Day 9 had us jump into the small vans while Caterina courageously stopped traffic outside our hotel, Albergo Savoia.
We made the drive to the main road to meet our SAT bus and our driver Salvatore, and were off to Sorrento and Hotel Mignon where we would spend two nights. Sorrento is also where we bid "Arrivederci", to Salvatore who had so expertly transported us over hundreds of miles of country roads and safely to our many stops. "Salute", Salvatore. After our hotel check in, we were off on our orientation walk in Sorrento with a much needed lunch and gelato stop at Gelateria David, and a gelato making demonstration. |
Caterina, in the floppy hat on the right, gathered us together for our orientation walk in Sorrento. We made our way to the train to Pompeii where we met our local guide, Gaetano, who was an expert on the history of the destroyed city. He gave us an excellent tour of Pompeii as we walked through the ruins, much of which remains buried by ash. |
Upon arriving in the destroyed city of Pompeii, and viewing the ruins from the site entry overlook, we were struck by how so large a city could have been so utterly destroyed.
We had seen the Pompeii world tour exhibit in Seattle several years ago, and while the body casts and other artifacts were impressive, actually seeing the city in ruins made the Seattle exhibit pale in comparison.
Our guide, Gaetano, was a master in bringing the scene to life with his colorful explanations and descriptions of what life must have been like prior to the eruption of Vesuvius, followed by the horror of enduring the falling hot pumice stone, and ultimately being buried for centuries. The city wasn't leveled by the blast, simply buried under many feet of volcanic rubble. Finding the remains 1500 years later led to the ongoing excavations, some of which are still in progress.
Visiting Pompeii was an excellent opportunity to expand our knowledge of the horror of the times. Our guide took us to parts of the city which most tour groups don't visit, so we had many quiet areas to ourselves. Taking the commuter train back to Sorrento was interesting in that the train station was apparently a haven for pick pockets, so our group made a game of deciding who were the good and bad actors around us. However, none of us experienced any problems at all.
We had seen the Pompeii world tour exhibit in Seattle several years ago, and while the body casts and other artifacts were impressive, actually seeing the city in ruins made the Seattle exhibit pale in comparison.
Our guide, Gaetano, was a master in bringing the scene to life with his colorful explanations and descriptions of what life must have been like prior to the eruption of Vesuvius, followed by the horror of enduring the falling hot pumice stone, and ultimately being buried for centuries. The city wasn't leveled by the blast, simply buried under many feet of volcanic rubble. Finding the remains 1500 years later led to the ongoing excavations, some of which are still in progress.
Visiting Pompeii was an excellent opportunity to expand our knowledge of the horror of the times. Our guide took us to parts of the city which most tour groups don't visit, so we had many quiet areas to ourselves. Taking the commuter train back to Sorrento was interesting in that the train station was apparently a haven for pick pockets, so our group made a game of deciding who were the good and bad actors around us. However, none of us experienced any problems at all.
Exploring on our own in Sorrento, we came across I Giardini di Cataldo, a shady lemon grove not far from Hotel Mignon, where we enjoyed refreshing lemon sorbet and gelato.
After our rest stop we wandered to the harbor overlook where we had a good view of the Bay of Naples, with the city of Naples in the distance. Looming over all was the ever present Mt. Vesuvius, which brought back the fresh memories of our earlier visit to Pompeii. |
Sorrento has an picturesque walking street, not far from the hotel, lined with shops and cafes which was a lively venue for window shopping, rubbing elbows with the locals and imbibing in local beverages.
Our evening consisted of an excellent dinner at the home of a local family, Teresa and Luigi, who graciously welcomed us to their table and fed us a huge feast they prepared for us. Luigi, a retired sea captain, made the rounds of the table and made us all feel at home.
After such a fulfilling and enjoyable dinner with Teresa, Luigi and their extended family, it was back to Hotel Mignon for a good rest before heading off to Naples the next morning.
Our evening consisted of an excellent dinner at the home of a local family, Teresa and Luigi, who graciously welcomed us to their table and fed us a huge feast they prepared for us. Luigi, a retired sea captain, made the rounds of the table and made us all feel at home.
After such a fulfilling and enjoyable dinner with Teresa, Luigi and their extended family, it was back to Hotel Mignon for a good rest before heading off to Naples the next morning.