Acheloo travels: Incoming

Acheloo travels: Incoming: "Acheloo viaggi - Sorrento
Hi to everyone. On this page you will be able to connect to our brochure. There you can read some of the&..."

Acheloo travels - The Grand Tour in South of Italy

Acheloo travels: Acheloo travels - Villa Campolieto, HercolaneumWel...: "Acheloo travels - Villa Campolieto, Hercolaneum Welcome back to everyone! This article is the result of a long and detailed historical r..."

Acheloo travels - Villa Campolieto, Hercolaneum

Welcome back to everyone!

This article is the result of a long and detailed historical research. We hope you will find it interesting.
The area we want to introduce is the so-called "Miglio d’oro". This is a road with beautiful baroque villas (Ville Vesuviane), that from Naples arrives to Torre Annunziata, passing through Portici and Ercolano.
In XVIII century, Naples became the cultural centre of European Enlightenment for its natural beauties and for the charm of the classical myth and history. For these reasons in 1738 the Bourbon royal family and many noble families choose Portici and the surrounding areas, to build their new royal palace and aristocratic houses,  attracted by nature and the beginning of the excavations at Herculaneum.
The XVIII century sees also the birth of the modern concept of cultural tourism. In fact to complete their education, upper-class European young men undertook  the "Grand Tour": an educational travel to Europe in search of the classical antiquity and historical myth. The trip could last from several months to several years and Naples was the last and most attractive Italian city where travellers stopped. Sometimes, arriving in Naples, the journey  had no return because  people fell in love with the place so much, that decided to stay forever. It is the case of Lord William Beckett, who fell madly in love of Ravello and settled there for the rest of his life.

Today it is not easy to have the same feelings of wonder and curiosity that characterized the protagonists of the Grand Tour, but we can still visit some places where we can share intense emotions such as those described by Goethe in his "Italian Journey":

"(...) You'll never really adjusted to give an idea of this sea, this bay, this Vesuvius of this city with its suburbs, and with its castles, and above all of this air we breathe. (...) How to describe the magnificence of the streets, squares, gardens, the sea, when illuminated by the moonlight, as I see them lit up tonight? I am taken from the vertigo of infinite space, and in this sweet charm, my mind is dreaming things that i can dream only here. "- Wolfgang Goethe

To live those emotions we have to go back over the road of  “Miglio d’oro”. There we find the Royal Palace of Portici, Villa Ruggiero, Villa Campolieto and all the other aristocratic houses nearby. All that will report at the time of the Bourbons and their court. We can not fail to visit the archaeological excavations of Herculaneum and Oplontis, and the famous ruins of Pompeii to be fascinated by the myth of Roman classicism.
Very interesting to visit in this area, the Archaeological Virtual Museum at Herculaneum, a centre of culture and technology applied to the history.
We conclude our journey with an ascent to the cone of Vesuvius, to get to the main cause of so much death and destruction, and yet of so much history.
Why you are still waiting? Contact us and we will help you to plan and live this “historical” dream.

Acheloo travels - Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompei

 

Acheloo travels: Happy New Year with our itineraries

Acheloo travels: Happy New Year with our itineraries: "The Nativity After Christmas holidays, we are preparing for the New Year Party. Some people have decided to spend the last day of th..."

Happy New Year with our itineraries

The Nativity

After Christmas holidays, we are preparing for the New Year Party. Some people have decided to spend  the last day of the year abroad or in the most important Italian cities, others prefer to stay home with their families. For those who remain in Italy for all those who decide to spend New Year's Eve in Naples and surrounding areas, we dedicate a series of tips on what to do and what to visit, away from the usual confusion, preferring something “unusual”.

We want to propose two particular itineraries. We speak about: a visit to the “Forgotten Nativity", and about "Aeterno Flore"

Handmade Nativity is an old Neapolitan tradition . Many have been the artists who carved little masterpieces of art, representing the characters of the crib. Among all we remember an Italian artist of the eighteenth century: Sammartino, who carved also the sculpture of the Veiled Christ. Many of the "works" of Sammartino, are kept in the Museum of  Certosa di San Martino.

It is from there that our guide Ludovica will take you to discover the origins, the curiosities and the secrets of the Neapolitan crib, "observing the city from top to bottom!"  La Certosa, in fact, was a monastery built by Charles of Anjou in 1325, on the hilltop overlooking the Gulf and the city. Today the building is a museum.

The “Aeterno Flore” is instead a guided visit in the mysterious athmosphere of the catacombs of San Gennaro. The guides are some actors playing the life of Ianuarius and telling old stories and anecdotes. This visit can be booked till January the 8th and take place only in the evening.
For those who do not want to stay in Naples, and prefers to see something different, we advice a romantic evening walk in the centre of Salerno, to admire the spectacular exposition of luminous artworks: "Luci d'artista", that enchant visitors until January.
Do not hesitate to contact us for any information.
HAPPY 2011 TO EVERYONE!

Acheloo travels: Naples again

Acheloo travels: Naples again: "Acheloo viaggi - Maschio Angioino, Naples After all the news and videos circulated about “Rubbish” in Naples, we were not sure if it wa..."

Naples again

Acheloo viaggi - Maschio Angioino, Naples

After all the news and videos circulated about “Rubbish” in Naples,  we were not sure if it was a good idea to continue to talk about the city, its monuments and wonderful views, about what to do and where to visit in this special Christmas period.

But we thought it was correct, on our part,  to continue our "walk" through the streets of the downtown area, it seemed we were "betraying" Naples, victim of such unpleasant situation, if we did not . We are sure that everyone will understand and not condemn our city, and will continue to choose to spend a weekend in Campania, despite everything.

Today we walk from the old town to Piazza Plebiscito. We will pass monuments and churches where hidden and unexpected treasures are still unknown to most tourists.

We start from Piazza del Gesù, where we can admire on the left of the square, the beauty of the Renaissance and Baroque basilica of Gesù Nuovo contrasting, on the right, with the austerity of the Gothic Santa Chiara church. Inside, there are the remains of some frescoes by Giotto, the wonderful Majolica cloister, and the excavations of ancient Roman baths. The complex Santa Chiara was built between 1313-1340 by King Robert of Naples, whose tomb is inside the basilica, and Queen Sancha of Majorca.
Before leaving Piazza del Gesù, we have to look at "Spaccanapoli", the street that traverses the old, historic centre of the city, dividing it in two parts. Spaccanapoli is one of the typical streets, combining traditional Neapolitan art and culture. Local craft shops, rich pastries, the famous workshops in S. Gregorio Armeno street, bars and old libraries, monuments and churches, make it one of the most vibrant and lively streets in the city. From Piazza del Gesù, passing through via Medina, we arrive at Piazza Municipio: here, wherever you turn your eyes, you can see spectacular monuments and buildings of great artistic value. From the majestic “New Castle”, the Royal Palace, the Gallery Umberto, the Theatre San Carlo, Piazza Plebiscito, and the church of San Francesco di Paola.
Looking up towards the hill overlooking Piazza Municipio, we see the fortress and the museum of San Martino, and finally, between the chaos of works and excavations at the subway, we can see the ruins of the ancient port of the 1st century AD, with a pier of limestone.
But we will talk about all this next time