it was for no other reason but jealousy that people had tried to paint such a picture for me. If they had known what a fantastic educational experience this trip, which focused on Greek and Roman urban development throughout the Bay, would be, they might have suggested that August was Campania’s typhoon season.
Our small group of thirteen eager Classicists began its two-week expedition atop the pleasant Janiculum Hill in Rome outside the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (fondly known as simply the “Centro”). A large part of our group had been living at the Centro for most of the summer while participating in the American Academy’s summer program. Others were fresh off very long flights from the United States. Since June I had been staying not far from the Janiculum and studying Latin with Reginald Foster. Despite our different circumstances, soon after meeting, boarding the bus, and hearing a stirring introduction to our tour from Professor Ostrow, a fine chemistry developed within the group.
The trip from Rome to Cumae, where we would be spending the next fourteen days together at the famous Villa Vergiliana, was comfortably broken up by stops first at Terracina, where we admired spectacular views (only the beginning of what would seem to be an endless supply of such views) of the Mediterranean and the temple of Jupiter Anxur, and second at Sperlonga, where visits to the museum and the Grotto of Tiberius were followed by a refreshing swim. By now, with the group salty and soggy, sitting together for the last leg of our first bus trip, any barriers that had been left standing were now down, and I began to hear about the remarkable careers of my fellow “Vergilians.” All are devoted Classicists and have in common a true passion for their work as well as a great appreciation for the chance to see the ancient world up close and personal.
It was early evening when we reached Cumae. Silent awe filled the bus as Lake Avernus passed by the windows and we turned through the gates of the Villa’s property. The Villa is nestled among flourishing gardens, which provide the
Siebengartner at a Greek temple in Paestum
My attachment to the Bay of Naples only grew stronger when we began the proper “site-seeing.” The Ostrows have spent time in the Bay since their early twenties. They wrote their dissertations there and have maintained their interests in sites throughout the Bay. Between them they possess an unbelievable knowledge of the history, architecture, and art of the area. Through a sort of tag team effort, they took turns explaining to us each site we visited. Our first five days revealed to us what are probably the most important sites on the Bay: the acropolis and “Sibyl’s Grotto” at Cumae, Puteoli and its macellum, Pompeii, Naples, Paestum with
The nights of our sixth, seventh, and eighth days of travelling were spent in Sorrento. We had mixed feelings about leaving the comfort and cooking of the Villa, but in the end appreciated the change of scenery. Sorrento might be the birthplace of what the Italians call la passeggiata. Locals and tourists alike pack the streets for these evening strolls through the pleasantly cramped alleyways and along the cliff at the edge of the city, which plummets into the sea. Limoncello and ceramic shops spill out into
