last Supper', and her answer to our question on how to get there was a monosyllabic one - taxi. I guess I could have figured that one out myself. Her poor service attitude was coupled with either overflowing apathy or a distinct lack of knowledge of the city (or both) - she circled, on a map, a location which was two kilometres out from where the actual painting was located. She should be grateful that we were in a rush, because I don't suffer fools that easily, especially rude, obnoxious ones (I probably would also have gotten an earful in Italian in reply). Thankfully, the taxi driver (and myself as well as Alex), knew better.


Alex at the tram-stop
He concluded something was amiss from reading the information leaflets (I'll state the obvious by saying that it does pay to know Italian in Italy)


'The Last Supper' or 'Il Cenacolo' was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century at the end of a dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. This painting was meant to depict the precise moment where Jesus mentions that one of his disciples was about to betray him. This painting, already famous, gained unwanted notoriety in the fiction novel 'The Da Vinci Code', where the figure of St. John (the youngest disciple, on the right of Jesus) was thought to actually be a depiction of Mary of Magdala. Interestingly, Leonardo da Vinci refused to follow sage-old advice of painting on wet plaster, painting on a dry one instead. As a result, his magnificent work started to deteriorate a few years after it was completed. What remains now is a result of many restorative re-paintings (which initially resulted in more harm than good) and though it is still a work of art to be admired, many fine details of it have unfortunately been lost. Furthermore, a doorway was cut at the portion beneath Jesus. Miraculously, the painting survived a bomb explosion in World War II, and all the walls of the building, besides that containing the painting itself, were damaged and crumbled. 

To view the painting, one must book for a 15 minute time slot up to three month in advance. One has to go through a series of rooms of decreasing humidity before being allowed to view the painting itself. You aren't allowed to take pictures of the painting itself, which is a pity, but I, not very proudly, managed to capture a few shots of this magnificent piece of art. Interestingly enough, there was another piece of art directly opposite the painting, but no one gave it more than a brief glance in that 15 minute interval. All eyes and attention, and deservedly so, were devoted on Leonardo da Vinci's depiction of 'The Last Supper'.


Me at the Santa Maria della Grazie


Admiring 'The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci

Due to the transportation strike, the museum that I wanted to visit, the Pinacoteca de Brera, had several rooms closed to the public due to a lack of staff (which was quite a joke to be honest). This resulted in a change in plans and we went to visit the imposing Gothic cathedral of Milan, the Duomo. The Duomo is the fourth largest cathedral in the world, and it was as beautiful as I had imagined it to be from all the pictures I had seen of it previously. Unfortunately, there was a plague of bird-seed sellers or fortune-ribbon sellers in the piazza in front of the cathedral, and they were constantly haggling you whilst you tried to take pictures. When their sales attempts fell flat on their faces, especially on wary travellers like me and Alex, they scattered a few bird seeds in front of us and filled our following shots of the Duomo with a host of flying pigeons. I must say the pigeons were much less of a nuisance than these sellers.

We then climbed to the top of the Duomo, which offered splendid views of Milan. However, the view of the cathedral itself was spoiled by multiple scaffoldings and a tentage. It was most unfortunate, because it would have been a splendid view of the cathedral itself. I am now left with no choice but to come back to see this beautiful cathedral again, sometime in the future, when I am back in Italy again. On a side note, Alex has pointed out to me all that I missed seeing when I was in Venice and Florence, including the Uffizi Gallery and Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence and Doges Palace in Venice. Guess I definitely will be back in Italy again. And definitely back to Rome. Thinking back, I never threw a single coin into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, but yet I keep returning.


Me and Alex at the Duomo


At the top of the Duomo


Stain glass within the Duomo
(The interior of the cathedral was one of the more forgettable ones that I've seen in Italy, unfortunately.)


Seafood Risotto
(Once again, thanks to Alex for this brilliant find near our hotel. My opinion of Italian cuisine has changed massively after this trip.)

Day 2 - Milan and Naples: Pinacoteca di Brera, the Veiled Christ and Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

The next morning in Milan was spent visiting the museum we missed the previous day, the Pinacoteca di Brera. Some rooms were still closed, unfortunately, but I guess we didn't miss much. Admittedly, classical art doesn't particularly appeal to me as much as they previously did (unless they are by the great artists like Michaelangelo or Raphael), probably due to my trip to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.


The Last Supper by Daniele Crespi


Il Bacio (The Kiss) by Francesco Hayez

Following our morning in Milan, we caught our flight to Naples (thankfully the transportation strike was over by then), and after depositing our bags at the hotel, we adjourned to the Museo Capella Sansevero. Naples provides a stark contrast to Milan. Milan, filled with its glamourous shopping arcades and avenues, was swarmed with riches, especially that of the rich from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Naples was visibly more impoverished. Similar to the pedestrian walkways of Milan, the sides of the walkways in Naples were lined with people selling goods as well. Just not Prada or Salvatore Ferragamo sold in classy, air-conditioned shops with doormen to open the door for rich customers, but their fake counterparts (also from mainland China) being displayed on pieces of cloth on the floor just by the roadside. It was quite a sorry sight to behold. 

The Museo Capella Sansevero contained an astonishing sculpture which I was unfortunately unable to take a picture of. I can only do my best to describe it, but if you have the time, do have a look at the sculpture, 'The Veiled Christ' by Giuseppe Sanmartino, on Google. Here was a sculpture carved from a single piece of marble, depicting Christ, after his death, covered with a thin piece of veil. The attention to detail is just magnificent, and I felt the urge to remove the 'veil' to see the sculpture beneath it, though it is just part of the sculpture. A truly astounding work of art, and I would say that it is an equivalent to 'The Pieta' by Michaelangelo which is housed in St. Peter's Basilica.




Capella San Severo and The Veiled Christ

We then made our way to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples because they held pieces of work from the ruins of Pompeii itself. I especially liked the mosaics that were housed within its walls, though I wonder why they were removed from Pompeii itself (and replaced at Pompeii with a replica). Alex wasn't as enthused about visiting this museum as I was, and I think he was understandably put off (as was I) by the section known as 'The Secret Cabinet', which housed various 'artworks' taken from the brothels of Pompeii. Some of the pictures and sculptures were extremely graphic, and definitely too graphic for my blog. I'll just display one though, to satisfy people's curiosity, though I'll only display them further down this entry in the section on my visit to Pompeii.


Lion Mosaic


Mosaic from Pompeii depicting the battle between Alexander the Great and the Persian King, Darius III


The Farnese Bull 

Day 3 - Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

The main highlight of our trip was a visit to the unfortunate town of Pompeii, located near the base of Mount Vesuvius. For those of you who don't know Pompeii's claim-to-fame, this was a Roman city-town that was buried under 4-6 metres of ash by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., and now, approximately 2000 years later, is buried under hordes of tourists descending from cruise ships. Before that catastrophic volcanic eruption, a warning from their 'gods' came in the form of a destructive earthquake in 62 A.D., partially destroying their town, but they did little to heed that warning. That fateful day in 79 A.D. ended the lives of approximately 16000 Romans - and many of them have been preserved under the ash cover in the exact state their lives ended, in gruesome agony. Many of the victims died of asphyxiation from breathing the hot gas and dust. The interesting thing about how they were preserved is that when their bodies were covered with layers of ash, it decayed within its confines, leaving behind a hollow space equivalent to their body shape. When Pompeii was being rediscovered and excavated, these hollow confines were filled with plaster cast and it allowed them to be forever immortalised. 

Interestingly, Pompeii was only rediscovered in 1748, and in an extremely intact state, with the art works and mosaics of an ancient Roman town preserved since the first century A.D.. Alex and I visited Pompeii in the scorching heat which made for a gruelling few hours of exploration. Thousands of other tourists further minimised our viewing pleasure. At the end of our visit, we concluded that Pompeii was not one of the most impressive ruins that either of us had seen, but on a whole, a worthy highlight of our trip. Highlights for me included seeing the plaster cast bodies immortalised in time (though I was unable to find the one of the preserved dog), and also, the Lupanare, which is Latin for 'brothel', and is literally translated as 'den of she-wolves', highlighting the apparent predatory instincts of prostitutes.


PompeiViva


Alex preparing for the gruelling day ahead


Me in the Forum in Pompeii


Me sitting on one of the beds in the Lupanare
(These beds were made from stone and were rock hard. My first comment to Alex was 'Who would even want to sleep on these, let alone...')


Erotic painting above each of the bedroom doors in the Lupanare


Alex and I in Pompeii


Well-preserved mosaic floors and paintings in a Pompeiian house


The price of immortality

Following our excursion to Pompeii, we took a bus ride up Mount Vesuvius. This brought us near the peak, and we scaled the last hundred or so metres up on our own two feet. The last time Mount Vesuvius erupted was in 1944, where it just leaked lava around its sides, and it wasn't a grand explosion like what occurred in 79 A.D.. However, following this eruption, to the dismay of the surrounding towns, its central core sunk in and solidified over the molten lava beneath it. This has sealed its fate where the next time it erupts, it would be another massive explosion, just like that of 79 A.D.. Hopefully, the Italians will be better prepared than their Roman counterparts.


The view from Vesuvius


The volcanic crater


Seismic activity monitors placed along the road up Mount Vesuvius

Days 4 and 5 - Naples: Certosa di San Martino, the Bay of Naples, Pizza, and the Duomo

The final two days of our trip were spent visiting more of Naples. Initially, we were intending to spend a day along the Amalfi coast as well as a trip to the small island of Capri, but we decided that we weren't giving Naples a chance to grow on us. Thankfully, we did stay in Naples, because it sure did offer us some splendid sights.

The first morning was spent touring the beautiful Certosa di San Martino, which was located on Vomero hill in Naples, away from the grime and dirt of the city, as well as tourists. This used to be a monastery which was then converted into a museum complex. Contained within it is a beautiful church with beautiful frescoes, and one can admire the beautiful ceiling paintings in absolute peace and quiet, how unlike that in the Sistine Chapel. Views of Naples from the monastery were particularly captivating as well.


View of Naples


Naples panorama


Ceiling in the church


The church within the monastery


Inlaid wood panelling in the sacristy


Ceiling artwork in the sacristy


The Nativity Scene portrayed with sculptured figurines


View of Naples from the Quarto del Priore (The Prior's Residence)

We then spent the afternoon visiting the other sights in Naples, including the Castel Nuovo (completely forgettable and possibly regrettable), Basilica di San Francesco di Paola (which had a row of colonnades along its sides in an attempt to replicate that seen in St Peter's Basilica; unfortunately, its pillars, walls, doors and statues have all been badly vandalised, which is an absolute disgrace) and the Castel dell'Ovo (the old castle of Naples, which was much more memorable, with splendid views of the coast). We then trekked along the beach, taking in the breeze and views, watching people sun-tanning on the rocks, some more exposed than others. We ended our day with a taste of proper Napolian cuisine - pizza, which first originated from this city. The flagship pizza of Naples is the Margherita pizza, which consist just of red tomatoes, green basil and white cheese (to represent the Italian flag). In my opinion, which might be considered a crime, is that you definitely need some meat (or funghi, in my brother's case), on your pizza.


Basilica di San Francesco di Paola


The coast of Naples


Napolian pizza - the Margherita

Our last morning in Italy was spent visiting the Duomo, which is the main cathedral in Naples. Surprisingly, the interior was beautiful, and in my opinion, more beautiful than that of the Duomo in Milan. These wondrous ceiling masterpieces, golden mosaics and beautifully carved marble sculptures really show the opulent side of the Catholic church (unfortunately). One can't help but admire the beauty but be shocked by its riches.


Beautiful ceiling art and mosaic in the Basilica di San Restituta (housed within the Duomo itself)


Altar in the Duomo


Dome art in the Capella del Tesoro di San Gennaro


The ceiling in the Baptistry, the oldest in Europe, dating from the 4th century A.D.

We ended our trip with a visit to our favourite shop in Naples, the al Polo Nord Gelato ice-cream shop. Definitely a must-visit if you ever do come to Naples. And it was discovered whilst we were lost on the streets of Naples.


Me and my chocolate ice-cream

Thus ended my final trip out of London, and it was time to return back to collect our results the following day. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip, made even better with good food, great sites and excellent company. Next up will be final exploration of London and England before I finally pack my bags and leave England for good. It has been a wonderful journey that I'll forever reminisce about.

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posted by Gabriel Yan at 2:50 AM

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