Positano, Italy

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Naples-

Mama Mia- Our guides favortie words.

Today we are in Naples. Pizza, Pompeii, Mt Vesuvius, Positano, and Sorento are all on the agenda. Trey and I went to Houston last year to see the Pompeii exhibit. I can’t wait to see the real deal. I will take plenty of pictures just for you, Russellito.

Pompeii-

In Ad 79 mt vesusivius erupted and froze the Roman trading city of Pompeii in time. Today it is a perfect view of life in the first century AD. Over 30 feet of volcanic ash buried the city after the poisonous gases killed everyone in the city. Pompeii was south of Rome and was wealthy from international trading.

The city was surprisingly large. I never expected it to be this big. The people were obviously literate. We found advertisements on many commercial walls. Everything was in Latin, the language of the Romans.

They had fast food. We found many examples of restaurants with heated pots for keeping ready to go meals hot. Archaeologists say that this city was international. Sailors from all parts of the world came her to trade. Food in the style of their homeland was readily available.

The baths were available to all as well. Romans liked to work all day and head to the gymnasium afterwards. They would follow this up with a trip to the baths. In the baths there were the available options of the hot steam bath, the hot sauna, the hot tub, and the cold water to cool at the end. Water was heated by wood burning fires underneath the floors. In the case of the steam room the water was not poured until the floors were exceptionally hot by the fire below.

It was always god to be King in Roman times. The wealthy had lives that were as good as or better than mine today. The homes of the wealthy were large and had frescos, mosaics, and decorations that would surpass all the wealthy of today.

After touring Pompeii we jumped back in the car and headed to Sorrento. Sorrento is on the Bay of Naples on the opposite side of Mt Vesuvius. This small town is wonderfully located over white steep cliffs and offers a fantastic view over the Bay. Sorrento lies on a terrace high above the water and is enclosed by impressive rocks of the limestone mountains. Sorrento is famous for breathtaking sunsets and fragrances of orange and lemon gardens.

From Sorrento we headed to Poisitano.

Positano, also called the “Gem of the divine coast”, is probably the most amazing village of the Amalfi Coast and will not fall short of your expectations for its incomparable beauty. It is positioned at the centre of the Gulf, with houses and villas built on terraces, amongst beautiful gardens planted with palm trees, orange and lemon groves.

Positano is the most popular destination on the Amalfi coast and requires driving on roads that have drop off of several hundred feet. We were passed by Motorcycles, Ferraris, Porches, that seemed to have no fear of the winding narrow roads. Behind each curve of the 30 mile long road, a new breathtaking view would appear. Most of Positano is elevated but there is a small beach in the center of town.

On the way, we stopped by a fruit stand and bought some beautiful fresh fruit. The sun and rich volcanic soils of Italy always produce the best fruits and vegetables.

Our day finished with an awesome meal on the beach in Sorrento. Fresh seafood and pasta local wine and some Limoncello to top it off.