Italy 2001 - October 2001 - Andrew's Website

OVERVIEW + MAP

This Slide Show documents some of the highlights of a recent trip to Italy (October 2001). The trip was a combination of visiting relatives, seeing some major attractions, and doing some adventuring in the Dolomites.

This map image indicates the areas covered by this presentation. They are, in order: Avellino, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Siena, Florence, and the Dolomites.

Avellino

Location: Avellino, Italy

This is a view of the city of Avellino (approximate population about 60,000), where my Mom's family is from, and where many of my relatives live. This is the view looking out from my Aunt Sisina's apartment balcony.

AVELLINO FROM ABOVE

This is a view of Avellino from the top of a nearby mountain (Monte Virgine).

PORCELLI RESIDENCE, FROM ABOVE

This is a view, also from the top of the mountain, zoomed in to where my Aunt Rosetta's house is located. To call this a house is an understatement. The fact that it can be seen at all from about 10 kilometers away is a testament to its size (Camera at full 200mm zoom).

PORCELLI RESIDENCE, GROUNDS

The next few pictures document my Aunt Rosetta's place, which is more of a family compund than a regular single-family dwelling. The families of the children of my Aunt also live here. It can comfortably house about 15 people, has a 7-car garage, and sits on about 1 acre of landscaped land.

PORCELLI RESIDENCE

Front Entrance.

PORCELLI RESIDENCE

Driveway and garage entrance.

PORCELLI RESIDENCE

Northwest portion of the grounds.

LORRAINE at the PORCELLI RESIDENCE

Lorraine looks out from the guest rooms (which are on the ground floor).

PORCELLI RESIDENCE, INTERIOR

This is the living room of my Aunt + Uncle (Rosetta + Peppino). Note the centrally located walk-around fireplace.

PORCELLI RESIDENCE, INTERIOR

This is my Aunt's Kitchen. Very nice balcony opens out on the right.

PORCELLI RESIDENCE, INTERIOR

This is the downstairs guest area, which also doubles as a family/group gathering location. Included in this guest area is a complete kitchinette, fireplace + cooking grill, 14-seat table, and lounge area. Very complete. It was very gracious of my Aunt to let us stay there.

HARLEY

The Bulldog of the house. I think the dog's name is Harley, but I could never be sure (Harley doesn't pronounce well in Italian). Quite a sturdy and pushy beast.

HISTORIC FAMILY RESIDENCE

This building used to house my Mom's family when she was young. It was damaged heavily during WW-II bombardment, and, as can be seen in the image, it has been very well restored.

SANCTUARIO DI MONTE VIRGINE

Located near the top of nearby Monte Virgine, this old church is a place my Mom used to hike to from the City below when she was young. In this photo, Lorraine and my Mom climb the steps to the entrance, where various weird things await.

TOKENS OF THANKS

Inside the Sanctuary is a room where people who have had ailments or injuries give thanks for recovering from them. In giving their thanks, they will place some sort of token describing what cause the ailment and/or describing the affected body parts. I've never seen this concept taken to this extreme. In this image, tin bas-reliefs of legs and torsos (or maybe lungs) can be seen.

OUCH!

In this gratitude painting, it appears that an unfortunate individual has had an unfortunate encounter with some live electrical wire whilst repairing a roof, apparently resulting in a nasty fall that cracks his noggin open. I can only assume that this individual must have recovered from this mishap, given that the picture was created. Note the apparition of (I think) the virgin in the sky on the left.

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