Amalfi, Positano and Pompeii

Thursday, 15 May

Up early today, with a sack breakfast prepared by the hotel because we were being picked up by a van for a 3-hour trip to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. This is a long trip! Of course, the van driver got his license in Italy. (We assume they have licenses, although probably the purpose of the driving test must be to see how fast you can get from one point to the next!) As our driver told us, traffic signals are only suggestions, and it seems traffic lanes are, too, because no one pays any attention to them. Fair warning to travelers planning to drive in Italy!

A few photos of how most cars look here:

The Amalfi coast is beautiful. You could never live here if you don’t like stairs. These houses are built on the sides of cliffs overlooking the Tyrennhian Sea. We suggest staying here or In Positano for a few days instead of just driving here or coming on a van. There is a lot to enjoy that cannot be done in an hour or two. Beautiful ceramics ae made here; the town of Vietri is nearby.

Positano was our next visit, and we stopped for lunch here. Delicious pizza margherita and vino!

On to Pompeii... a very interesting site. Pompeii is near Naples, and in 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, covering the city with 13 to 20 feet of ash and pumice. About 4000 people lost their lives out of a population of 20,000. It was a very developed city, with an elegant supermarket, gymnasium, and even a bordello with painted frescoes. We walked all over the city, and it was quite sizeable. The city was discovered in the 16th century, and is still being uncovered. Artifacts are housed in large storerooms and in a museum in Naples.

The gray overcast afternoon contributed to the atmosphere of a doomed city.

Steambath in the gymasium.

Artifacts in the storerooms.

And this is how big lemons grow outside of Pompeii!