Review: Western Med Jade cruise Nov. 1 -12, 2014

[QuattroRomeo]

 

 

Giovanni and DH:

 

 

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Next we had a beautiful drive up the peninsula, where we stopped for a gorgeous view of both Gulfs- Naples and Salerno.

 

 

 

Zoomed in on the rocks below:

 

 

 

 

 

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Then we enjoyed a terrific lunch at Da Francesco in the hamlet of Schiazzano. What a wonderful meal we had! It is a true pizzeria with a wood kiln pizza oven. The sit-down restaurant is casual and family run, with red and white checkered tablecloths and grape vine embellished decor.

 

The food is locally sourced and very good. We sampled some slices of organically produced provolone cheese, which was heavenly! Our group ordered various types of pizzas, with raves all around. The pasta and gnocchi dishes we shared were equally good.

 

The food was very tasty, so was the wine, prices were reasonable, and the service was friendly. We were the only ones there until a few minutes before we left. No crowds!

 

 

 

 

 

Church directly across the narrow road:

 

 

 

 

Another restaurant across the street:

 

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Showing us how the cheese is produced locally:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We headed back to Sorrento for a gelato fix at Davide's.

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon grove:

 

 

 

 

[MandyMommyof2]

WOW! This review confirms my huge desire for a Mediterrean cruise, sooner than later after reading this. Your pictures are amazing! I loved all of your details! Thank you for taking the time to write such an informing review :)

[QuattroRomeo]

Wow-terrific gelato, friendly staff- who genuinely love to help you decide which flavours to try (you can't just limit it to 1..) I tried orange and pistachio...yum... There was a nice clean outdoor area to sit and relax while enjoying your gelato, also a clean rest room inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We moved on, heading out to the highway to go to Herculaneum:

 

 

Looming in the distance, the volcano....

 

 

 

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Arriving at the site and Mt. Vesuvius looming just behind, it was eerie, especially seeing the top of the volcano ripped off from the eruption. Despite the proximity to it, there are houses all around the site. I asked Giovanni about living in the area. There are red zones and yellow zones depending on your location, and these zones have their respective evacuation plans, known to residents.

 

The excavation was certainly interesting to see, many intact walls, floor mosaics and frescoes. We were only there for an hour or so, but in that time you could see quite a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Upper level- modern day houses, down below- Herculaneum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look how high the curb is!

 

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Detail from underside of an high archway:

 

 

 

 

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The small Herculaneum gift shop on site was disappointing, with most of the books and souvenirs there being about Pompeii, not Herculaneum.

 

Believe it or not I could not even buy a fridge magnet there with Herculaneum on it, only Pompeii. I did manage to find some in the terminal shop at the port!

 

Giovanni got us back to the port on schedule, a short drive away. We had a terrific day!

 

 

Tonight we packed for disembarkation the next morning. Normally it would be kind of depressing, but we stayed in Rome for 2 nights- so our adventure continues!

[QuattroRomeo]

WOW! This review confirms my huge desire for a Mediterrean cruise, sooner than later after reading this. Your pictures are amazing! I loved all of your details! Thank you for taking the time to write such an informing review :)

 

Thank you Mandy . You will love a Med cruise; glad to be of some help!

[RNRcruisers]

Wonderful review, thank you for posting it! We went on the same cruise this past January and had a fabulous time but I also wish we had seen your review before we went. It looks like you arranged some really great tours. Love your pictures too. My husband and I both feel like we could do the exact same cruise again and get just as much out of it the second time. Maybe we will and I'll use your review as our guide this time! :)

[QuattroRomeo]

Wonderful review, thank you for posting it! We went on the same cruise this past January and had a fabulous time but I also wish we had seen your review before we went. It looks like you arranged some really great tours. Love your pictures too. My husband and I both feel like we could do the exact same cruise again and get just as much out of it the second time. Maybe we will and I'll use your review as our guide this time! :)

 

Thank you RNR! Yes it was one of our favourite cruises ever. We have been to half of the ports before, but there is always something new to see. Can't wait to go again!

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We reserved a hotel in Rome for 2 nights post-cruise, so I tried to think of a way to make the most of the day travelling to Rome. It seemed like such a waste of a day to have just a transfer to Rome, check in, offload our luggage, and then start off on a tour somewhere!

 

So I looked for transfer companies that also offered tours, and came across Stefano Rome Tours. I emailed back and forth to see if I could arrange a transfer from Civitavecchia port, with enough room for luggage, to Rome and then immediately do a day tour in Rome, and only at the end of the day would we be dropped off at the hotel, with our luggage. Stefano had no problem with that! In fact, they said it would be a little longer tour that way because they would not have to drive us back to the port!

 

So, I chose one of their Rome tours, called Angels and Demons. I don't really care about the story in the book or movie, I just loved the stops on the tour! I posted the transfer/tour/hotel drop off on the roll call and was lucky enough to get a sufficient group together to make it affordable. It was just a fantastic day.

 

I am sorting through the photos for the tour and will start posting on Wednesday; so stay tuned if you are interested!

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Disembarkation and our day in Rome

 

DH and I joined 5 others from the roll call for our transfer and tour of Rome. The other 5 were staying in suites, and they were kind enough to arrange it so that we could disembark with them, a swift process I must say!

 

The luggage was easy to spot in the terminal, all colour coded areas were close together and nobody would have difficulty with it. It was raining that morning and exiting the terminal building meant walking right into the rain. The terminal security staff made a big fuss over where people stood if they were waiting for transportation, wanting us all to be outside. We eventually convinced them to allow us to wait in a spot inside that did not impede others from leaving. Peeking outside, it was easy to see private drivers standing under umbrellas, holding up name signs. Our driver, Maurizio, arrived on time and led us to a beautiful big van.

 

We had 14 pieces of luggage and 7 adults; the vehicle accommodated everything comfortably. We could even stand up in the van! And there are large picture windows so everyone has a good view. If you arrange a tour with Stefano, simply be very detailed about what size vehicle will accommodate your needs, and they will quote accordingly.

 

Booking with Stefano Rome Tours was very easy- they are prompt and helpful. They confirmed number of suitcases, people, hotel drop offs, sent the link for booking Vatican tickets and told us which time to book there. We requested a private guide for the Vatican and they arranged that too.

 

Booking Vatican tickets:

 

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do

 

This Angels and Demons tour is not like some guided walking tours in Rome; rather, it is a tour of Rome that includes having you dropped off at the doorstep of those sites to explore on your own, and come back to the van at the time arranged. Maurizio added commentary throughout the day and showed us many sites that were not on the ‘official’ tour.

The itinerary included stops at:

 

St. Maria del Popolo Church

St. Peter’s Square

St. Maria della Vittoria Church

Pantheon

Piazza Navona

Vatican Museum

Sistine Chapel

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This is how the tour description read, on Stefano Rome Tours website when I booked:

 

We will first visit the St. Maria del Popolo Church. Santa Maria del Popolo was constructed during the Crusades. It is considered today one of the most important works of the Renaissance. The interior is enriched by the extraordinary chapel, the Capella Chigi, one of Raphael's most important architectonic works. In “Angels and Demons”, the Chigi Chapel represents the element of Earth. This unique church is remarkably rich with symbolism and tombs, many that you can discover right beneath your feet!

Be sure that you also go down the nave and look into the left hand transept inside the Cappella Cerasi where there are two exceptional masterpieces by Caravaggio: the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter.

 

Our next visit will be to the St. Maria della Vittoria church, built in 1605 and dedicated to St. Paul. In 1620, it was rededicated to the Virgin Mary. This church has many fascinating aspects. It is the home of famed sculptor, Bernini’s ‘Ecstasy of St. Theresa’. The sculpture depicts a vision that St. Theresa experienced of an angel piercing her heart with a shaft of gold. She claimed that she experienced both pain and great joy during this vision.

In “Angels and Demons”, this jewel of a church represents the element of Fire.

 

From here, we will journey on to the Pantheon, once the temple of all Roman gods. During the 7th century it became a church and burial place for kings and artists. One such famous artist mentioned in “Angels and Demons” and whose tomb can be seen inside the Pantheon is Raphael.

And now we will visit the Piazza Navona. This piazza is virtually filled with light and sculpture. It is exceptionally long due to the ruins that formed it. Beneath the buildings that surround Piazza Navona are the remains of the Circus Domitianus, Domitian's stadium. Piazza Navona is famous for its centerpiece created by Bernini: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or The Fountain of Four Rivers that represents the rivers flowing through the four known continents during the 1600’s: the Nile, Danube, Rio and Plate. Erected in its center is a tall obelisk with the family symbol of Pope Innocent X who commissioned the project.

This fountain is also the setting in “Angels and Demons” for the scene that represents the element of Water.

 

Located on the western side of the piazza is the charming church of Sant'Angese in Agone. Legend tells us that it was here that young Agnese was exposed naked before being martyred for refusing to marry the Roman Prefect’s son, but a miracle occurred when she was covered with thick hair appearing to cover her body. The church was commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1652.

And on we go to Castel Sant’ Angelo, one of the significant settings in “Angels and Demons”. This overwhelming structure was originally the tomb of the Emperor Hadrian. The ashes of his wife, Sabina, and the ashes of his first adopted son, Lucius Aelius, are also within the Castel. In the 14th century, the popes converted the structure into a castle. Pope Nicholas III connected the castle to St. Peter's Basilica by a covered fortified corridor called the Passetto di Borgo that ensured the safe passage for Popes into the castle during dangerous times.

 

After lunch, you will visit the smallest country in the world, the Vatican.

Our first stop will be the Vatican Museums where you will be amazed and delighted at the vast collection of masterpieces, including the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

The Vatican Museums is one of the three largest museums in the world with a labyrinth of galleries and halls that can be very confusing and many of the significant pieces of art can be overlooked. We can reserve a guide for you at a price of 120 Euro for two hours up to six people, and 150 Euros for two hours up to eight people. This fee is paid directly to the tour guide at the end of the service. Please notify us in advance if you’d like to book a private tour guide.

 

It will take two hours to visit the Museums, The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Most visitors prefer to visit the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel, the most popular areas in the museums. Photography and videography are permitted inside the museums (in some areas flash photography is not allowed), but it is strictly prohibited inside the Sistine Chapel.

St Peter’s Basilica was the most important setting in the story of “Angels and Demons” with St Peter’s Square representing the element of Air.

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We had a smooth ride to Rome, and arriving in the city, there were wonderful sites everywhere we looked!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Narrow alley through which we caught our first glimpse of the Pantheon!

 

 

Maurizio dropped us off right here!

 

 

Then we had time for a bio-break and espresso:

 

 

And a chocolate shop:

 

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By the columns of the Pantheon before we go in:

 

 

 

 

Looking up: