Published: September 8th 2009September 8th 2009
Mt. Vesuvius towers over the skyscrapers of Naples and is the only active volcano in mainland Europe. If it were to erupt, many lives would be lost along with their homes. The Italian government has tried to persuade residence to move away from the vicinity of the volcano with a relocation incentive of 30,000 Euros, but these incentives have not been successful. An eruption would be catastrophic for the 600,000 people residing within seven kilometers of the volcano. The last eruption occurred in 1944 and the current lull, the longest in the past 500 years, has scientists worried.
Grace and I decided to conquer this giant and climbed the 860 meter trail to the summit. The mere 860 meters wouldn’t be difficult if Grace’s flip flop had not broke. The few threads that were holding her poor sandal together, gave up and she had to push through, walking up awkwardly with her semi-functioning sandal. We finally reached the top and found ourselves amongst the clouds - 1281 meters high. The top of the mountain houses a crater filled with ash and vegetation. This crater would be filled with lava if it were nearing eruption. We enjoyed the breeze and cool air for a while before we made our way down the volcano. Reaching the bottom, we investigated several possibilities for a temporary solution to fix Grace’s flip flop. None of the stores were selling sandals, or tape, or safety pins. We thought we might find a store near the train station that carried shoes. No luck - it was a Sunday and therefore most stores were closed. Mt. Vesuvius was the first part of our trip; we were still planning to explore Pompeii. Grace had to make the decision of going back to our hostel in Naples to grab another pair of flip flops or toughing-it-out with a broken sandal. She chose the latter, reasoning that it would be a waste of time to go to Naples and head back by train to Pompeii.
We jumped onto the Circumvesuviana (train) headed towards Pompeii to view one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe. The city dates back to 7th Century BC and at its prime, reached a population of 20,000 people. Mt. Vesuvius blew in 79 AD, burying the city under a layer of lapilli (burning pumice stone) and killing over 2000 people. Excavations have turned up numerous artifacts, and have even produced molds of people buried alive. Walking through the city, I was amazed by the sheer size. Pompeii has several theaters, a network of cobble-stone streets, public bath houses, villas, temples, and even sex houses! Prostitution is considered one of the oldest professions in the world and there is strong evidence proving that prostitution was prevalent in the city. Buildings have entrances off the street leading to single rooms with a single stone bed which were used by sex workers to provide their services to paying customers.
The city exhumed an eerie feeling as we walked through more isolated areas - the main areas were filled with hundreds, if not thousands of other tourists. By the end of the day we were exhausted from all the walking and the heat/humidity. I was extremely impressed that Grace was able to survive with only one sandal. The next day we planned to head to the beach for a day of relaxation and to recoup from our Mt. Vesuvius/Pompeii visit.
Travel Logistics to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius
1. From the port of Naples you would have to take the R2 bus to get to Piazza Garibaldi. There is a ticket machine next to the bus stop where you need change to purchase a ticket (1.10 euros)
2. Once you get to the piazza you'll have to walk across the entire piazza to get to the Central (train) Station.
3. Follow the signs for Circumvesuviana trains once inside the station.
4. Purchase your tickets after you follow the signs about ~6.00 euros round trip.
5. Take the train to Pompeii-Scavi-Villa dei Misteri train station, which takes 40 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Coming out of the train station, take the road to your right and flow the wall to the main entrance of Pompeii. Ticket for the site costs about 11.00 euros.
7. Take the train heading back to Naples
8. Get off at the Ercolano-Scavi (Mt. Vesuvius) train station.
9. Option 1: There were several guys on the steps of the train station soliciting a ride to Mt. Vesuvius. We ended up taking them because we were unsure of where we were going. I think the company is called Vesuvio Express and they run minibuses to the summit car park. It costs 10 euros for the ride and 6.50 euros for the entrance to Mt. Vesuvius, a total of 16.50 euros. This trip takes a total of about 1.5 to 2 hours.
Option 2: There are only two other buses running at 8:25am and 12:45pm and returning at 1:55pm and 4:30pm. They depart from Via Panoramica (about 50m from the train station) and it will cost you ~8.00 euros for a 90 minute roundtrip. This doesn’t include the entrance fee of 6.50 euros.
10. Get back on the train to Naples, taking the R2 bus from the other side of the piazza and get off at the place to you caught the bus. Walk back to the Port.
There are more photos below
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Comments
Date: 9th September 2009
Traveling Advice for Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii
Thank you for reading my blog and I'm happy to know that someone finds it helpful. I've have been debating on adding a travel logistics section to each post to help people out with their planning, but have been lazy in doing so. I believe you can fit both Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii in 10 hours, but you might be cutting it extremely close. Therefore, I would do Pompeii first and then see if I had time after to visit Mt. Vesuvius. I have included directions for both. Safe travels! 1. From the port of Naples you would have to take the R2 bus to get to Piazza Garibaldi. There is a ticket machine next to the bus stop where you need change to purchase a ticket (1.10 euros) 2. Once you get to the piazza you'll have to walk across the entire piazza to get to the Central (train) Station. 3. Follow the signs for Circumvesuviana trains once inside the station. 4. Purchase your tickets after you follow the signs about ~6.00 euros round trip. 5. Take the train to Pompeii-Scavi-Villa dei Misteri train station, which takes 40 minutes to 1 hour. 6. Coming out of the train station, take the road to your right and flow the wall to the main entrance of Pompeii. Ticket for the site costs about 11.00 euros. 7. Take the train heading back to Naples 8. Get off at the Ercolano-Scavi (Mt. Vesuvius) train station. 9. Option 1: There were several guys on the steps of the train station soliciting a ride to Mt. Vesuvius. We ended up taking them because we were unsure of where we were going. I think the company is called Vesuvio Express and they run minibuses to the summit car park. It costs 10 euros for the ride and 6.50 euros for the entrance to Mt. Vesuvius, a total of 16.50 euros. This trip takes a total of about 1.5 to 2 hours. Option 2: There are only two other buses running at 8:25am and 12:45pm and returning at 1:55pm and 4:30pm. They depart from Via Panoramica (about 50m from the train station) and it will cost you ~8.00 euros for a 90 minute roundtrip. This doesn’t include the entrance fee of 6.50 euros. * I think you would be better off choosing option 1 because of time. 10. Get back on the train to Naples, taking the R2 bus from the other side of the piazza and get off at the place to you caught the bus. Walk back to the Port.
From Blog: Buried Alive
Traveling Advice for Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii
Thank you for reading my blog and I'm happy to know that someone finds it helpful. I've have been debating on adding a travel logistics section to each post to help people out with their planning, but have been lazy in doing so. I believe you can fit both Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii in 10 hours, but you might be cutting it extremely close. Therefore, I would do Pompeii first and then see if I had time after to visit Mt. Vesuvius. I have included directions for both. Safe travels! 1. From the port of Naples you would have to take the R2 bus to get to Piazza Garibaldi. There is a ticket machine next to the bus stop where you need change to purchase a ticket (1.10 euros) 2. Once you get to the piazza you'll have to walk across the entire piazza to get to the Central (train) Station. 3. Follow the signs for Circumvesuviana trains once inside the station. 4. Purchase your tickets after you follow the signs about ~6.00 euros round trip. 5. Take the train to Pompeii-Scavi-Villa dei Misteri train station, which takes 40 minutes to 1 hour. 6. Coming out of the train station, take the road to your right and flow the wall to the main entrance of Pompeii. Ticket for the site costs about 11.00 euros. 7. Take the train heading back to Naples 8. Get off at the Ercolano-Scavi (Mt. Vesuvius) train station. 9. Option 1: There were several guys on the steps of the train station soliciting a ride to Mt. Vesuvius. We ended up taking them because we were unsure of where we were going. I think the company is called Vesuvio Express and they run minibuses to the summit car park. It costs 10 euros for the ride and 6.50 euros for the entrance to Mt. Vesuvius, a total of 16.50 euros. This trip takes a total of about 1.5 to 2 hours. Option 2: There are only two other buses running at 8:25am and 12:45pm and returning at 1:55pm and 4:30pm. They depart from Via Panoramica (about 50m from the train station) and it will cost you ~8.00 euros for a 90 minute roundtrip. This doesn’t include the entrance fee of 6.50 euros. * I think you would be better off choosing option 1 because of time. 10. Get back on the train to Naples, taking the R2 bus from the other side of the piazza and get off at the place to you caught the bus. Walk back to the Port.
From Blog: Buried Alive
Date: 10th September 2009
Great Advice
Yes I definitely found your blog helpful and entertaining! I loved the part about Grace's broken flip-flop! I once broke my brother's flip-flops and we had to share mine on a three mile unplanned hike, in the dark, in Hawaii. He was not happy with me. Lava rocks are sharp. Your logistic descriptions are great! Sounds like good advice to do Pompeii 1st and see if we have time to climb Mt Vesuvius later. We are going to try to take every port with a flexible attitude. It will be hard sometimes since this is our 1st trip to Europe and we want to see so much. Rome is our 1st stop and we have too many things on or list for sure. The research has been a lot of fun and I am certainly learning a lot Thanks again for your great advice!
From Blog: Buried Alive
Great Advice
Yes I definitely found your blog helpful and entertaining! I loved the part about Grace's broken flip-flop! I once broke my brother's flip-flops and we had to share mine on a three mile unplanned hike, in the dark, in Hawaii. He was not happy with me. Lava rocks are sharp. Your logistic descriptions are great! Sounds like good advice to do Pompeii 1st and see if we have time to climb Mt Vesuvius later. We are going to try to take every port with a flexible attitude. It will be hard sometimes since this is our 1st trip to Europe and we want to see so much. Rome is our 1st stop and we have too many things on or list for sure. The research has been a lot of fun and I am certainly learning a lot Thanks again for your great advice!
From Blog: Buried Alive
Date: 2nd November 2009
pompeii guide
Thanks for the information! It was exactly what I was looking for. My new husband and I are going to be in Naples for 12 hours on a cruise stop and we want to see Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius in one day. Did you and Grace hire a guide at Pompeii or did you just wander around on your own? Are there guides available for hire at Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius? Are the van drivers at the train station for Mount Vesuvius guides as well or do they just drive you to the top? Thanks for all of your helpful information!
From Blog: Buried Alive
pompeii guide
Thanks for the information! It was exactly what I was looking for. My new husband and I are going to be in Naples for 12 hours on a cruise stop and we want to see Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius in one day. Did you and Grace hire a guide at Pompeii or did you just wander around on your own? Are there guides available for hire at Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius? Are the van drivers at the train station for Mount Vesuvius guides as well or do they just drive you to the top? Thanks for all of your helpful information!
From Blog: Buried Alive
Date: 3rd November 2009
pompeii guide
Hi Honeymooner, Congrats on your new marriage! Grace and I wondered around on our own, but the information desk at Pompeii does provide you with a free map and booklet describing the significant sites within Pompeii, which was helpful and informative for us. They also have audio guides available for purchases. There will be several tour guides for hire right outside the entrance to Pompeii. Haggle hard! So plenty of options at Pompeii. No tour guide is needed for Mt. Vesuvius. Our driver, mostly drove, but was able to provide some background about the mountain and the surrounding community while driving up the mountain. The only difficulty was that he didn't speak much English, but we were able to understand. Hope this helps!
From Blog: Buried Alive
pompeii guide
Hi Honeymooner, Congrats on your new marriage! Grace and I wondered around on our own, but the information desk at Pompeii does provide you with a free map and booklet describing the significant sites within Pompeii, which was helpful and informative for us. They also have audio guides available for purchases. There will be several tour guides for hire right outside the entrance to Pompeii. Haggle hard! So plenty of options at Pompeii. No tour guide is needed for Mt. Vesuvius. Our driver, mostly drove, but was able to provide some background about the mountain and the surrounding community while driving up the mountain. The only difficulty was that he didn't speak much English, but we were able to understand. Hope this helps!
From Blog: Buried Alive
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Glacier1
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Convinced
This is exactly what my husband and I would love to see in Naples! Our problem is we arrive on a ship and will only have 10 hours there. Do you think that is enough time to negotiate the public transportation(trains or buses) to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius from the port? Thank you for sharing your pictures and 1st hand experience in Naples.
From Blog: Buried Alive