We spent the last couple days of this trip in Pompeii as our base and took a couple day trips from there. Our first stop was to the Pompeii archeological site. Our hotel was situated about a 20 minute walk from the site. We booked a guided tour to help us explore this massive site. Pompeii was a thriving and wealthy city with a population of roughly 20,000 people prior to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD which buried the city under 4 to 6 metres of volcanic ash and pumice. Pompeii was a seaside city until this eruption which pushed the coastline out 700 metres. As the city was buried with volcanic ash and pumice, it preserved the city allowing archaeologists to discover the city’s way of life and an insight into the Roman urban planning of that time. It was fascinating to walk around the city grounds and see all the buildings and streets excavated and imagining what it was like to live, work and play in the city during its prime. Based on some of the discoveries it seemed like the city was fairly “modern” for its time.
On another day we took the train to Sorrento in the early morning and from there booked a boat ride over to Capri. With very limited time we had to be very selective on what we wanted to do on Capri. So we decided to take a bus to Anacapri and take the chairlift up to the highest point of the island, Mounte Solaro which is 589 metres above sea level. The chairlift was a cool experience, single wooden seats with only a bar (not locked) holding you in. This might not be the best option for the faint of heart, but we thought it was awesome. At the top of Mounte Solaro you had spectacular views of the Gulf of Naples and Salerno and several rock formations including the Farglioni formations and you could get a glimpse of the Blue Grotto. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the summit before taking the chairlift back down and walking through the streets of Anacapri while waiting for the bus to take us back down to the main town of Capri before catching the boat back to Sorrento.
Sorrento isn’t a very large city and is perched on the cliffside overlooking the Bay of Naples. Sorrento is the birthplace of lemoncello. We wandered the streets which are filled with shops, markets, and restaurants. At one point we stumbled upon a wedding coming out of one of the many churches and we stopped to watch the celebrations for a bit. Before taking the train back to Pompeii, we found a great restaurant, Azz! Italia Tavern and enjoyed a fabulous Italian meal. It was a great way to cap off our amazing trip!!
To travel is to live… until next time! Life is good!!
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