The Sibyl's Oracle at Cuma

(Pictures: The trapezoidal fortification, the Temple of

Apollo, cobblestone road, the Temple of Zeus.)

Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare la donna mia...

(So kind and so honest my lady appears to be...)

Dante Alighieri's Sonnet 26 from La Vita Vuova

Nook of Naples: Cuma is the oldest Greek colony in Italy, dating back to the 6^th century B.C. From the entrance, visitors walk along a dirt path, under a mammoth hollow stone and reach a trapezoidal fortification with large shafts that pour light into the hall from one side. At the very end of this hall, two stone openings squeak with pigeons. Some say that the Sybil gave her oracles here.

Virgil’s character Aeneas first landed here when he arrived in Italy. Aeneas wanted to consult the Sybil, a woman who very likely by Roman times didn’t exist. But Virgil’s description of this trapezoidal fortification is uncanny. The Romans adored Greek culture and very likely preserved and used this acropolis for their own worship. Archeologists believe that the Sybil didn’t exist here. Instead, the Romans created this trapezoidal fortification for military purposes, connecting the acropolis to Lago Averno.

From the trapezoid structure, steps lead to a panoramic view of the ocean where, if not Aeneas, then Imperial Roman naval ships sailed. Further up, a Temple of Apollo (the same name as given to the temple at Lake Averno) is nothing more than flattened rocks. Another path takes tourists to the Temple of Zeus (or, for the Romans, Jove), which was first a Roman temple and then an early Christina basilica.

Recently restored and opened to the public, the lower city lies outside the entrance gate. Inhabited at a later period than the Cuma acropolis, the city once sat along the water. (Note that now the entire complex is far from the sea.) The ruins display a Samnite age forum, underneath which lies the more ancient agora or Greek city center. A necropolis area can also be viewed. It once extended about 3 km and archeologists have found armor and funerary vases here.

Getting There: Use your GPS and simply type 'Cuma'. It's fairly easy to find. Once you get about 3 miles north of Pozzuoli, you'll see signs everything. The address is: Via Acropoli 39.

Book Recommendation: The Oracle by William J. Broad. This book is about the latest scientific findings concerning the Sibyl and why her trance-like states may have been induced by narcotic-like fumes rising up from the crevices of the earth. Although the book focuses on Delphi in Greece, because these Phlegraean Fields have fumes and fires bubbling just underfoot, the book also feels relevant for Cuma.

La Cucina Neapolitana: We can't be sure if the Sibyl's mutterings were induced by the gods or if some coaxing was necessary through ingesting some mutter-inducing libations. Certainly, the Neapolitans have their share of wine and -- my favorite -- digestifs. Digestifs are drunk after a large meal in order to aid in digestion. The most renown here is Grappa, which comes in many different flavors, but usually is served as a clear grain alcohol. Other digestifs include: Sambuca (a sweet licorice taste), Anice (also with a sweet licorice taste, only stronger in alcohol content), Maraschino (a sweet cherry flavor), and Limoncello (drunk ice-cold with a strong lemony taste). A few spoonfuls of the sweeter digestifs are also often added to espresso. I've seen quite a few men at the coffee bars drinking these topped off espresso drinks around ten in the morning.

Lemons are plentiful in this region and it's not uncommon for families to make homemade Limoncello. Here is a recipe from the Italian cookbook: Cucina Napoletana by Roberta Avallone.

Limoncello

2 pounds lemons

8 cups grain alcohol

8 cups water

1 pound sugar

Peel the lemons making sure not to use the white part. Put the lemon zests into a jar and pour the alcohol over it. Let sit for three days and then filter out the zests. Boil the water and pour in sugar. Stir until the mixture becomes a clear syrup. Stir the syrup into the lemon alcohol. Place the mixture in a bottle and chill in the freezer.

If this recipe makes you utter prescient oracles, please feel free to leave them in the comments section here.

Cin-Cin!

The Fishing Town of Pozzuoli

(Pictures: The Flavian Amphitheater -- both inside the field and underneath the field, the Temple of Serapides, fresh octopus at the port, and a fisherman working his net.)

Chi dorme non piglia pesci.

(Those who sleep don't catch any fish.)

Nook of Naples: The port town of Pozzuoli lies in the heart of the Phlegraean Fields. The Flavian Amphitheater sits at the top of this town's hill and boasts being the third largest next to the Roman Coliseum and the amphitheater in Capua. The amphitheater used to hold up to 40,000 spectators during the first century A.D. Today, roaming on the grand field, anyone can wave and strut like a famous Roman gladiator. Beneath the stadium, visitors can walk around thick brick walls, fallen marble columns, and dark inlets where Romans once caged wild animals.

Signs along the Pozzuoli roads point to a number of other Roman ruins. The Temple of Neptune overlooks the sea with its mammoth dome peeking out from the dirt, but a locked gate bars tourists. Other signs lead through a narrow tunnel and then along a road next to which the Neocropolis Romana hides behind overgrown weeds. The fence keeps visitors out, the locals walking by the 2,000 year-old bricks as though the ghosts inside were amicable neighbors.

Driving down to the port, the Temple of Serapides (2^nd century AD) has been excavated out of over thirty-feet of dirt. This temple, like most ruins in this region, lies below ground level due to bradyseism. The name is also a misnomer, the ruins were actually a macellum or food market. The three erect marble columns in the middle and the algae-green water only hint at how beautiful this could have been.

Next to the Temple, the port blends the contemporary with the ancient world. The Pozzuoli port began as a 7^th century B.C. Greek colony called Dicearchia. By 194 B.C. the Romans named it Puteoli (little wells) for the hot springs in this area. For centuries, the port flourished as a trade center. St. Paul landed here on his way to Rome and the city is also the birthplace of actress Sophia Loren. Like the Romans, fishermen still work their nets in boats. They bring plastic buckets to the banks with all kinds of live fish and octopus inside. The port brims with seafood restaurants along with cafes and gelaterias. Pozzuoli is also where ferries dock and leave to the islands of Ischia and Procida.

Getting There: The Flavian Amphitheater as well as the port are easy to find. Simply Mapquest or GPS this address: via Terracciano, 75 - 80078 Pozzuoli - NAPOLI.

Music Recommendation: Restaurants here often include the "posteggiatore" or singers with guitars who perform Neapolitan folk songs at your table. (And yes, this usually means giving a tip at the end.) The Neapolitans have their own vintage songs such as "Funiculi Funicula" written by Peppino Turco and Liugi Denza in 1880 when the Neapolitans built their new funicular railway heading up to Mt. Vesuvius. Today, pop Italian music abounds. The most famous voice on the radio and in malls everywhere is EROS RAMAZZOTTI. His e 2 (or "e" squared) includes duets with Ricky Martin, Cher, and Tina Turner.

To order Italian books and music, you can go to the Feltrinelli website or visit the store in downtown Naples. Feltrinelli is the Italian version of Borders Books.

La Cucina Napoletana: The variation on shellfish recipes are endless in this region. But the classic dish on just about every restaurant menu is Spaghetti Vongole. It's simple, light, and cooks up in about ten minutes.

Spaghetti Vongole

(Pasta with Clams)

1 box vermicelli

1 lb. clams

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic

salt

parsley

Cook the vermicelli in boiling water and add a liberal amount of salt. In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic. Place the clams in the pan, turn heat to low, then cover and simmer until the shells open. (The water from the clams will provide enough moisture in the pan.) Drain vermicelli and add to the pan of clams. Mix the pasta and shellfish together. Top with parsley and serve.

And if you are sailing the high seas --

Buon Viaggio!

Julius Caesar's Summer Villa

Chi troppo vuole, nulla stringe

(He who wants too much, doesn't catch anything.)

Nook of Naples: Perched on a steep cliff, this fortress was purportedly the summer residence of either Julius Caesar or Nero. But the layers of history spanning many hundreds of years make that more myth than fact. King Alfonso II of Aragon built the castle in its current form during the 1500’s and legends also abound about pirates sailing into the Bay of Pozzuoli and trying to scale the sheer walls.

Inside the fortress, the thick walls have many passageways and stairs that lead to stunning museum rooms. The castle houses the Domitian-Nerva, the only equestrian bronze monument to survive from antiquity. At the top level, an opulent dining hall named the Nymphaeum Triclinium of Emperor Claudius enchants the visitor with a blue lighted floor, alcoves on either side with original Greek statues, and a large niche that displays a marble scene of Ulysses with knee bent offering 'black wine' to a Cyclops (both the heads of the statues now lost).

Getting There: Easy to find, especially since you can see it perched on the cliff, the Baia Castle -- as it is called -- can be found at via Castello, 39 - Baia - 80070 Bacoli - NAPOLI.

La Cucina Napoletana: Roman writers often described lavish banquets enjoyed by the rich. For these meals, they imported such exotic game as ostrich, flamingo, giraffe, and buffalo. Mozzarella is made from the milk of buffalo and still today is exceptionally popular here. Neapolitans often eat large balls of mozzarella plain on a plate with a fork and knife.

Everywhere I turn, it seems, the Neapolitans invented most of the cuisine I eat daily. Fried mozzarella sticks are another Naples original. Here is a recipe from Cucina Napoletana by Roberta Avallone:

Mozzarella in Carrozza (Mozzarella in Boxes)

1 cup mozzarella

8 slices of bread

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

extra virgin olive oil

Trim the crusts off the bread and then cut into triangles. Cut the mozzarella into thin slices. If it's very watery, pat dry with a paper towel. Distribute the mozzarella on half the bread triangles, taking care to keep the cheese about 1/4 inch away from the borders. Top the cheese with more bread triangles. Press the boxes well, then dampen the outer sides of each tramezzino, dipping each slice in a plate of milk, then passing it into the four. This will help to seal the boxes together. Whisk the egg with the milk, salt, and pepper. Soak the bread triangles in the egg batter, then pass them into the bread crumbs. In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the bread triangles for about 2-3 minutes per side. When they are golden, place them on a paper towel. Then, serve hot.

(Note that if you use fresh bread crumbs from your stale bread at home rather than store bought crumbs, the "boxes" may not hold together as well.)

The wine that tastes exceptional with this snack or antipasto is "Vino Campi Flegrei". For wine lovers, check the "Some Fun Links" on the sidebar to learn more about the wines grown in this specific area west of Naples.

Saluti!

Roman Baths: The Archeological Park of Baia

Dio ci salvi dal povero arricchito e dal ricco impoverito.

(God save us from the enriched poor and from the impoverished rich.)

Nook of Naples: The poet Horace once called the suburb city of Baia the most beautiful in the world. During Roman times, Baia was a spa town for the extremely wealthy. Today, most of it lies underwater, but the Roman Baths inspire the imagination with its sheer enormity. The vast complex of ruins encompasses three terraces of labyrinth structures overlooking the Bay of Pozzuoli.

Nobody quite knows what these buildings once were. Perhaps the Romans harnessed the hydrothermal activity for baths, or wealthy patricians built summer villas, or perhaps this was the Imperial Villa. Layers of construction spanning the late 2^nd century to the early 1^st century baffle inquiry. But from writers such as Horace we know that while sailing toward the Baia port, the city sparkled with skyscraper-like temples and spas made of marble, their domes tiled in mosaics and their facades often splashed with deep colored frescoes.

The ruins haven’t been well preserved. But while wandering through them, a Statue of Hermes still stands in an alcove. An arched corridor leads to a grassy field named after the goddess Sosandra. The most prominent structures are three temples, two lying just outside the gates of the park. The Temple of Diana overlooks the Baia port, only its mammoth dome peeking out from the dirt. The Temple of Venus is a mud half-shell backed against a hill. Inside the park, the Temple of Mercury (or Temple of Echoes, so named by travelers in the 18th century) has a wooden walkway over a pool of algae-green water. Yelling high-pitched inside this dome makes sound bounce in wonderful echoes.

Roaming these ruins makes me imagine the stories of epicurean lifestyles replete with political corruption, derelict sex, and blaspheming gossip. The best part -- this Archeological Park is less well-known (tourists flock to Pompeii instead) so visitors usually have the entire mythical complex to themselves.

Getting There: The sign says "Romana Terme," but tourist brochures call it the Baia Archeological Park. This site can be a little tricky to find. The entrance seems to be across the street from the port of Baia, but those gates and entrance box are locked and abandoned. You must drive up the hill from the port a little ways and find the entrance overlooking the sea. The gate is on the left hand side and can be hard to spot. The parking lot is small, but there aren't many tourists, so it's easy to find a space. The address is: Via Fusaro 37, Bacoli -- Napoli.

Book & Movie Recommendation: Satyricon by Gaius Petronius is a Roman work about Encolpius and his loves. Although the book has only survived in fragments, it awakens the imagination about what it must have been like living in Roman times.

The famous Italian film-director, Frederico Fellini, made a movie in 1969 called Satyrican based on this Roman work. The filmmaker brings the Roman culture alive, and yet modern day viewers will think this film more bizarre than entertaining.

La Cucina Napoletana: Neapolitans love their Sundays, usually spent with family who all live close by. A visitor to the area can find streets in both downtown Naples and the surrounding areas almost abandoned, which means it's a fantastic time for sight-seeing to avoid the crowds and traffic.

Although eating during the week is temperate, the Neapolitans will often go in groups to restaurants or cook several course meals at home on Sundays. The courses usually include: Antipasto (a smattering of several different kinds of fresh and fried vegetables and shellfish), Primo Piatto (the first course, usually pasta), Secondo Piatto (the second course of meat or fish), Contorni (vegetable side dishes), Dulce (sweets), and a digestif to end the meal.

Part of the lush meals can be attributed to both the temperate climate and this volcanic soil, both conducive to the growth of lush vegetation. It seems everywhere I wander (including in Baia) lemon and orange trees dot the landscape. I have yet to see an obese Italian and indeed, the Italian diet includes a bevy of vegetables and fruits. The most popular vegetables I've seen prepared in many different ways include zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and artichoke.

Here is the most delicious recipe I've found for artichokes:

Garlic Artichokes

1 pound artichokes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Garlic

Cut the stems off the artichokes and then boil in water until the core is almost soft (about 5-8 minutes). Drain the artichokes and then place on a pan. Douse with olive oil. Smatter garlic on top. Place the artichokes in the oven at very high heat (about 450 degrees) for about 15 minutes or until brown at the top. Let cool for ten minutes. Eat leaf by leaf.

The artichokes will be soft and melt in your mouth.

Buon Divertimento!

Solfatara Volcano

(Pictures: A corner reflector that works with the European Space Agency to track ground deformations, ruins of a Roman bath, the flaming Solfatara hill, a sizzling mud lake, a steam vent with discolored rocks.)

La pazienza non 'e mai troppa.

(Patience is never too much.)

Nook of Naples: The Solfatara crater still smolders endlessly today. Located a few meters from the sea, an entrance leads down a tree lined path to a mars-like terrain. The rotten egg smell is inescapable and, depending on the direction of the wind, wafts all the way to the city of Naples. Maybe the seedy reputation of the city didn't begin in the twentieth century, but already with the ancients when the sulfur stench was believed to be poisonous.

The slopes surrounding the crater puff with sulfur steam. Along one slope, two fumaroles shum their steam at somewhere around 160 degrees Celsius and turn the rocks around it into a copper-gold color. The Italians call these two vents "La Bocca Grande" or "The Big Mouth". Behind their plume and hiss, a green algae grows that's considered a biological rarity seen only when high temperatures and high acidity combine together.

In the middle of the crater, the Fangaia or boiling mud lakes sizzle at temperatures between 170-250 degrees Celcius. The mud contains a bevy of gases and minerals that the Romans once harnessed for their hydrothermal spas.

The Romans said that Vulcan, the god of fire, worked here. The crater is also believed to have been the inspiration for Virgil’s description of Hades. Ruins of a Roman bath still exist at the western side of the crater with sulfur wisping out from the bricks.

If visitors stomp on the ground, they’ll hear a hollow sound – evidence that porous caverns exist underneath. Take a stick, dig a small hole into the sand, and put a finger inside to see how hot the earth feels just beneath the surface.

For those who like science, four reflectors dot the sandy terrain. They work with two satellites of the European Space Agency (ESA) to reflect their signals and map the volcano's ground deformations.

Getting There: Solfatara has a wonderful website and is easy to find as it's right by the sea. The address can be found on Mapquest too: Via Solfatara 161, 80078 Pozzuoli

Book & Movie Recommendation: Modern-day Naples is known for its pollution, crazy traffic, and gritty city-life. This was even true forty years ago when the old adage claimed: "You come to Rome to see Italy, you come to Naples to smell it." Today, the hell of Naples can be found inside the world of the Neapolitan mafia. In particular, the Camorra crime family is blamed for, among other things, the garbage collection problem and the toxic mozzarella crisis of 2008.

The most popular book in Naples is Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System by Roberto Saviano (Author) and Virginia Jewiss (Translator). A movie, directed by Matteo Garrone, Gomorra won the Cannes Film Festival in 2008.

La Cucina Napoletana: Here at Solfatara, two placards point to unique Mediterranean vegetation that grows just outside the volcano area: myrtle (the plant Pliny the Elder suggested be chewed after meals as an aid to digestion) and 'corbezzolo' or the strawberry tree. The strawberry tree contains sugar, protein, and vitamin C and can be made into jams, jellies, syrups and more. Virgil referred to the plant as 'arbutus' and Pliny called it 'unedo' or 'I eat only one' because of its sickly taste.

The Neapolitans today love their digestives -- usually after-dinner liqueurs of all kinds that they claim are an aide to digestion. Many locals make their own liqueurs. Here's one of the most popular in this region:

Liquore di Fragole

(Strawberry Liquor)

1 pint strawberries

1 1/2 cups grain alcohol

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

Place the strawberries in a glass jar and cover with the alcohol. Let stand at room temperature for about 24 hours, shaking the jar several times. Strain out the berries. In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved completely and the syrup beings to boil. When it's crystal clear, remove it from the heat and let cool. Combine the syrup and alcohol in a bottle of your choice.

(This recipe comes from Naples At Table by Arthur Schwartz.)

**The ancient Romans wrote down a good number of their recipes. If you're interested in seeing what some looked like, see these Ancient Roman Recipes.