Above: Eli learns the hard way that sand doesn't make for a good snack.Below: Eli playing in the sand. If you look closely, you can see Tiberius' grotto in the upper left hand corner of the pic.
Above: Even our car enjoyed a great view in Sperlonga. Note pregnant Mama on the right.Below: Sam and Eli exploring the ruins and ancient fish farms.
Above and Below: Inside the grotto (sculptures have been removed and are now displayed in a nearby museum).
Above: View of Sperlonga from the grottoBelow: Sam shows Eli Tiberius' digs.
Time for another blog post. All is well here. I've been feeling mighty pregnant these days. It's hard to believe that I still have 14 weeks to go. This pregnancy has definitely been more draining than the first, but I have a feeling that running around after our newly willful 2 year old might have something to do with it. We're still hot on the name game. Any suggestions out there?
Last weekend we had a wonderful couple of days in Gaeta and Sperlonga, two coastal towns between Rome and Naples. Both towns are really lovely and picturesque. Definitely internationally underrated places to keep in mind for a mediterranean vacation. Anyway, we had dinner at a cute little seafood restaurant in Gaeta on Friday night. I felt like I had taken some sort of translation syrum because I actually understood everything that the waitress said. For the language inept, such as myself, this is a very big deal. Makes me think the hard work in the Italian arena this year is paying off. Woohoo! However, I still sound mentally impaired when I try to speak. We can't have it all. The other day, an Italian asked me if I was Italian (though he did express some confusion over this idea). I thought it was a hilarious question. Did he think I had a speech impediment or that I was retarded?
Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the weekend. Saturday we started the day exploring Tiberius' summer digs. Very impressive indeed. He built his compound next to a natural grotto which he transformed into an aquatic sculpture garden for outdoor dining and entertaining. The Roman elite definitely knew their luxury. I'm always impressed with what Roman imaginations came up with (of course, unlimited funds and slavery don't hurt in carrying out these dreams). Interesting fact: apparantly the compound wasn't "discovered" until the mid 1950s, though it's easily accessible from a very popular vacation spot. It's hilarious to think of Italians sunning themselves on the beach with kids running back and forth from the grotto, "Look Ma, I just found a marble hand!" "That's great dear. Throw it in the beach bag and we'll take it home." Seriously, this must have happened at least once or twice.
We also explored the town of Sperlonga, a very charming village overlooking the water. The weather was so nice that we even got some beach time in. We topped off the day by going to a great restaurant in Gaeta that night called "Ex Macelleria" (trans: "Ex-Butcher Shop") where I made great strides in rectifying my pregnancy-enduced anemia with a huge Tuscan steak. Success! (Sam was jealous.)
On Sunday we attempted to go to place called Ninfa, but it was closed. Ninfa is an old abandoned mideval village that is now a national garden. The cool thing about Italy is that no one is remotely concerned for your personal safety so apparantly you can roam in and out of the old buildings and gardens at will. Would have been great. Oh well, next time.
Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the weekend. Saturday we started the day exploring Tiberius' summer digs. Very impressive indeed. He built his compound next to a natural grotto which he transformed into an aquatic sculpture garden for outdoor dining and entertaining. The Roman elite definitely knew their luxury. I'm always impressed with what Roman imaginations came up with (of course, unlimited funds and slavery don't hurt in carrying out these dreams). Interesting fact: apparantly the compound wasn't "discovered" until the mid 1950s, though it's easily accessible from a very popular vacation spot. It's hilarious to think of Italians sunning themselves on the beach with kids running back and forth from the grotto, "Look Ma, I just found a marble hand!" "That's great dear. Throw it in the beach bag and we'll take it home." Seriously, this must have happened at least once or twice.
We also explored the town of Sperlonga, a very charming village overlooking the water. The weather was so nice that we even got some beach time in. We topped off the day by going to a great restaurant in Gaeta that night called "Ex Macelleria" (trans: "Ex-Butcher Shop") where I made great strides in rectifying my pregnancy-enduced anemia with a huge Tuscan steak. Success! (Sam was jealous.)
On Sunday we attempted to go to place called Ninfa, but it was closed. Ninfa is an old abandoned mideval village that is now a national garden. The cool thing about Italy is that no one is remotely concerned for your personal safety so apparantly you can roam in and out of the old buildings and gardens at will. Would have been great. Oh well, next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment