Fans of this blog, know that I can’t stay home for long. It's my curse. I have the
travel bug, and when I get the urge to splurge, it's usually on a plane ticket.
Which
is how I ended up in Italy last month. Southern Italy, to be exact. Naples,
Capri, Pompeii, Positano (on the Amalfi coast) and Salerno.
Italy
was rainy and cold (maybe that’s why I got such a great deal on the plane
ticket) but it was still amazing.
Take
Pompeii, for instance. It was buried under lava by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
in 79 A.D. but it has been excavated to such an amazing extent that you can still see perfectly
preserved amphorae (clay jugs) where wine and oil were stored in buildings:
And this amazing mural that adorned the wall of someone's home. Can you believe this is almost 2,000 years old??
One of the most interesting parts of the city was these stepping stones, which
helped keep people’s feet dry when crossing flooded roads (and to avoid all the
refuse people threw into the street). The stones are placed wide enough so that a wagon
going down the street can pass in between them! Clever, and eminently practical:
Of
course, Pompeii is (unfortunately) also known for all the lava-covered dead bodies of the
people who were not able to flee the eruption in time. Very sad:
The
Isle of Capri was very picturesque. On the one sunny day there, I was able to
take a tiny boat into the Blue Grotto and see the amazing color of the Gulf of
Naples reflected up into the cave. Can’t do this if you’re claustrophobic,
though – you literally have to lie down in the tiny rowboat to squeeze into the
mouth of the cave!
Despite
all the things I did in Naples, Pompeii, and Capri, the tiny village of
Positano on the Amalfi Coast was definitely the most picturesque part of my trip. Positano is built vertically up a mountainside…
And
the view down to the sea is amazing…
The
one lane streets are One Way, which makes driving and walking difficult…
But
it makes the streets very quaint…
As
well as the picture postcard-perfect apartments…
But going up and down stairs all day every day to get anywhere was KILLER… Stairs to go to lunch, stairs to go to the beach,
stairs to go shopping. Heck, 111 steps just to get to breakfast!
But
at least the stairs helped me work off some of the calories of all the
delicious meals I had…
So
now I’m home again, and dreaming of my next adventure. Any suggestions?
Jenna
4 comments:
Wonderful! I adore Italy, but it has been way to long since my last visit. Thanks for letting me browse your photo album and for the fabulous memories your pictures evoked.
I've been there and fell in love with Positano. Heaven on earth. Remember it well. Thanks for the pretty pictures. Oh yes, I also remember all those dang stairs.
Gorgeous pictures. Thanks so much for posting them. It looks like a dream (with steps). My fitbit would be thrilled right along with me.
Happy travels!
Yes, lovely pictures. I suggest Croatia if you love beautiful coastline scenery and quaint towns.
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