Naples and pizza

Alone in the Capua Anfiteatro was slightly chilling in the damp darkness of those tunnels below the arena. Seemingly, lift type platforms could propel exotic wild animals and decorated gladiators into centre stage to thrill and delight the audience. Sculptured stone seating divisions amazingly detailed and for a crowd the size of sixty thousand. Second only to the Colloseum as a full construction this place you can wander around freely. Well, at a small charge anyway and worth much more than two euros fifty!

Naples is a sprawl and on a bike testing with narrow cobbled streets, endless traffic and scooters bursting through from all angles. Signs that this city once a very dangerous place to visit are evident travelling the back alley routes into the centre.

The views of the Bay from Castel San Elmo breathtaking with Mount Vesuvius as a backdrop. And Pizza Napolitano in the city where pizzas originated.

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Spartacus was here .... Capua

A delightful sunny Gaeta with views across the bay and warmth in the air. A lot of history packed into this compact city jutting out into the Med.

Along the coast near Formia the site of Cicero's mausoleum at an elevated point on the Roman Via Appia. The great Roman Orator murdered near here.

Stretches of uphill and overlapping with the Via Francigena del Sud before a long flat section into the famous stage of gladiator training, Capua. The story is well known (thanks to Kirk Douglas) and my journey from this special place will depart from the Via Appia towards Napoli on the Roman Via Popilia.

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Gaeta on the Tyrrenhian Sea (Mediterranean)

Waves crashing in to the shore the Med showed up today as it did the last time I found myself here. A glimpse of the sun too on the 'so called' EuroVelo 7 Sun Route. 

Terraccina was a strategic location to control the comings and goings on the Via Appia, in days past. The Roman Temple of Apollo on high ground marks the spot. Tunnels and overhanging sections of road alongside the coastline a little nervracking on two wheels. Gaeta overnight still just in Lazio on the border with Campania.

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Latina

Thunder and lightening and flooded roads all the way today. Even the Colosseum looked subdued in the rain with hardly a soul in sight. The Via Appia Roman road, difficult in dry conditions, too risky. And finding aternative paths almost as bad with the inevitable 'gated' entry to roads not showing on the map. From experience I find this so typical of Italy.

Latina is second only to Rome in Lazio. Clearly a new town but it has a good center and a bit of atmosphere. Boy racers in noisy cars screaching around the Piazza della Libertà square.

Mussolini ordered this town to be constructed. Apart from the name there is nothing Roman here. 

Drenched today and rain forecast tomorrow.

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Rome and Roman Roads

I find the shuttle bus from Fiumicino airport following the Via Aurelia into central Rome.

Being relatively familiar with the Via Appia, which leaves the ancient Roman Forum heading south, it interests me to note the existence of the Via Aurelia entering Rome from the north. A little research shows me the main Roman roads in Italy and the Via Aurelia is one of them. Map (thanks to google) attached. The Via Appia is another and this is the road I will once again take out of Rome tomorrow. Reaching Capua in a few days my journey will divert from the Via Appia onto the Via Popilia heading to the 'toe' of Italy. 

Whatever the Roman roads were called the modern (and developing) Eurovelo cycling network shows the route I will be taking as Eurovelo Route 7. 

Today it has been rather overcast as a couple of images will show. It will be raining tomorrow.

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Eurovelo 7 'Sun Route'

Flying into Rome tomorrow to join Eurovelo route 7 from Rome to Catania, in Sicily.

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