From our base in Sorrento, we took a half hour train ride north to Pompei, at the base of Mount Vesuvius. Its was one of those places I've always wanted to see, and it was amazing.
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Pompei was destroyed and completely buried during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompei under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But probably of most fascinating are the details of the private homes, the eerie casts of people and animals caught in the eruption, the utter humanness of the tragedy seen at Pompei.
We started this 2 week adventure in Rome, Italy and ended in Athens, Greece. This time of year the weather was great and it was before the big surge of summer tourists. Our itinerary: 3 days in Rome; 4 days in Sorrento with day trips to Pompei, Capri, Amalfi coast; 1 overnight ferry from Italy to Greece; 3 days in Athens; 4 days relaxing on the island of Aegina.The people were warm and friendly and the food was delicioso!
