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| The Sorrento Peninsula |
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| The Sorrento Peninsula (Sorrento, far right) |
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| Church near the main square (Exterior) |
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| Church (interior) |
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| Pompeii: Gladiators' Courtyard |
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| Pompeii: shop entrances along a street |
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| Pompeii: shop entrances along a street |
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| Pompeii: fresco, inside a private residence |
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| Pompeii: mosaic, on floor of a private residence |
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| Pompeii: main street |
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| Pompeii: forum and Temple of Jupiter; Background, Mt. Vesuvius |
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| Pompeii: a victim's body |
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| Pompeii: a dog's body |
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| Pompeii: Temple of Apollo |
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| Pompeii: outer walls |
Day 12, 11/21/2010: Naples
The city of Naples, though dingy and somewhat crime-ridden, is still important to tourists because of its convenient location amidst many of Italy’s finest attractions: the Sorrento Peninsula, the Isle of Capri, the Amalfi Coast, the ancient city of Pompeii, and the volcano that caused the city’s demise, Mt. Vesuvius.
It was necessary to maximize the limited time we had in order to see the most of this attraction-rich area. We booked a shore excursion entitled, “Sorrento and Pompeii combination: tour and on your own,” so that we could have our transportation secured but still do what we wanted to in our own free time.
Our first stop was at a woodworking factory in Sorrento. Mom and I skipped the demonstration of this traditional craft in favor of our own mission: to try to catch the hydrofoil ferry to the Isle of Capri. Striding along the main street in pursuit of our quest, we stopped to photograph a beautiful 15th-century church along the way. It was Sunday, so people were just coming in to worship as we headed back out. Within minutes of walking, we found a tourist information office. The hydrofoils didn’t run often now during the off-season, so the transfers didn’t allow us enough time to depart, spend time in Capri, and return with ample time to meet back up with our excursion group. Our mission foiled, we now had approximately two and a half hours to kill in Sorrento. We stopped at a café where mom had an espresso and cappuccino and I had a delicious lemon tart cake.
Sorrento is known for its vistas, its churches, and its shops, many of which sell high-end Italian leather or clothes and accessories. We spent a little time looking at the views, but could only do that for so long, and I neither wanted to nor could afford to shop. So we left Sorrento without having done much else besides killing a little time. After that, we started our journey towards the ruins of Pompeii.
Most know the story behind Pompeii. The city, built in 700 BC on the banks of a now-receded river, thrived until Mt. Vesuvius erupted and razed it in 70 AD. The current-day archeological site, as with the other ancient cities, is only a fraction of Pompeii’s original size. It is still the biggest site we’ve seen by far, and according to our guide would take about two whole days to visit in entirety. One remarkable feature of Pompeii, unparalleled by any other ruined city we’ve seen, is its level of preservation. Frescoes can still be seen on many of the walls, and many of its mosaics lie on floors practically intact.
Probably the single most impressive place within Pompeii’s sprawling site is its forum. This was not a place for shops, but rather for public buildings and markets. Here, the remains of the Temple of Jupiter stand resolutely while Mt. Vesuvius looms imposingly in the background.
What were formerly the forum’s marketplaces are now exhibit rooms for the bones of the area’s inhabitants, placed together and cast in plaster to preserve what has been left and give full illustrations of the bodies, since of course not all of the bones survived. These bodies quite possibly make Pompeii the single most eerie of all the archeological sites and also lend Pompeii a unique quality.
Our luck with the weather has held up extremely well on this cruise; only as we were exiting Pompeii, a slight drizzle started.
After exiting the site and before meeting our bus, our excursion group stopped for 20 minutes at a large variety shop where we enjoyed samples of Limoncello as well as a cream-based liquor and a locally-produced red wine, the Lacryma Cristi. A cameo shop was nearby, inside which a brief demonstration on this traditional local craft was provided. It’s amazing how much intricate work and detail goes into hand-carving these small keepsakes, and it’s reflected in the price. They cost several hundred Euros on average.
Once aboard the Star Princess, we saw one split-bill with comedian Lenny Windsor and comedian/magician Gary Carson, both whom we’d seen perform previously. Of course, we also sat in the Promenade Lounge for a farewell sing-a-long with Sammy.
The reality of disembarkation is slowly sinking in. I’m bracing for the final rude wake-up call – figuratively and literally – which will come at 6 am tomorrow.
1st timers’ cruise tip: know before you go
Luggage must be outside your cabin door on the last night of the cruise. You’ll be assigned a luggage tag color-coded to coincide with your disembarkation arrangements; attach one tag to each piece of luggage. Keep items that you will need handy overnight in a carry-on bag.
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