Planned Itinerary: Naples

Naples, Italy
Friday, June 19th
Hours: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm in port



This port incorporates both Naples, Capri and Pompeii. This port also is where we have our 3rd and final tour with the Rome in Limo tour company (www.romeinlimo.com). Because our group of 8 booked 3 tours with them, we got a discount. Our cost, which includes the all-day tour, tip and guide for Pompeii, is $271.50E.

This day trip is designed to enjoy an overview of the Amalfi Coast, visit the picturesque village of Positano, and explore the archaeological site of Pompeii.

Our port is in Naples (or Napoli), where the untidy sprawl at the heart of this city is one of its authentic charms. Did you know that pizza was invented in Naples? And a good choice would be Pizza Margherita, flavored with tomato and cheese, and eaten folded in half.

After our driver picks us up directly at the port, we'll head towards Pompeii. Together, the live volcano and the extensive remains of the Roman City, which the volcano destroyed at a stroke on August 24, AD 79, form one of the greatest sights of southern Italy.


The unmistakable bulk of Mount Vesuvius (or Vesuvio), looms inland to the east of Naples. It has erupted several times over the years, overwhelming the settlements on its lower slopes - most recently in 1944. While scientists monitor the mountain and try to predict the next blowout, visitors can walk up the steep, broad, cinder-strewn track to the crater's rim and look in.

Pompeii

In Pompeii, we've booked a guide to help us explore. We'll walk along the streets and peer into the houses and shops, exploring the details of murals, bathhouses, and shop signs. Life ended here in AD 79, when Vesuvio spewed out a cloud of poisonous volcanic gas, followed by a blanket of ash. Many citizens died where they stood; plaster casts of the spaces left in the ash layer by their long-since decomposed bodies can be seen, some raising their arms against the onslaught.

Tips: There is a bar/restaurant with self-service at the site, and numerous restaurants outside. The site here is huge, so a guide can be very helpful; also, be prepared for a lot of walking. It can also be very hot here; take a bottle of water with you.

Next, we'll drive part of the Amalfi Coast, a 50-mile stretch of coast between Positano and Salerno, which is a highlight of any visit to southern Italy. A zig-zag road along jagged cliffs links vertiginous villages that seem to tumble into the azure sea - a sleepy confusion of pastel-painted houses with red-tiled roofs and steeply terraced fields, overflowing with a bounty of vines, olives and citrus fruits.



We'll stop for lunch in a local restaurant in Sorrento, which is a well-established and laid-back tourist stop. Here's where we plan on buying some of the famous vivid yellow lemon liqueur, limoncello.


After lunch (and some limoncello!), we'll drive further down the coast to Positano, surely the most beautiful seaside village of the coast. We'll stroll through this quaint village with its narrow, winding streets, where we can shop or head to the beach.

Our driver will then (unfortunately) take us back to the port - and once I'm home, I'll post reviews and my own photos of this beautiful port!