Our agenda for the day was to visit the famous archaeological site of Pompeii. It took an hour to drive from Sorrento and took a little bit longer as we stopped at a Tabacchi shop to try to pay for a small parking ticket. However, we’ll have to pay by wire as the city of Sorrento doesn’t honor payments at Tabacchi shops despite what several hotel employees were telling us. Once we found parking at the Zeus lot, we walked right in as I paid for the tickets via TicketOne which needs to be done at least a day in advance. It was very busy with tour groups and crowds that just disembarked from the nearby train station. But we had it easy and started enjoying the ruins straight away:
Here are some pictures from the bathhouses:
Justin and my mom recreated a 2015 picture Amanda took of me at a food stand:
2015 original here for reference:
We popped into different houses, enjoyed the Pompeii red walls, and admired various homes:
The popular one is this house of a wealthy trader family who had a slave who was also a prostitute. Famously, she had different positions displayed on the wall for her clients to choose from - there was a long queue for her room within the villa:
I enjoyed poppy flowers everywhere as they seem to be “on brand” with the red walls:
We had the ruins plus Roman villas tickets, so we headed to the most famous one, the Villa of the Mysteries which has the famous frescoes:
Instead of returning to the main exit, we exited at the Villa of Mysteries exit where there was a food truck and as the family was washing up in the bathroom, a man said his wife makes excellent sandwiches. So I walked over and purchased a tomato and mozzarella panini and chicken with zucchini panini and some soft drinks. We sat at some nice tables and enjoyed the snacks in this low key area and away from the crowds.
Afterwards, we walked along the road to our parking lot which was actually just a straight shot down from the villa, got the car and filled it with gas, and got on the highway. Surprisingly, we had to pay the Naples toll with cash while the other tolls we could pay by credit card. Then in about thirty minutes, we were in Naples and at Palazzo Caracciolo Naples, which is a Hilton Tapestry hotel. The hotel was the home of the famous Caracciolo family of Naples.
We dropped off luggage and my mom, checked in, and Justin and I retuned the rental car at the Naples train station which can always be daunting. The signs are never as clear as they could be and sometimes the address doesn’t match the actual parking lot that is separated from the rental car office. But having done this in several European cities, Justin and I used our senses and dropped it off in no time and walked back to the hotel.
Amanda and I had transited through Naples in 2015 (posts here), but didn’t sightsee much. Naples has a mixed reputation, but I knew that the family would want to sightsee a little as they’ve heard so much about the city, but because how strong the local culture is and known around the world. A top contender of a Korean cooking show is nicknamed “Napoli Mafia”.
After resting, we walked about 10 minutes to the church of Pio Monte della Misericordia where we saw our last Caravaggio, “The Seven Works of Mercy”. It was originally supposed to be seven separate panels, but Caravaggio combined it for the altarpiece:
You’re also invited to the picture gallery on the 2nd floor and see the painting from the choir seats:
Around the corner was the Duomo which honors the city’s patron saint, Saint Januarius or San Gennaro. We have enjoyed the San Gennaro festival many times in New York and apparently a vial of the Saint’s blood is here. My mom opted to do her confession and we stayed for Mass which made her happy:
About 7 minutes away was a location for L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, famous for their pizza but also where Julia Robert’s enjoys a margarita pizza in the movie, “Eat, Pray, Love”. We got a paper ticket with a number which Justin managed as he walked up ahead, and were seated rather quickly:
They only had three types of pizza: margarita which has mozzarella, marinara (no cheese), and cosacca which has pecorino cheese. You could also order a half and half of the margarita and the marinara, but we ordered one of each and swapped:
We then treated ourselves to gelato as we walked back to the hotel:
Our last stop on the Amalfi Coast…Thanks to big brother Justin for doing all the driving and parking. I knew it would be precarious, but as I weighed the pros and cons of convenience and ease with luggage and my mother, I knew this would be best. I definitely would not recommend the Amalfi Coast for a first time renter overseas, but it all worked out safely and conveniently. Thanks to all who were concerned, because it definitely was an Amalfi Adventure!
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