Our time in Italy (continued)

Of course, for the church group the trip to Pompeii was a spiritual pilgrimage as well as a social occasion to be enjoyed with family and friends.  We were accompanied by a priest from the local abbey and a nun from the local convent. She also sings in the choir. 

a concert event in the abbey church
when a recording was made for a CD

I had the opportunity to take a photo of the whole group

 gathered outside on the steps of the church after the service.

The two boys in the front row are our great-nephews

  standing with their grandmothers and my other sister-in-law

 is standing in the middle of them.

Dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary the church is also classed as a cathedral and minor basilica.  A painting above the high altar depicts the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus presenting rosaries (prayer beads) to St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena.

photos taken before and after the service

the high altar

mosaics in the side naves
 Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

Jesus carries the Cross

the Crucifixion of Jesus

the Risen Jesus Christ

The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven

We were sitting under this painted cupola during the service.
I was fascinated by the figures in the painting especially the
angel in the pale pink robes to the left.
Thankfully there was time to take photos after the service, but
as the whole of the church was elaborately decorated
I could have spent hours looking at the images
 and art work.

St Michael slaying the dragon

St Margaret Mary Alacoque's mystical vision of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This image
can also be seen
on the bronze doors of the bell tower.

Lunchtime ...the restaurant was a manageable

short walk from the church.

a good menu - fish or meat choice

although the gnocchi was also a vegetarian option

I think the apple pie must have been a local speciality

as it contained candied citrus fruit

a view of the bell tower from the restaurant

The great-nephews would have liked to have gone to the top

of the tower. There would have been great views across the Bay of Naples, 

the Roman excavations and Mount Vesuvius in the other direction.

It would have been a great work out after that lunch, but only for

 for the young and energetic ones in the group! 

However, we walked in the other direction towards
the place where we would meet the coach
taking in some of the typical Neapolitan sights
along the way.

giant lemons

limoncello and other citrus liqueurs
and products

the information centre

My brother-in-law bought his grandson
a Roman helmet and my sister-in-law
bought a box of rock specimens
from Mount Vesuvius for her grandson.

We spent some more time relaxing with our family
near an entrance to the excavations.

No time, of course, to go inside and you need at least a day
of it anyway.  However, there are a couple of buildings
 outside the Roman site, constructed mainly of glass,
where you can see some of the exhibits from
 the archaeological excavation.

Soon it was time to leave the Naples area and head back to our village. We arrived back safely after a good day out.

the abbey May 2018 

Our time in Italy (continued)

Three of Mr P's sisters, a brother-in-law and several old friends are long standing members of the local abbey church choir.  They sing before, during and after the Sunday Mass and during other occasions such as weddings, funerals and concerts. The acoustics in the abbey are very good and it's a joy to listen to the singing accompanied by organ music.  

The abbey schola cantorum is well known throughout the region and is often invited to sing elsewhere.  Whilst we were in Italy a coach trip had been arranged to take the group and their families on an outing to the town of Pompeii. The choir was going to sing at the Sunday Mass in the main church there and we were able to go with them.  Despite an early start with the coach leaving the car park outside the abbey at 7 a.m. it was a chance to go out for the day with family and friends to another region.  The Naples coast is about two hours away on the motorway from our village. We've been there many times before to visit the Roman excavations, walk up to the volcanic crater on Mount Vesuvius and spend holidays in Sorrento.  

It was a hot day and we were glad to be under a sun umbrella as we enjoyed fruit juices. Later we sat in the shade of the trees near the fountains in the piazza.

  

After the service our group went and had lunch in a nearby restaurant, walked a short way along the main street of the town and did 'the touristy thing'. Some of the family met up again near the entrance to the Roman excavation site, sat under sun umbrellas at a refreshment stall, chatted and enjoyed more refreshing drinks until it was time to leave Pompeii - more about that and the interior of the church next time.