Five Jewels of the Amalfi Coast

Welcome to the Amalfi Coast, considered one of the worlds most exotic and breathtaking coastlines. The sight of whitewashed villas tumbling down the vertical hillside to the ocean’s edge is enough to delight any tourist. Yet there are gems to be explored and worthy of a visit that you won’t want to miss.

Sun Worshipping on the Amafi Beach

There are many sandy beaches offering ocean frolics, umbrella’s, and tasty refreshments. No matter which way you look, you are surrounded by Italy’s coastal treasures.

St. Andrews Cathedral, Amalfi

Rising majestically off the Piazza del Duomo, St. Andrews Cathedral was built in the 1200’s on the site of an older cathedral, which was built on the remains of a previous temple. A flight of steep stairs takes you up to the Arab- inspired facade. An older basilica with the famed Cloister of Paradise resides next to it. St. Andrews’ remains, which were brought over from Constantinople during the 4th crusade, are kept inside the crypt of the Cathedral. A 13th century wooden crucifix, medieval frescoes by Andrea del’Asta and Egyptian granite columns add to provide an engaging atmosphere.

Grotta dello Smeraldo in neighboring Ravello

Flooded with translucent blue and emerald light, the Grotta della Smeraldo can be reached by boat. Discovered by a local fisherman in 1932, this grotto had remained virtually untouched for many years. The cavern roof is 24 meters above water level, hosting dramatic rock formations.

Terrace of Infinity at Villa Cimbrone, Ravello

Originating in the 11th century, the Terrace of Infinity, also known as the belvedere of the Villa Cimbrone has predominately remained in custody of families of nobility. As the historian Ferdinand Gregorovius stated after a visit to the Villa,….“incomparable…..where the most beautiful flowers you can imagine flourished, coming from numerous plants of the South….redesigned and enriched with countless….ornamental features, small temples, pavilions, bronze and stone statues.” Truly not to be missed.

There are actually 30 towers like this one down the coast, originating from as early as the 12th century. Saracens were known to pirate the waters often, so when they were sighted, fires were built on top as a signal to the inhabitants of pirate activity. At this warning, they would all leave the beach and literally ‘head for the hills.’

Amalfi is an excursion into the senses, filling your mind with exotic images and dramatic landscapes. My thoughts are never far from it, and still the scent of lemons on the ocean air brings me close to heaven.

Amalfi Coast vs. Cinque Terre: Deciding Between Italy’s Most Popular Coast Lines

Faun Memories of Pompeii

Mr. Faun Dancing in Front of His Elaborate Residence

“It was such a leafy wilderness; a place for fauns and satyrs, and where bats hung all day to the rocks, and at evening flitted over the water, and fireflies husbanded their light under the grass and leaves against the night”  Henry David Thoreau

The little Faun under the volcano.

When Mt. Vesuvius blew her top in 79 AD, ash rained down on the city of Pompeii for two days. The entire city was buried under 20 feet, encasing and preserving the many buildings and artwork of this fascinating port city for 1700 years. Archaeologically, this enabled the city to remain mostly untouched and encased in its original state.

One of the most unusual finds was this small bronze faun.

He Looks Alive!

This faun appears to be dancing lightly on tiptoe, possibly as part of a Bacchic celebration or one of religious ecstasy. His movements and form are strong and sure, his eyes fixed directly upward. I was drawn to the realistic twisting of the chest and shoulders and his controlled energy. He looks like he could awaken at any minute.

Swaying Gracefully in Perfect Form

The fauns home was the largest and most opulent residence in Pompeii. It took up an entire city block and has been named “The House of the Faun,” after his charming self. He was the showpiece in the elaborate pool, standing as the focus of the grand courtyard. The artist is unknown, but this refined workmanship in bronze, with the muscular physic, has been traced to the Nile Delta, most likely Alexandria.

Possible Composition of Faun in his pool called the Impluvium

Spirits of the untamed woodland, fauns were understood by the literate and Hellenized Romans to be connected to Pan and Greek satyrs, or possibly the wildflowers of Bacchus, the god of wine, theatre and revelry. They are mostly depicted in the pose of lilting gracefulness. Yet they are mischievous characters in Greek and Roman literature.

Today he lives in the National Archeological Museum in Naples

The National Archeological Museum is full of Roman and Greek antiquities, many from Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum. You will find several sculptures and mosaics, including one of Alexander the Great also found in the House of the Faun. Be prepared to spend a good part of the day as there is much to see. I found it very well displayed, organized and intriguing. Most of the artifacts from Pompeii are housed here.

National Archeological Museum, Piazza Museo 19, 80135 Napoli, closest underground station, Piazza Cavour, Hours: Wednesday – Monday 9-7:30pm, phone (0039) 081 44 22 149

Pompeii Hours: April-October every day from 8:30am-7:30pm, November-March 8:30am-5pm every day

The Bronze Beauties of St. Marks

The Original Bronze Horses of St. Marks Basilica

Surrounded by legend. Steeped in mystery. Baffling, bewildering and perplexing. These magnificent bronze horses that pranced high above the arched loggia of St. Marks Basilica in Venice for 500 years have been talked about for centuries, even to this day.

They excite me and fuel my imagination. As I did some research on their beginnings and followed their trail throughout the centuries, I was amazed. It was a trail full of twists and turns that brought them safely ‘home’ to Venice in the end.

St. Marks Basilica and square~ the bronze horses stood above the central arch over the mosaic

Horses (copies) on St. Marks Basilica today

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Believed to have originally been part of a quadriga, four horses pulling a chariot and driver, their composition is unusual. Made of 98% copper, 1% lead and 1% tin to give a more satisfactory guild, they are the only creations of this mix to survive from antiquity. They were created with long legs and short backs as if to be viewed from below.

Quadriga on top of Victor Emanuel in Rome

Who cast the gilded bronze into these dreamlike mythical horses? Were they loot from Rome, or Greece? Why is their history so vague? So mystifying?

The dawn of their forging has been attributed to classical antiquity, created by the famed Greek sculptor Lysippos in the 4th century BC. Lysippos contrived portraits for Alexander the Great, some of which were equestrian statues.

Alexander the Great on horseback believed to be sculpted by Lysippos

Curiously, the ears of the four horses of St. Marks and Alexanders horse are almost identical. For this reason, many art historians have drawn conclusions that they were made by the same person. Hmmm….could be.

Hippodrome of Constantinople-Believed Horses stood atop Central Arch.

What is certain about the horses is that they did stand atop the Hippodrome in Constantinople, placed there by emperor Constantine in the mid 320’s, to commemorate the chariot races. And there they stayed for 900 years. But what happened prior to this time?

No one knows for sure. Speculations abound. It is thought that the four “Lysippos” horses were brought to Rome by Nero. Evidently he had it in his mind to use them as decor at his Golden Palace (Domus Aurea).

Domus-Aurea-what’s left of it.

The Fourth crusade, which became the conquest of Constantinople in the early 13th century, set out to travel by sea. Realizing their need for assistance in getting across the water, they worked out a deal with the Doge of Venice. He was up for it provided they delivered a big chunk of the booty to him as repayment. Prominent in the looted goods from Constantinople were the four horses, which the Doge claimed for himself, along with several other treasures displayed in St. Marks today.

Doge Enrico Dandolo

The four horses were not put up on St. Marks Basilica immediately, but stored in the arsenal which left them a constant temptation for metal-hungry cannon makers. A later Doge put them above the loggia of the basilica as a symbol of Venetian power. There they rested for 500 years. Yet there was more to come.

Napoleon looted Venice in 1797, escaping with crates of masterpieces, the famed winged Lion of St. Mark, and the four gilded horses. All were shipped off to Paris, where the horses, along with a chariot, set atop the Arc du Carrousel, the triumphal arch on the Tuileries end of the Champs-Elysees.

Arc du Carrousel, Paris

In 1815, Vienna sent them back to Venice. Then during world war I, they were moved to Rome for safe keeping. Later during the war (1942), they were removed yet again and hidden in a Benedictine abbey at Praglia, to be returned to St. Marks after the war.

Today, copies of the four horses stand above the central loggia on St. Marks Basilica. The original horses have suffered from pollution and are housed in the museum inside the basilica.

Original Horses housed in the museum in St. Marks Basilica

It has been a long and winding road for these remarkable bronze beauties. They prance proudly through time immortal, bearing themselves exquisitely. Their allure and magnificence, adored by the ancient Greeks and Romans, valued enough to be looted and transported from country to country, has brought these mighty beasts worldwide reverence. Who really knows when and how they came into being. They reserve the right to remain mysterious. It is enough that they stay as they are, beautiful and free, ancient yet everlasting.

“Dance above ground, never descending. Grace Incarnate, Passion on Hooves….”

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