Naples to Baia Domizia

September 23, 2015

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, the Archeological Museum of Naples, houses many of the artifacts recovered from Pompeii. It includes bronzes, marbles, and mosaics, among other items of value, and, of course, items from the Gabinetto Segreto, the Secret Cabinet.

The museum opened at 9:00 AM, and checkout from our B&B was at 11:00. Fortunately, we had good hosts (again!), and they agreed to let us vacate early, store our bikes on the property, and let us return close to 11:00 after touring the museum. While that was a short time for the museum, my focus was primarily on the artifacts from Pompeii, so compromises were required. And we still had to bike something like 50 miles that afternoon as well! Given the flatness of today's ride, with only a few climbs, we were prepared to do all of that in one day!

So off we went! And we made the museum opening at 9:00 o'clock! Here are some random pics:

The Alexander Mosaic, a famous and well-known mosaic depicting the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia (who looks quite frightened).

So the Gabinetto Segreto is a little overrated. More amusing than shocking. At least to me. It does give an interesting perspective on sexuality in Ancient Rome, which, if you have already visited Pompeii proper, you would be well aware of.

Probably the most famous and best preserved piece: Pan copulating with a goat.

Another piece, most likely from a garden setting.

And there were plenty of oil lamps and the like.

An internet search will turn up plenty more examples. But with that done, we had some riding to do! So off back to the B&B, where our host insisted on us taking a bunch of selfies. We obliged.

A Tom and Mark selfie with our host from B&B Regno di Napoli.

We then set ourselves on the way out of town, which was a bit easier than coming in.

Today's ride Baia Domizia

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While we had a fair number of cobblestones to deal with, it was all downhill to the port.

The way out of Naples: cobblestones, but downhill at least! This eventually turned into a pedestrian way where cars were prohibited.

At the base of the hill, we turned right and followed the coastal road, a nice asphalt coastal road. With bike lanes!

Unprotected bike lanes on the coastal road along the Bay of Naples (and the road had multiple names, changing every several blocks).

And protected bike lanes as well along the same road.

After a short section of leisurely riding along the coast, we started our first climb. It started around MP 3.8 and lasted to MP 6.2. The grade was not steep, maybe 3% to 4% maximum, but we did hit some more cobblestones. We were now passing through the part of Naples called Marechiaro. It was clearly more upscale than the southern approach of yesterday, with little or no laundry hanging from the windows! At the crest of the climb, we again descended to the coast.

From there, the riding was pretty flat until we reached a small town called Rione Terra, where we had a short, steep climb up to the town square and then a descent on long stair treads back to the coastal road. I don't know how the locals navigate, but this is how we do it.

After much practice, Mark and I are pretty adept at navigating stairs in hilly Italian towns.

At this point, we digressed from our itinerary slightly and crossed the train tracks "a pied" (and legally) to avoid a bridge with tight ramps further down the way that we could see from our vantage point. Continuing on our merry way, we tackled our last hill at MP 14 for a stiff 7% to 8% climb that lasted maybe half a mile before leveling off some to a more reasonable 2% to 3%. It gave us a nice look back over the turf we had covered since cresting in Marechiaro.

A panoramic view looking back. Mark is to the far right, taking a photograph as well.

That was a nice climb, but after that, it was totally flat and relatively uninspiring. We did start riding through some interesting bamboo growth that populated both sides of the road for a bit, but then we were back on the mainline around MP 26, and it was pretty much straight and boring until we got fairly close to our destination, Baia Domizia.

Our turn, finally, back to the ocean, was made more pleasant by the presence of a bike trail!

The bike trail leading to Baia Domizia. OK, not the prettiest, but a sign of civilization! And the beach!

And looking back and to our left, the view was spectacular.

Our view back (and to our left) as we turned onto the road to Baia Domizia. The mainline road we had been biking is to the left.

A panoramic view further towards the coast.

We arrived late in the day . . . after 5:00 PM. And the town was a bit deserted (except for a tour bus or two), but we settled in and had a nice dinner and a good view from the hotel room. At some point a major storm blew through, and we lost power for maybe 30 minutes . . . but that was the extent of our excitement. Tomorrow promises more!

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 411 miles (661 km)

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