Week 6

Week 6 of classes was one of my lighter weeks, since I had field trips for two different classes. My Archaeology class was going to Pompeii and my Marine Biology Class was going to the Napoli Turtle Rescue Center and the Aquarium. I had my normal classes on Monday, Drawing on Location and History of the Mafia. Then on Wednesday I went to Pompeii. Pompeii is just a short train ride from Sorrento and it only takes about an hour to get there. We left early in the morning and the met our professor on site. We were given headphones to listen to our professor as she guided us through Pompeii and explained the history behind each section. In 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the City of Pompeii beneath tons of volcanic ash and debris. For years, archaeologists worked to find Pompeii using ancient texts. Pompeii was discovered in 1549 when a water channel was being dug, but the city was left entombed. Eventually, in 1748, Pompeii was re-discovered. It has taken years to excavate Pompeii, and there are still sections that are still being excavated. However, a big portion of the city has been cleaned and is open to tourist. When we visited, we were able to walk on the original streets that the ancient Pompeiians used. Interestingly, you can still see the grooves in the streets from the wheels of the carriages that were used as transportation. We also go to visit many sites that used to be homes and vendor booths. One of the vendor booths, which you can still see today is the Thermopolium. This structure was an ancient Roman fast food counter where people could get ready to eat meals, just like what we have today. The food that was most common in these structures were lentils, meats, cheese, eggs, vegetables, and olives. We also got to visit and sit in the amphitheater where there would be plays, productions, and gladiator fights. I highly recommend seeing Pompeii if you are ever in Italy. However, it is best to have a guide for this site, so you can understand what you are looking at. It is also a very hot area with little shade, so Spring and Fall are the best times to go!

The next day I had my field visit to the Turtle Rescue Center (Turtle Point). This rescue center was based in Napoli and mostly worked with the Loggerhead sea turtles, but they also assisted with other species of turtles as well as small sea creatures such as octopus. The goal of this center was to rehabilitate injured turtles and release them back into the wild. The rescue center was divided into two different groups. One group was the "critical care unit" and one was the "observation unit." Once a turtle was in the observation unit, they were ready to be released when conditions, such as temperature, time of year, tourist activity, was right. I didn't know much about turtles prior to this trip, but I learned a lot more about the negative effects humans have on them. The main reasons turtles are suffering is due to tourism, for many reasons.

1. Turtles cannot stay underwater for long periods of time. They need to resurface often to breathe in oxygen. Because of the amount of boats, especially in the Mediterranean (due to tourism), many sea turtles get struck when the surface the water. They tend to get struck in the outer layer of their shell, which protects their spine and internal organs. This can cause infections, paralysis, pain, and more.

2. Ghost nets are nets that are lost at sea. Turtles can get caught in these nets causing them to drown, cut themselves, or even amputate fins.

3. Fishing in another big problem. Turtles can get stuck in nets, which causes the same problems listed above. However, sometimes turtles get caught in nets that are places meters below the surface. When the nets are pulled out of the water to fast, turtle can get "The bends" or "Decompression sickness." This is when nitrogen dissolves in the blood and tissues and starts to form bubbles. This effects the lungs, heart, and brain.

4. Other problems such as plastic, pollution, global warming, and light pollution are also reasons for the injuries and deaths of sea turtles.

Luckily, at places like the Napoli Turtle Rescue Center, we got to see how a team of scientists along with the help of fisherman, are able to rehabilitate these animals and set them free. I got to meet a few turtles from both units. One turtle specifically had been there for over 3 years, being rehabilitated after a boat struck their shell. They will forever have a huge indent and miss part of their shell, but they are fully recovered and were released just a few days after my visit. If you are interested in this center you can visit the following: Turtle Point

After the Turtle Rescue Center, we went to the Aquarium where we got to see many different sea creature and be a part of the Pianeta Mare Film Festival and see films about the sea that were made all over the world.

The next day my friends and I were headed to Venice, Italy. We planned to be in Venice for 3 days and spend one of them at a Venice Island called Murano. The first day in Venice we spent mostly just going around and exploring random streets. Venice is filled with winding canals and bridges, so we go to get some of the best views from the tops of the bridges. We walked into many glass shops were there was beautiful jewelry and decorations and a chocolate shop where we got to try handmade lemon truffles. We spent the rest of the day just going to all the little shops and looking at all the streets. Everywhere you went there was something new and exciting to see. That night we signed up for a Ghost Tour that went around the city. One of the stories talked about a man who was trying to build a bridge over the Grand Canal but kept failing. In order to support his family he needed to be successful in his work. Eventually the man made a deal with the devil, and in return the bridge would wouldn't collapse. However, the deal meant that the first person to walk across the bridge would lose their soul to the devil. The man agreed, thinking he would make enough money to support his family. But, the devil tricked the mans wife (who was pregnant) to walk across the bridge. The women and the baby both lost their souls to the devil. This was just one of the stories told, but it was the most interesting. After the ghost tour we enjoyed a nice dinner at Leone D'Oro and went to bed.

The next, and final full day, we had lots of plans. We spent the morning at St. Mark's Basilica. Sadly we didn't get to go in because they had to close down for the day (not sure why), but we enjoyed the outside architecture, sculptures, and paintings. After the basically we went on a Gondola ride through the canals, including the Great Canal. This was one of the coolest ways to explore Venice and you got to see the city from a completely different view. In many of the canals there are not side streets, so to see some parts of Venice you have to be in the water. After the Gondola ride, we found a secluded Piazza (square) and danced we took a water taxi to an Island called Murano.

Murano is famous for its glass factories and laboratories and also had many streets of colorful houses. When we got there we stopped at the first restaurant we saw and I got Pineapple Pizza, which is impossible to find in Italy. After that we went to all the glass factories and even got to see one of the men making class jewelry. After going through all the factories we stumbled across a local cathedral that was having mass. Since they were in the middle of mass we didn't want to interrupt, but we stood outside the open main door and listened to the beautiful music. Murano reminded me of a small town where everyone knows everyone, and listening in on the mass was one of my highlights from the day. This wasn't a cathedral that seemed like a tourist attraction, and that's one of the things I enjoyed about it. After that we got gelato and just enjoyed the sunset over the bridge.

The next day was our last and we only had a few hours before we needed to head to the Airport. So we went to the famous brunch place called Brunch Republic. Brunch Republic is a cute and hip restaurant that is most known for their pancakes, smoothies, and decorative coffees. After our big meal, we headed to the airport and went back to Sorrento. Next week will be a busy week as we head into finals and fall break!