Gaeta, Italy

A recent trip and 4-day stay at Gaeta harbor gave me a small chance to see this beautiful, old harbor town.



Here are a few of the panoramas I made from my little point-and-shoot, auto-focus digital camera.

The "modern" side of the harbor, taken from the deck of the US 6th Fleet Command Ship, the USS Mount Whitney, which is home-ported in Gaeta

Old Gaeta, taken from the fantail of the USS Mount Whitney, looking back along the "Fleet Landing" pier.

Another view of the newer side of Gaeta harbor, with some of the mountains in the background near Formia.

Another view of the newer side of the harbor, as the sunset approaches.

I'm still mastering the Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 program, but hopefully you can get an idea of the harbor area.



Unlike just 2 hours to the south in Naples, Gaeta is clean and pleasant... much more like one pictures Italy to be. The old town has many winding, narrow, off-angle stairways and narrow corridors that are centuries old, but still used to get to peoples' homes and businesses. There are ruins from the 1st Century B.C., that were the foundation for "modern" buildings in the 16th century. The harbor-side walk is nice in the evening, and on Sunday evening in particular, it seems the whole town is out and about, doing just that.



Incidentally, Gaeta was the site where the first Pope to visit sovereign US territory did so. How? When Pope Pius VI was in exile in Gaeta, the USS Constitution was in port, and he came on board. A warship is the sovereign territory of its nation.



Very nice... I expect and hope to go back soon to take more and better pictures.