Napoli!

Plus Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Pizza

Naples, Italy is our current place of residence for a few days. I had no idea of what to expect when we took our flight from Tel-Aviv on Sunday.

From the swift transit through the Napoli airport to the wild taxi ride to the “interesting” room on the fifth floor of an ancient building with marble stairs and a minuscule elevator to crowds walking in one direction decked out in soccer related clothing (we found out quickly that SSC Napoli, the local football team was on the verge of the top league championship in Italy and had played to a 1-1 tie that evening and pizza was non-existent because of the crowds) to the 10 pm pasta dinner we enjoyed, I could have never imagined a first evening like this.

Monday we took the subway and moved to a flat a mile and a half away with a nice balcony overlooking a bustling intersection and train station. Fortunately our doors have thick glass to knock out most of the noise. We also have a kitchen and a market across the street (in addition to many small fruit and vegetable, meat, and fish markets all around) so we are able to eat some meals at home.

Not pizza, though. There is no way to replicate the Margarita pizza that is made in restaurant after restaurant and unlike any in the States (it’s the sauce). Since pizza was invented here I guess that is to be expected.

Tuesday we arose and walked 1.5 miles to the Garibaldi station where we met a van for an excursion to Pompeii and Herculaneum for the next six hours. I had visited Pompeii back in 1983, but did not remember much. With a guide, I saw and learned way more. Both sites were destroyed in AD 79 from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but the destruction was quite different for each. Pompeii suffered more destruction from ash and hot gases, while Herculaneum was covered with flowing lava. Of the two, Herculaneum, though much smaller in area, had the more impressive remains, especially the frescoes on so many walls. Little did we know at the time that the most spectacular finds were somewhere else.

Our guide pointed out indications of Christians’ presence at the sites, but later I read that scholars dispute these (what’s new!). Whatever the case, Acts and Romans indicate a distinct presence of Christians in Italy when he arrived less than twenty years earlier, just north of Naples (see Acts 28), so the likelihood is quite high there were Christians around. 

No matter the early presence of Christians in the first century, over its history Naples is about as Catholic as you can get. As we have walked the center of the city, it seems there is a large church on almost every block (kind of like the South in the US) that is full of stunning architecture, sculpture, painting, organs, inlaid marble, soaring ceilings, massive domes, and lots of candles. The main cathedral (Duomo) was begun in the late 1200s and mostly completed in the early 1300s. The patron saint Gennaro was martyred in the early fourth century and his relics are in the church.

Most every church had tombs incorporated in niche after niche, in the floors, and in crypts under the church, many with elaborate marble sculptures. The sheer scale and detail was overwhelming.

Except for the Duomo, the external facades of the churches gave no indication of the beauty inside.

It seems there are two religious expressions here: Catholicism and football (more on football in a separate post). 

Catholicism is certainly alive here. Church after church had some sort of service going on when we entered no matter the time of day. The expression is certainly traditional (and seemingly full of Marian devotion too) but evidently fervent and sincere. As a Protestant I have a difficult time assessing these expressions, but God certainly knows the hearts of all who participate.

 Back to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Today we went to the Naples Archaeological Museum, a veritable trove of material finds from both places and a whole lot more. We arrived at 9 am, left at 11:30 for lunch (Margarita pizza again), then returned for another two hours after lunch. The third floor and half of the second floor were given over to Herculaneum and Pompeii, including frescoes, mosaics, bronze and marble statues, bronze implements, bronze dishes, and Roman glass (I am sure I am forgetting something). As so much on this trip, we were overwhelmed with visual information. 

The most intriguing section was the collection of erotica from Pompeii (I won’t include any photos here; let’s say they were as explicit as any material today—not much has changed). Apparently the collection was hidden for well over a century until finally displayed in 2005.

I can see why.

The collection does give us insight into the thoroughly sexualized pagan culture of the day, a culture ultimately changed by the infusion of the gospel message.

We returned to our flat exhausted once again, but delighted for our day, though we are ready to leave for home tomorrow.

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An Invitation

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