Day One of our bus tour was a fairly early start, so we were very happy to be staying at the hostel that served as the departure point for the three day excursion. It was Wednesday morning and we were headed to see some points of southern Italy. Our stops would include Pompeii, Sorrento, the Isle of Capri, Amalfi, Ravello and then back to Rome.
Our group consisted of "heaps of Aussies", a few Kiwis, a Canadian and two Americans. All walks of life were represented with Students, Tradesmen, Lawyers and the Unemployed. As our fearless leader, Mel, started initial intros there wasn't much response at 8am, but conversation began to pick up after we stopped for coffee and breakfast.
The bus trip was beautiful as Rome and its "suburbs" gave way to farmlands and towns built on top of the hills and mountains. Sometime between 10:30 and 11 (don't quote me on that time) Mt Vesuvius began to loom in the distance as we headed to Pompeii. We continued to make our way down the coast and as we approached Sorrento, Mel told us of the Camorra Mafia. If you want to details, check out the book Gomorrah that paints a solid picture of this family's history.
We arrived at Pompeii around 11:30 and had some time to try a Granita before heading into the ruins with our guide Carmine. A Granita is delicious by the way. It's lemon juice, sugar, water and slushed ice. Basically it is an incredible slurpee, but the area is known for their lemons and you get the feeling its a bit more fresh/ natural.
The uncovered city was for sure a site to see. We were there for the highlights like the theatre, the gladiator gym, spa, brothels with detailed frescos and the main forum. It would be every easy to spend a full day walking around the city if one wanted. The site has about 1/3 left uncovered for future generations to have some fun as well. Carmine explained that the ruins start about six feet under the surface, so they don't have to far to dig. I personally found the "rich persons" home to be the most interesting part of the tour. Due to the ash that covered the city, a majority of the frescos in the house were still intact showing the full array of colors. Hard to believe that paintings from 79AD are right in front of you.
The tour concluded after about an hour and forty five minutes. I for one was very glad we went to the ancient city. Having read books and heard stories since elementary school it was enjoyable to finally see it all person.
After the tour we had time for a quick bite outside the gates and then back on the bus to Sorrento.
This road was quite a site to see. Driving on the coastal road in the mountains that overlook the Bay of Naples was breathtaking. It's hard to comprehend how these homes were constructed into the cliffs to make up all the small towns along the way. As we pulled into Sorento we headed for the far side of town for our Hostel, Village Campeggio Santa Fortunada, home base for the next two nights.
Check in was painless and we made the 10 minute cliff walk to the slab of rock that served as the beach for a quick swim prior to showering for our group dinner in town.
With everyone together we went to try limoncello and have a little lesson from a local maker in town. A total character, Tony had us all laughing as he took us through the process and offered samples of the candy he makes at the store (we all got to watch him sample them first of course).
We then had some free time before the meal and everyone bought a beer or proseco, etc. and made our way to the best view in town. Ashley and I walked around the streets before meeting back up with the group for dinner and some post meal drinks.
We then had some free time before the meal and everyone bought a beer or proseco, etc. and made our way to the best view in town. Ashley and I walked around the streets before meeting back up with the group for dinner and some post meal drinks.
Quite a day to open up the trip.
Ashley's snaps from the day...
Amalfi Coast Tour: Day 1 - Snaps from August 26th from Ashley Habeck on Vimeo.
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