Blogs from Pompei, Campania, Italy, Europe - page 5

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 After breakfast at the Garden Café we boarded our tour bus and were off to Pompeii a 30 minute drive from Naples. Our tour guide, Enzo, did a wonderful job describing ancient Pompeii and what life was like for those who called Pompeii home before that fateful day, August 24, 79 AD, when Mt. Vesuvius rained death upon not only Pompeii, but Herculaneum and Stabiae. Unfortunately, we did not see either the brothel or Colesseum on this tour as we did four years ago. However, that did not diminish the awe we experienced once again as we walked on the cobblestone streets once used centuries ago. From Pompeii we drove an hour to Sorrento, a lovely town on the Bay of Naples. We were given 1 ½ hours to explore on our ... read more

I woke up nice and early in preparation for our trip to Pompei. The day before, we had booked our train tickets and had a deadline. I packed up my stuff and soon it became panic time. While Gwosh were packing, I ran downstairs to check us out. They soon followed, we made a few croissants and wrapped in foil and started booking to the Termini train station. And I mean booked. Friggin Gwosh - times like these show how short my legs really are. I should have left when I was packed, getting a head start. I literally had to run every 10 steps and I still could not keep up! but, we made it. However, we had a hard time find our seats on the train to Naples (Napoli) and I suspect it had ... read more

I got up reasonably early today and had breakfast with my host, who gave me some info about Pompeii. He suggested certain areas not to miss, how to get there, and suggested that I get the ArteCard, which was 27 euros and included two archeological sites plus transportation for all around the area (including getting to Sorrento tomorrow) for three days. I got ready, got the card, and made my way to Pompeii. On the regional train platform at the main train station, there was an American couple who approached an American family and asked if they were in the right place. I overheard and said I was 95% sure it was right. Once aboard the correct train (I was right!) we chatted all the way to Pompeii. Boy, it's easy to meet people when you ... read more

Unfortunately, our stay in Amalfi was all too short. We had to depart early today for a long drive to Firenze. Our plan was to take the Autostrada all the way to Firenze, which is about 540km along the A1, and arrive by 5:30pm. But if that wasn't enough, we wanted to stop in to see the ancient ruins of Pompei beneath Mt Vesuvius. After drinking almost two bottles of wine from this region, it was the least we could do. While we tried to leave early, we couldn't. The streets (I use this term loosely) of Amalfi are closed until 8:30am to ensure the school children have a safe passage to school. So we were on the road by 8:45am for the return journey through the crazy coastal road. We must have been passed by ... read more

Wanted to start the day off heading up to Mountain Vesuvius and get a good view of the city but that didnt happen cause it looked like it was going to rain and there was clouds around the mountain. I just headed to the ruins and grabbed a bite to eat on the way. I love history and I wish I paid more attention to world history when I was in 7th grade in Ms Gardners class (i think that was the teachers name) Anyways I love to sit and think how many people have sat here or walked through this path especially when Im in Philly. Hope that makes sense. So I went through the back entrance and there was barely anyone around. I walked through the streets with out a map having no clue ... read more