The Amalfi Coast

Monday July 16,  Boat tour of the Amalfi Coast.

Our boat tour began from Sorrento.  After breakfast we caught the commuter train from our location to Sorrento.  There are a lot of people who commute to Sorrento!  The train was standing room only!  We were met at the train station by a van to take us down to the marina.  For those unfamiliar with

Sorrento, it is a town build on the steep and rugged coast line typical of most of the coastal towns and villages of this area of Italy.  The narrow streets continuously curve, turn and switchback.  You are either going down or up!  It was a rather quaint and picturesque town.  I think it would make a wonderful seaside retreat to put your feet up and spend some time (if you had some!) contemplating life (or for some of us, your next meal!). 
The street leading to the marina was a series of switchbacks that our van had to stop and back up in each turn to get around it.  Some in the van, you'll have to guess who, may have had a tad bit of anxiety during these maneuvers!  We checked in at the tour office and waited for our boat.  Our group numbered 12.  There were a young couple from California, a grandma, mom, dad and son from England, a young couple from Denmark and the four of us.  We were guided to our boat, a fairly large cabin cruiser captained by Massimo, who I think may have been a true Roman!  He wasn't much taller than Munchkin and according to our Colosseum guide was likely the average height of the ancient Romans!
When we got underway, Massimo requested some of us to have a seat on the bow of the boat, to help distribute the weight.  I volunteered and myself the young couple and the Brit father took a seat on the cushions up front.  13 on this boat was not a bit crowded. 
We headed off on our cruise.  There were a lot of yachts anchored along the Sorrento shores.  Some quite large.  We went by the Royal Clipper anchored just off shore.  This is a small cruise ship from
the Star Clipper cruise lines.  From far it looks like a "tall ship" as this cruise ship has masts and sails!  Not far along Massimo guided the boat into a small cove where there was a small waterfall cascading into the sea.  As he edged the boat closer I stepped forward to the bow peak to put my hand into the falling stream.  Well Massimo is a master of his craft and he gently put me completely into the falls!  The water was cool and refreshing!  I was wearing my tilley

hat, so didn't get my hair wet!  It didn't take long for the rest of me to dry once we resumed our cruise.  It was another hot and sunny day!  A bit later Massimo again drew close to the cliff and slowly put the entire boat into a small grotto.  I didn't stand up in the front this time, as there was a strong likely-hood of losing some bark on the top of the bean if I had of because of
the swells moving the boat up and down!  There was a bit of wind and as a result we did run into some rougher water. 
Our cruise took us from Sorrento around the tip of the peninsula (Punta Campanella) with the Isle of Capri off the west and east along the famed Amalfi Coast line.  We stopped at both Positano and Amalfi.  Both of these towns are like Sorrento and build up the side of a steep and rugged shoreline.  At Positano we lost the Brits!  Unfortunately Mom Brit came down with a pretty sever case of sea sickness and couldn't stay on the boat any longer.  I felt sorry for her as the journey back for them was now by bus on the snaking coastal road, not the best for someone suffering with motion sickness but I guess for her the lesser of two evils. 
At our stop at Amalfi, the young couple from California left us.  This was a planned stop for them and they would be staying a few days in Amalfi. 
So our return trip to Sorrento was just the 6 of us.  On the way back Massimo tied up a nice spot and myself and the Danes took the opportunity for a dip in the sea!  It was very refreshing!
The cruise was a fantastic way to see the Amalfi coast!  I think it was a better choice than either renting a car and driving it or taking a bus tour.  Driving the coast would definitely have given you a different perspective of it, however if we had of driven it ourselves, the driver would not have been able to see much and the narrow winding cliff side road would have definitely created some anxiety for some!  The view of the coast from the sea was spectacular and I'm glad we opted for this tour.
The train back to Pompeii was not nearly as crowded.  After this full day tour, the Vittoria was a welcome sight.  The bed was very comfortable and was occupied early! 

Ancient Pompeii!

Sunday, July 15th

The Vittoria offered a rather nice breakfast which we enjoyed before setting out for today's tour.  We walked up to the tour office and seamlessly acquired our tickets.  We were soon following our guide, Charlotte (and her pink umbrella) past the gathering lines waiting to enter the site.  It was about 9am when we started out and already we could feel the temperature rising!  We met an interesting fellow in our group, Tom.  Tom is a sailor.  He is on year 8 of a 10 year around the world sailing adventure.

  He was sailing solo at this time as 4 years ago while sailing around Australia and New Zealand, his wife became ill and passed away.  I'd peg Tom to be in his early to mid 70's.  He said he had a 50' ketch (a two masted sail boat) and was moored in Naples right now.  He would be sailing around the Mediterranean a while longer before then head across the Atlantic and spend a year or so in the Caribbean.  Then through the Canal and back up to San Francisco.  He said he had a home in the Bay area.  He wasn't sure how long he would stay put there, that was too far in the future for him to make

solid plans!  I believe we met an in the flesh, real life, modern day adventurer! Our friend Max (our sailing expert) would have really enjoyed talking to Tom.  Max would appreciate the significance of sailing a 2 masted 50 footer solo!  And Max, all of his rigging is manual, no electric assists!
On to the ancient city!  Our guide, Charlotte, (who was 7 months pregnant!) had a great personality and was very knowledgeable about the history of the city.  She toured us through the highlights of the site and her descriptions and narratives helped you let your imagination paint wonderful pictures of how the city would have looked before the eruption.  About 170 acres of the old city have been excavated.  At it zenith, ancient Pompeii was home to an estimated 20,000 people.  The modern city of Pompeii has a population of about 25,000.  The excavations have uncovered 1,150 victims of the eruption.  Archaeologists estimate there were about 2,000 total lost in the city of Pompeii.  The majority of the population fled during the early stages of the eruption.  In ancient times, the area surrounding Vesuvius was heavily populated.  It is estimated
there could have been up to 30,000 casualties of the eruption of 79.  When Vesuvius blew that August day in AD 79, it turned day to night and rained about 15 cm (6") per hour of ash, pumice and

pyroclastic materials onto the city.  When it was over, the ancient city of Pompeii lay beneath about 5 meters (17feet) of volcanic ash.  It wasn't until the late 1700s that it was "rediscovered".  According to site archaeologists there is evidence of looter activity prior to the time of "discovery".  Nearly all of the ancient city has been excavated now.  Walking along the streets among the crowds of tourists taking in the sights, probably gives a fairly close representation of the activity of the ancient city.  For me it was not difficult to let my mind drift and imagine the hustle and bustle of the sight-seers to be a normal day 2000 years ago!  The main street, lined with shops, the multiple water fountains, with people gathered around to have a cool refreshing drink to relieve the heat of the day.  The stone streets and buildings had witnessed this thousands of years ago, and although in "ruins", Pompeii lives again through the millions of visitors who, for a brief moment,  make the journey back in time.

For me, seeing these ancient cities and history in "real life", gives you a sort of new perspective on what we were taught and have read about.  To walk around those spots I have only read about truly enhanced my understanding of what the books had described to me.
I won't bother giving you a description of the excavation.  I'm sure you can find a much better and comprehensive narrative of Pompeii on Google!  But what I will say is; seeing these things in person gives you and your imagination a wonderful experience and when you are in Italy don't pass up the opportunity to see them!
Italy in July does take its toll and this day was no exception!  After the official tour ended (about 3

hours), we walked over to one have a look at one last mosaic.  The "guard dog" warning.  It is a tile mosaic at the entrance to a home showing a large snarling dog.  A beware of dog sign! 
We returned to the Vittoria after the tour to "freshen up" and get ready for our evening meal. 
These excursions in the heat and humidity really take a lot out of you and our heads often hit the pillow a bit sooner than normal!


Monday, the Amalfi coast by boat, which meant another early morning!