Italy Vacation - Day 2

Today we got up and enjoyed breakfast on our balcony.  It was divine!  Homemade croissants with marmalade inside, yogurt, hot chocolate, juice....MmmMmmMmm

Pompeii

We are headed for Pompeii today.  I was really excited to go see it because I have been fascinated by the ancient city since elementary school when I watched a special on tv with my dad.  Pompeii was a city in its prime until it was wrecked by an earthquake in 62 AD.  Reconstruction began immediately, but the extent of the damage was so great - repairs took a very long time.  17 years later when Vesuvius suddenly erupted to bury it under ash and rock, Pompeii was still an ongoing construction site.  This mix of Etruscan-Greek-Roman society, is a jewel of architecture, sculptures, paintings, mosaics, engineering and daily life.

We walked around the ruins of the amphitheater, homes, businesses, theaters, bath houses, cemetery, temples, brothels and market places.  Strolled down ancient streets and through neighborhoods.  You can tell by the buildings that this society was booming.  Pompeii was a busy place with a definite shady side and the people who lived their were very wealthy.  Not much has changed in the way of how we plan our cities and buildings.  Even the way we eat and prepare our food.  Their dishes, water pitchers, utensils and cookery are much the same as I have in my own kitchen...except mine aren't made with such fine materials.  Pretty awesome!

Here is your visual history lesson for today:

The Ampitheater

Built around 70 BC, 

this is one of the oldest and best preserved amphitheaters in existence.  

It held over 20,000 spectators.

House of Venus in the shell

Damaged by a bomb during WWII.  This house was pretty impressive.  Lots of rooms, a court yard that overlooked its gardens and a small pond.  This painting on the wall is of Venus who was the protector of Pompeii.

 House of Julius Polybius

This home dates from the 2nd century BC and occupies most of the block.  

Other homes of interest.  

The artwork on the walls was really spectacular, 

especially to see how vibrant the colors were and still are.

The Necropolis

The Necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs, of ancient civilizations.  The word is derived from Greek and literally means "city of the dead".

Porta Nocera...the gate that leads to the necropolis.

They cremated bodies here and the ashes stored in an urn walled into the tomb, or buried and indicated with a marker in the shape of a human bust.

The Forum

Located at the intersection between the two main streets of the original urban center, the Forum was the city's main square, where cart traffic was forbidden: it was surrounded on all sides by religious, political and business buildings.

A view of the forum with Vesuvius rising in the background.  Quite a grand site!

Forum Granary

The produce market was built after 62AD, and may not have been completed or was not in use at the time of the eruption: it took the form of porticoed rooms, and was flanked by a large latrine.  It's now used to store various archeological materials from Pompeii; a few plaster casts of victims of the eruption are also on display.

 

Around town

business district.  this street is lined with stores

part of the basilica

the Temple of Apollo

 

Amalfi Coast

After visiting Pompeii we got into the car and drove South to the town of Salerno.  Then we circled back to drive along the Amalfi Coast back to Positano.  Once again we found ourselves on the tiny, windy mountain road that skirts the cliffs.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  We drove through a lot of quaint little towns that look like they're straight out of postcards.  We stopped in the town of Amalfi to take in the view and explore.  We enjoyed watching the locals, gelato, the local church and a small maritime museum.  

We ate in Positano and this is their local church.  The bell tower rang every hour and played longer at 8am/pm

 **Positano hot chocolate...9

 

Italy Vacation - Day 1

Italy, oh Italy...how do I begin to explain all we saw and did.  Italy was everything I hoped it would be and more.  This trip was perfecto!

Trent's flight was delayed so I had to find my own way to our hotel (which was a bit of a hassle, cabbie tried to rip me off, but I was onto him) to await his arrival.  I was exhausted from not being able to sleep on the flight so it turned out to be nice that Trent didn't arrive until the following day.  As soon as I was checked into my room, I fell on the bed and passed out!  It's pretty amazing what a few uninterrupted hours of sleep will do for you.  I can't remember the last time I was alone in a quite room without at least hearing kids in the background...aaahh bliss!!

Trent arrived early the following day and after some reacquainting we headed out for a morning stroll and breakfast in Napoli.  It was so fun to walk around arms intertwined...felt like we were newly weds again!! 

doesn't he look good!!!

After our walk we checked out of the hotel and headed to the train station to spend the day in Sorrento and then head to a B&B in Positano (a magical little town on the Amalfi Coast).  We had to wait for the car rental place to open, Italians love their siestas, so we ate pasta at a pleasant cafe, talked, watched passers by and drank hot chocolate.

The drive down the coast to Positano was sublime.  It was overcast, but the sun was setting so the ocean views were spectacular.  We were a little frightened by other drivers on the road...crazy doesn't even begin to describe some of the driving we witnessed.  We soon got over it and began to laugh at the insane way they travel the roads there.  It was like driving in a video game.  Italians don't pay attention to speed limits, or signs, they pass when ever they want (even on curves), they honk their horns to say hello just as often as to say get out of the way, etc.  I'm sure I'll say more about it in a later post.....pure comedy!!

oh...they also park where ever they want, no matter the size of the road or how many cars are already parked there.

In Positano we stayed at Villa Mary.  It's a delightful B&B run by Mary, the coolest lady on the block.  We loved our cute little room and the view was to die for!!  We took these from our balcony.

After settling in, we took off to explore the town.  Because the town is built on the side of the mountain, the narrow sidewalks run behind the houses and in between the buildings.  It was a fun way to travel around the town and we got lost a few times.  The town is full of steps too, I'd have buns of steel if I lived there.  We ate at a restaurant down on the water called Chez Black...yummy!  We had fish and pasta the first night and pizza the next.

**A little side note.  For most of our trip the weather was quite chilly.  We ended up having hot chocolate in every town we visited.  After a few days and for our own amusement, we started seeking it out and keeping track of how good they were.  We scored them 0 to 10, with 10 being the best!!

Sorrento hot chocolate...7