MEMORIES OF MARVELOUS PORTS
Author: By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff
Date: SUNDAY, July 26, 1998
Page: M6
Section: Travel
Naples/Capri/Rome -- The port is Naples, and the area is filled with worthy
sites, from the ruins of Pompeii to the beauty of the Amalfi Coast to the
ancient Roman town of Herculaneum to the Isle of Capri, celebrated in song.
But we are off on an optional overland tour and will meet up with the ship the
next day in Livorno, near Pisa. On the overland trip, there is little time for
shopping or leisure, but oh the sights we see. . . . When you gaze at the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or, through a glass barrier, at the Pieta in St.
Peter's Cathedral, or at the Cathedral itself, the heat and the crowds and the
sellers of schlocky souvenirs all fade into insignificance. I find myself
thinking that nothing of this grandeur will ever be created by humankind
again. . . . The Colosseum does not disappoint, either, even with the young
fellows dressed as Roman centurions who pose for pictures for a price. . . .
At the evening's Roman dinner, two opera singers are taking requests. I try to
ask in Italian for ``La Ci Darem La Mano'' from ``Don Giovanni.'' But I mangle
the language and end up telling the duo that I want to sing it. That would
have emptied the restaurant. . . . When in Rome, do as the tourists do. So at
the Trevi Fountain -- sparkling at night -- I toss in a coin and hope that
really does mean I'll be back one day.
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