As rain was predicted for today, and the streets were certainly very wet when we woke up, I decided we would be better going to a museum and staying dry, rather than visiting Pompeii and wandering about in the rain. We arrived at the station in good time to catch a train just after 10, but there was no train - I suppose rain must have stopped play. A train eventually arrived, but failed to leave until 10.40, so there were two trains worth of passengers and as a result it was more like a sardine can than a train! It quite reminded me of the London tube at rush hour. We were fortunate to get a seat, having been among those waiting longest.
In spite of the crush, a band got on the train - 2 accordion players, a saxophone and a double base - and launched into 'La Bamba', followed by 'When the Saints Come Marching In'. Sadly, there was no room for dancing in the aisle! Then one of the accordion players came round with the hat. They had probably adjusted their choice of music to the age of the average tourist, though they themselves weren't all that much younger. Anyway, it cheered up everybody who was waiting, especially those who hadn't got a seat.
We all cheered up even more when the train left, and the most delightful thing of all was to be inside the train when a huge thunderstorm started and the rain came down like stair rods. We were glad not to be still standing on the platform, we'd have been like drowned rats!
The journey took about 90 minutes, and once at Piazza Garibaldi in the centre of Naples, we had to catch a different line for just one stop, and then it was a few minute's walk to the museum.
The museum is large and crammed with objects, and there isn't much information in the way of maps and signs, so we just wandered. The ground floor houses huge statues from the Farnese collection of antiquities, many of them coming from the Baths of Caracalla. The most famous of these is the Farnese Bull.
This is the largest piece of classical sculpture ever found. The four main figures (the only ones from classical times) are all carved from a single piece of marble, and joined together with a carved rope. Apparently, Michelangelo had a plan, fortunately never fulfilled, to turn the group into a fountain in the Farnese gardens.
The mezzanine floor has the museum's collection of mosaics, many from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and a very large number from the House of the Faun in Pompeii. They are mostly remarkably preserved and full of life, some sparkling with glass tesserae. I liked the wildlife ones best
There is of course, the famous battle scene showing Alexander the Great defeating Darius, which I won't include because there are much better reproductions of it in all the books. However, there are many other highlights. This is obviously one by a well-know artist, because he's signed it in the top left corner.
It's one of the museum's highlights, and is called, not surprisingly, Three Musicians with Dwarf.
At the far end of this floor is the Gabinetto Segreto, which contains supposedly erotic material from brothels, bath houses and taverns in Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as a huge collection of laughable phallic lamps and similar things. Most of the so-called erotic paintings were not erotic at all, unless you consider naked people erotic. I must say, the people who decided these were not suitable for ladies to look at must have been very small minded. I can recall visiting Pompeii in 1962, and being told I wouldn't be able to view them - though it's so long ago, I can't remember whether it was because I'm female, or because I was only 19 at the time.
I was utterly delighted though with the object below, which is labelled a 'tintinabula', so I suppose it must originally have had bells on it - which is all it needs, really. Paul says it is in fact the concrete embodiment of the phrase 'I couldn't give a flying
On the next floor are the wall paintings, largely from villas in Pompeii and Herculaneum. These are highly coloured and some are quite exquisite.
I think this one gives a very good idea of how a Roman house was decorated. The walls were often brightly painted, but could include very delicate and refined panels, as there is in this room, or like the one below.
Some of them were more garish though - we can't all have refined and delicate tastes.
There is also a large collection of statues from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum. This was a very rich villa, adorned with quite a collection of marble and bronze statues, like this drunken satyr.
The house also had a very large library of papyrus scrolls, hence the name.
There is also quite a collection of everyday and household objects from the many houses. I always love kitchens and bathrooms, and these wouldn't look out of place in my kitchen.
By this time it was after 4 and we were exhausted and both seemed to have attempted to take the entire museum home with us in our cameras. I can't get any more photos on this iPad, it's completely full and I keep having to delete things to make room for other things.
We made our way, via the metro, back to Piazza Garibaldi to catch the train back to Sorrento. Unfortunately, Paul had his pocket picked as we got on the train, which was very crowded, and he has lost his wallet. There wasn't a lot of money in it - and much of what there was, was mine. But he also lost his cards, so the entire train journey was enlivened by him shouting on various bank's helplines that, no, he couldn't give them the 16 digit number from his card, and no, he couldn't phone them back on the suggested 0845 number because he was in Italy. You'd think nobody ever went abroad and lost cards!
An hour and a half later, once we reached Sorrento, we went to report to the police. Unfortunately, this wasn't possible since by then it was 7pm and the translators had all gone home and the police don't speak foreign languages - reasonably enough, British police don't either. However, it means we have to go back after breakfast so we'll lose part of our day tomorrow.
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