30年前のこの日！

                                                                                                                                                                                             On February 19, 2006

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　My memories of  Italy  

 　I am reminded of two things when I hear the word `Italy`.

　One is Mrs. N. When we were standing in line to go to Italy at Narita Air Port on January 17^th, 1995，a woman asked me, “Did you know a big earthquake happened in the Hanshin Arear early this morning? Are you travelling alone?” She was Mrs. N from Niigata City, with no partner. So, my wife and I became friends with her. Many people couldn`t go on the tip because of the earthquake.

 The other thing is my trip to Italy. We changed planes at Frankfurt Air Port and got to Milan about half past ten in the evening. It was not until we got there that we found out how big the earthquake had been. We stayed in Milan for 2 days. We took a train to Rome on 19^th. We enjoyed talking with a history professor of a college in Trieste in the same compartment.

We enjoyed sightseeing at many famous places, like ruins of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum, the Cathedral of San Pietro in the Vatican and so on, guided by Ms. Nagashima, who had been living for 2 years in Rome.

 My wife and I took a bus to Naples on 21^th. We visited Pompeii. We were surprised at the great ruins of the ancient city, mainly made of stone, which were pre-dates Christ.