Week 6: Famous Last Words--Pliny the Elder

"Fortune favors the brave; steer to where Pompeiantus is!"

Who has not heard of Pompeii, learned of the tragedy of an entire city buried under rock and ash?  Who has not seen the images of the plaster casts of people, prostrate or cowering, suffocating from noxious gas and heat as ash rained down over their heads?  This weekend, I got to visit the very city of Pompeii itself, and it was. . . beyond words.

However, my weekend did not begin in Pompeii, but instead in Naples (unfortunately possibly my least favorite Italian city so far).  We stayed at a hostel by the train station with an adorable Chinese family.  Of course, the pizza and calzone in Naples were uber-fantastic--if you are ever in Naples, do yourself a favor and grab a pizza and pasta at La Taverna de Re Leone.  And the view of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples from Castel dell'Ovo during sunset was also pretty insane. . .

Saturday morning began with a huge bowl of a delicious, traditional Chinese breakfast that was some kind of noodle soup with beef and vegetables.  Then we headed out on the Circumvesuviana train to Ercolano (aka Herculaneum--this is when the nerdy Latin student in me goes aaaaahhhhhhh!  haha) where we took a bus partway up Mt. Vesuvius before hiking the rest of the way up the volcano to the edge of the crater.  Traveling up the mountain there were various sculptures along the curves of the road, including a huge skull lying on its side carved out of the stone of the mountain, and you just got the feeling that people were never meant to travel to Vesuvius.

The hike to the top of Vesuvius was up a steep slope with slick soil, but it was definitely worth the hike.  Looking into the crater with sulfur smoke rising from the sides of the crater. . . It was gorgeous, but ominous.  And the view from the top over the Bay of Naples was also pretty unreal, especially with clouds rolling in with the oncoming storm.

By the time we reached Pompeii it had started to drizzle, but the rain simply added to the somber atmosphere.  Much of the time you are within the city you can see the outline of Vesuvius on the horizon, and I could just imagine what it would have been like seeing a giant mushroom cloud on the horizon as the volcano rained ash and stone on the city in its heyday.

Inside the city itself, you walk on the streets and see the ruts left by ancient carts on the cobblestone roads, the frescoes and ancient political graffiti that decorate the walls, the pottery that was so much a part of everyday life.  Buildings like the House of the Faun are all but intact, showing what life for the rich might have been like back when the city was full of life.  Words cannot describe the impact my experience in Pompeii had. . .

After Pompeii we headed by bus down the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento to Bomerano.  There we stayed in an adorable little hostel a few minutes walk from one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on--Sentiere degli Dei, or the Path of the Gods.  Again, even with intermittent rain, the vistas were beyond description.  We hiked up the side of the mountains, standing inches away from the cliff face, looking down at the clouds that were rolling up the mountain towards us.  We viewed sheep and vineyards and goat herders, saw the coastline and ocean as it was lit up by the sun peeking through the clouds.  We landed in a small town called Nocelli, then followed the roads a few kilometers down to Positano, where we caught a bus back to Sorrento.

On the train from Sorrento to Naples we met a fellow American from Minnesota, with whom we talked for hours and then ate dinner.  After a few hours in Naples we took a FrecciaRossa train (the best and fastest of Italian trains in my experience--they even gave us free drinks and snacks, haha) back to Arezzo, where I promptly crashed the second I laid down on my bed.

And that's that--another weekend of travel in bella Italia!  Ciao!!!

Image Information.  All of these are personal photos, taken from Feb. 20-22, 2015.  In order, they are: Vesuvius over ruins of Pompeii; Vesuvius as seen over bay from Naples; sulfur smoke in crater of Vesuvius; view of bay from top of Vesuvius; entrance to Pompeii; pottery and plaster casts at Pompeii; vineyard and sheep as seen from Path of the Gods; view of Amalfi Coast from the bus to Sorrento; view of Amalfi Coast from Path of the Gods.