Pompeii & Sorrento

On our last day in Rome, it rained. I declared that Italian weather is as fickle as their men - just kidding! We checked out of our AirBnB and had our usual Roman breakfast. We walked to the H bus stop to take the 20 minute bus trip to Rome Termini, the main train station. Our walks with our luggage have been interesting - clickety clack on the cobblestones of Italy!

We arrived at the train station and got on our high speed train to Naples. The trip took about an hour and our hotel, Ibis Styles is located two blocks from the Naples train station. However, we were a bit disoriented and we had to make a loop. When we arrived at our hotel, we rested and then quickly returned to the train station to go to Pompeii!

The Circumvesuviana train line takes you to the Herculaneum and Pompeii ruins - the trip is about 40 minutes. As we all studied in school, Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and around 1748, people found ruins that had been covered in 13 to 20 feet of volcanic ash. As such, the Pompeii ruins were well preserved and we can imagine what life was like in this incredibly impressive city. They estimate about 11,000 lived here across 170 acres. You could spend hours exploring and learning.

Amanda suggested we download Rick Steves' 38 minute walking tour on our iPhones instead of getting an audio guide or searching through the maps. I have to say, I've never used his guidebooks, but have watched his shows. Amanda brought his book on this trip which has been super helpful and detailed! His guide hit all the highlights wth great details and dorky jokes, which I loved!

Pompeii, in its glory, can really be summarized in photos, so here goes!

Here's the entrance to the city and the main gate:



Here's a view of the forum:



The forum is lined with buildings, temple, the Curia, basilica, and other buildings. Thought the arch is Mt. Vesuvius, but covered by clouds:



Here's the market and a sample of a preserved body. The archaeologists filled the skeletons with plaster:



Here's a Roman bath and a fast food joint where people cooked and sold food on the side of the street:



We had some fun recreating the fast food joint that Rick Steves called McCaesar's - here I'm cooking up fries:



Here are some columns in the courtyard of House of Faun. Many columns were covered in marble veneer, but were actually made of brick - that's why it is important to scratch the surface and look on the inside! Also a random building and a water fountain with a bull's head at a busy intersection:



We walked to one of the busiest buildings, the brothel. I didn't post pictures, but there were rooms with beds and sexual frescoes that was apparently used like a menu, as remarked by a tour guide. Here's a picture of the many streets, a courtyard near the amphitheater, and a selfie with Amanda in the theater:



We walked over to the Villa of the Mysteries which has beautiful frescoes - in the buildings, I really enjoyed the Pompeiian red!:



Another villa with frescoes and an ornate mosaic floor:



We were thinking about heading back to Naples, but as our train line goes to and we were near Sorrento, we took the 20 minute train ride to this lovely town on the Amalfi Coast. Here's a view of the bay, a side street, and one of the piazzas:



Travel and Leisure magazine recommended a 3 generation run restaurant called Parrucchiano, which was near the cathedral. Our convivial waiter topped off our wine glasses, and we enjoyed octopus, mussels, fish, seafood pasta, tomato salad, and fried zucchini:



After dinner, we walked comfortably back to the train station for the hour ride back to Naples to rest after our productive day!