Villa la Madonnina: CULTURE

One of the beauties of a vacation at the Amalfi coast is the fact that its not only very beautiful and scenic, you get excellent Italian food, but the area has a history of 2600 years which can be experienced in an unmatched way. It spans from the impressive traces of Greek civilization documented in the fabulous Greek temples in Paestum, the remains of Roman civilization in Pompei and many other places, the period when Amalfi was independent (839 - 1131) and was one of the navels of world and the traces of many different occupations from the French, Spanish, Langobard´s in the following centuries. For those interested, more exiting places are to be discovered that you can manage to see in one vacation. All interesting places can be reached in a one day excursion from the villa. You may want to explore them yourselves which is very easy or take a guided tour which is offered by different operators. If you want to book a tour check with Nino Gorga contact information see the info section. Before I point to the historical sites I must talk about a great series of events with classical  music in Ravello and sometimes in other places like Praiano:

Ravello chamber music: Its a wonderful experience to listen to classical music in a beautiful setting in Ravello. From March - November and  around Christmas and New year.  See the program of the Ravello concert society: Ravello chamber music

Opera house in Naples: For all lovers of classical music and especially operas another highlight is the opera house in Napels Teatro di San Carlo - the oldest working  opera house in Europe opened in the year 1737.  See the web site  Teatro di San Carlo.   You also can order tickets on line there.

Pompeii:
The eruption of the Vesuvio beginning with the 24th of August 79 b.c. was a mostly fatal experience for the inhabitants of Pompeii and Ercolaneo but for us it gives us the opportunity to get a a good impression how the Romans lived more than 2000 years ago in a small town and the high standard of their civilization. As there is so much material available I don't describe a visit there. Look at the excellent official web site of the sopraintendenza archeologica di Pompei: www.pompeiisites.org
For all who are interested in history and ancient architecture its a must to see Pompei. Some say that Ercolaneo is more interesting to visit but I found Pompeii more impressive. I would take a personal guide to do a tour of three hours. You get an impression of the most impressive villas and findings. But of course you can easily spend a day there too. The guids are normally available at the entrance. Agree on the price and the time he spends with you. A good and thrilling preparation for a visit is to read the excellent novel Pompeii from Robert Harris. It is a fiction about the time of the eruption of the Vesivius, but very much based on historical fact or at least assumptions.
Many of the best pieces of sculptures and mosaics found in Pompei and Herculaneum and other places around Napels can now be seen in the world famous National Archaeological Museum in Napels. See the official Website: National Archaeological Museum Napoli.

From our Villa la Madonnina you drive to the Autostrada via Positano or Agerola, then take the autostrada in the direction of Napoli.  Then take the exit of Pompei nord. It takes about 60 - 75 minutes to go there from the villa.

Villa Oplontis:
For those of you who do not have too much time but still want to get an excellent impression what luxury meant in Roman times I recommend to visit Villa Pompea in Oplontis. It was covered by ashes by the same eruption of the Vesuvius as Pompei. Now its completely excavated and well preserved. Its a wonderful experience. You can very well imagine the architecture of the villa and the different rooms, you can imagine how rich people made their life comfortable at that times, with a huge swimming pool, areas for workout and to relax and beautiful, well preserved paintings in nearly all rooms. 
When I was there last time I did could not get a guide which was a pity. Therefore I recommend to take a good guide book with. 
From our Villa la Madonnina  you drive to the Autostrada via Positano or Agerola, then take the autostrada in the direction of Napoli. Then take the same exit as for the excavations of Pompei. (Pompei nord). But instead of going left to the excavations of Pompei you take the street on the right and enter the town Torre Annunuziata. After after about 3 km (2 miles) you find the villa Oplontis. From the villa it takes about 60 - 75 minutes to go there.

Paestum:
There are not many places where you get such a good impression about the capability of the ancient Greek to build monumental temples. The three temples in Paestum were built between 550 - 460 b.c. and are the best preserved Dorian temples in the world in a beautiful green setting.  A must is also the museum with many sculptures and with the famous tomb of the diver. For more information see  following website:  Paestum

To visit Paestum from the Villa la Madonnina you drive the beautiful Amalfitana to Amalfi and then Salerno. From there you follow the coastal road to Paestum which cannot compare with the Amalfitana. Then follow the signs.  From the villa it takes about 2 hours to go there.


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