Digging for Disappointment

I finished the last post with the optimistic "perhaps there is hope for the Catholic Church yet".

After seeing what Assisi has become I take it back.

The city itself is quite spectacular. It sits on the spur of a mountain overlooking the Umbrian plain below. The Basilica of St Francis loom white and pristine like the prow of a ship marooned on the mountain side. It marks the lower extremity of the city which stretches and meanders up the hillside to the Roman Ruins at its upper limits. It is best seen by climbing to the top of town and wandering back down through endless alleyways and cobbled streets. It is beautifully preserved architecturally and grossly exploited commercially. The place is crawling with the most gaudy and cheap religious icons and paraphernalia, almost all of it made in China. Every second shop is bulging with plastic rosaries, fridge magnets, Francis statuettes, crucifixes and booklets. The others stocked with wine and cheese. And dozens of cafés with over priced coffee and beer.

Francis was a man who rejected everything that Assisi has become. He'd be turning over in his grave.

We left Assisi and headed into the mountains along a winding route that was both spectacular and hair raising. We followed the river as it climbed into the mountains. The road was narrow and broken from the snow thaw and we passed though dozens of small and long tunnels. Our final destination was Norcia, a small mountain town that is famous for producing the best cured pork in Italy (maybe even all of Europe), but Renata might dispute that. Salami, pancetta, prosciutto and anything that took our fancy. Even the pecorino is delicious. With our larder full we headed for the Eternal City - Rome?

The Rome I knew has disappeared. It has been buried beneath an avalanche of detritus both organic and inorganic. I felt like Indiana Jones digging for the riches that were below the surface. You have to scrape away layer upon layer - Gipsy beggars; African hustlers selling the ubiquitous fake sunnies, knockoff handbags and watches; Indian spruikers selling everything from rosaries to tours; endless rows of souvenir shops with every conceivable form of religious iconography spilling onto the sidewalk and wall to wall tourists swarming like ants to queue for hours to get into every popular attraction. Muslims and Hindus selling gullible Christians rosaries and statues made in China and stinking refuse strewn about every corner of the city, this is what Rome has become.

Once you get past this psychological barrier the real Rome is still there but it's not what it used to be. It is almost impossible to get a decent photo of anything. The Trevi Fountain is surrounded by people, you can't get a shot of anything in the Vatican Museum without getting a dozen head in the picture and the only place where you could get great shots you can't because it's strictly forbidden to take photos or movies in the Sistine Chapel. But the entry fee is worth it just to stand there in the centre and let the magnificence of Michelangelo wash over you. Forget the crowds and the restrictions. They are nothing but a distant murmur drowned out by the shear beauty of Buonarroti's masterpiece. It is even more beautiful than I remember.

The rocks in the backyard that go by the name of the Roman Forum are still here but are crumbling into dust with many precious exhibits now inaccessible and propped up by scaffolding. The Palatine hill that overlooks it however has flourished. The trees are tall and shade ancient villas and temples and provide a cool respite from the Mediterranean sun. The gardens are well kept in stark contrast to the rest of the city. From the heights of ruined palaces on the western side of the hill you can see the remains of the Circus Maximus - only the outline of the track remains. Not a brick remains of the stadium and centre columns that once stood here. The Coliseum is just up the Via and is now in better condition than I remember, even though part of the exterior is shrouded in scaffolding. It's there for restoration not for structural support. The interior has been cleaned and the entire upper level has been turned into a museum which catalogues the history of the monument. They have even  assembled part of the origin stadium floor from original drawings.

We were disappointed with most of the rest we saw. If it wasn't covered in scaffolding it was covered in graffiti. The roads are a disgrace and the transport infrastructure is the same as it was 40 years ago and even back then it was ancient. Piazza Navona was swarming with hustlers and only one fountain was working; the fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps was surrounded in plastic and perfume advertising and the building at the top covered in scaffolding; Piazza del Popolo scaffolding and fountains not working; St. Peter's Square covered in barriers and waterless fountains. Thanks to the Eternal City I am eternally grateful that I won't be returning any time soon. No coins in the fountain this time. The Gipsies would only go snorkelling for them after dark.

We said our goodbye to Rome and headed for somewhere far far worse - Naples. This is like going back to Singapore or Shanghai in the 1950s. The only thing that hints that this is the 21st Century are the cars, everything else screams third world slum. The only saving grace is the Archeological Museum of Naples. It stands out like a fragrant rose set upon a pile of manure. This place houses one of the greatest collections of ancient Roman art in the world. The sculptures, the mosaics, the frescos and the minutiae of Roman life is simply breathtaking to behold. Much of it recovered from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The rest of the city is a total shithole. There isn't a square inch of this place that isn't covered with graffiti or a street that isn't heaped with garbage. There is an overwhelming sense of ugliness and squalor.

We stayed at Pompeii right next to the ruins in a crappy little campground. The irony is we stayed here longer than anywhere we've stayed so far. The ruins are much more extensive than when we were here in 1976. Almost 70% of the city has now been uncovered and over 80 exhibits are able to be viewed but much of the place is closed off either for excavation work or because it is simply too dangerous. What you can see, is enlightening - a window into life in a Roman city 2000 years ago. When you see the majesty of these ancient buildings, many of which have lasted intact for over 2000 years, and the beauty and permanence of medieval cities like Assisi, Volterra and Pienza you are left wondering how could the people who built modern Italy be in any way related philosophically or genetically to their ancestors. The Colosseum will still be standing proud long after modern Italy has crumbled to dust.

It hasn't been all bad though. The trip along the Amalfi coast was spectacular. We decided not to drive it ourselves and took the train and bus instead. From Pompeii we caught the local train to Sorrento where we hopped on the local bus that goes to Amalfi via Positano and the other seaside towns along the way. We sat on the right hand side to get the best views of the coast and the shear drops that mark this route as one of most scenically beautiful and visually frightening stretches of road in the world. Houses that seem to be glued to the shear cliffs are stepped down the hillside ending in a narrow strip of coast forming the main part of town along with the harbour. The road snakes it's way down to the seaside then climbs back up to the heights via twists and turns and tunnels that follow every contour of the land. It is so narrow in places that the buses have to back up so that the ones travelling in the opposite directions can crawl past where the road is just wide enough. I can't believe we drove along this very road back then and remember so little of the experience. We had the most terrifying and wonderful day all in one. One we will not forget this time.

Our last day was spent in Sorrento. We hadn't stopped when we travelled  to Amalfi so we went back to wander around. This is still a beautiful seaside resort town that has managed to keep its charm despite the steady influx of tourists. The narrow streets are full of great shops without the pushy spruiking. The products sell themselves; brightly coloured ceramics; freshly roasted coffee beans; locally made limoncello in a myriad of shapely bottles; original leather goods as well as the usual and unusual souvenirs. We sat and ate pizza in a charming little restaurant along one of the market streets and were happy we decided to come back here. The piazzas shaded and covered in flowers, winding little alleys passing gardens of lemon trees and jasmine, balconies with dizzying views of the transparent sea below and the Isle of Capri in the hazy distance. This is how we remembered Italy so long ago and Sorrento today didn't disappoint, it is the memory we will treasure. Sorrento is as far south that we will go here. We head now across the mountains to the east coast and the Adriatic, then north along this forgotten coast till we finally reach Venice.