Highlights-Naples
I did a ship’s gym resistance workout, my second of the cruise. I’ve learned what’s available and how to use it. It wasn’t crowded since most people were out on excursions. I did the second Ralph Excursion, a short metro ride to the archeology museum. The “old stuff in cases” led naturally into an abbreviated “old statues and buildings” walking tour. The guidebook led me through the older (and graffiti covered) parts of the city. The workout made standing and reading long museum signs hard, but walking in the museum and on the self-guided tour were no problem. In the guidebook, Rick Steves noted that 17th century archaeologists excavated Roman sites mainly to scavenge quality building stone, treating any statues they found as decorative bonuses. Now you can’t replace sewer piping without stopping for a six-year excavation with paintbrushes to examine pottery fragments. Given the museum’s vast collection of “things people used for eating soup,” I’m not sure that’s progress.