Caravaggio on the Mainland of Italy

In the last post we promised to tell you why our crossing of the Straits of Messina from Sicily to the mainland of Italy was so exciting. As a master of fact, everyone who travels this route by train gets a treat: the entire train, carriages and passengers, is shunted into a giant ferry boat and taken on a five mile-long cruise.

Inside the train, the monitor shows a black “X” where the tracks end on the Sicily side of the Straits of Messina

Once our train carriage is driven on board the ferry, passengers are allowed to exit their trail car and climb up on deck to enjoy the sea crossing in the fresh air.

We had a sunny day with calm seas for our crossing. The whole process, although only five miles on the water, took about 80 minutes with loading and unloading the train cars on and off the ferry.

We’ve telemed to our train seats. The monitor now shows the train is now on the mainland of Italy.

For decades through to today there have been promises to build a bridge over the Straits as an impetus to economic development for Sicily and southern Italy. It would be the longest bridge in the world and the latest proposed project, announced by the politicians in 2025, is budgeted for 13 billion euros. We are not holding our breaths for project completion. Meanwhile, Trenitalia operates the last remaining passenger train ferry in Eutope, providing us with slow passage and great fun.

Our first stop on the mainland is Naples, the beautiful, energetic, crowded, noisy city overshadowed by Vesuvius on the far side of its blue bay.

Caravaggio wanted to stay in Rome, the center of power, influence and the wealth to support artists, but was forced to leave to avoid prison for murder. Naples is one of the places he went and today three major works can still be found in the city.

In the Galerie d’Italia Palazzo Zevallos can be found the very last work ever painted by Caravaggio, The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (1610).

Saint Ursula led a large group of virgins on a pilgrimage. Unfortunately they ran into Huns who slaughtered all the women except Ursula

Ursula was offered marriage to the Hunnish leader. When she refused him, he shot her in the stomach with bow and arrow at point blank range. The perpetrator is at the far left.

Ursula looks at the arrow piercing her body. Behind her, standing so close that only his head can be seen, groaning as though HE had been shot, is (yet another) self-portrait of the artist.

In the opposite direction, on the north side of Naples, an hour’s bus ride brought us to the Museo Real di Capodimonte, a former royal palace and garden which form a beautiful and spacious green space. There we found the stunning Flagellation of Christ.

Christ, tortured and exhausted, is surrounded by three henchmen binding him in order to flog him. The pillar to which he is being tied forms a light, vertical beam rising upward.

The torturer on the left grasps Christ ‘s hair to jerk his head back. Drops of blood fall from the thorns thrust onto His scalp. We cannot look into His eyes.

On our second of three days in Naples we gave ourselves a special treat: we took a detour off the Caravaggio path to get together with our friends, Enrico and Carla, who live and work in Naples. Together we investigated the Royal Palace of Caserta, a short train ride outside Naples.

Built in there 18th century by Carlos II and the House of Bourbon it was the palace of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the largest in Europe.

The enormous Palace can be seen in the distance at the foot of a huge water feature fed from distant mountains by special aqueduct. (There might be a bit of algae in the pools…)

Enrico and Carla stroll through the Palace.

On our last day before leaving Naples for Rome, we visited the Pio Monte della Misericordia. This small chapel was the headquarters of a group of young seventeenth century noblemen who committed themselves to social and charitable action, as called by their Christian faith. Wonderfully, they are still active today, helping the poor and needy.