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

 

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!