Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento

Another full day, up at the crack of dawn, waiting to be picked up on our next tour.  We left Rome via the south side on the "Sun Road", so named because it heads to Campagna known for its sunny weather.

Our first stop was Naples which is the third biggest city in Italy, not quite as glamorous as Roma. 

It did have some very beautiful buildings, however such as the Galleria Umberto which is really a large shopping centre, the central place to shop.  As you can see, it has this amazing glass domed roof.

Attached to it is the Opera House, the Real Teatro Di Carlo.

The church is named San Francisco, modelled on St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

We left Naples and headed towards Pompeii, admiring views of  Mt Vesuvius on the way.  Following lunch in the new city, we headed off to the old city, the scene of excavations following the eruption in 79 AD, where approximately 20,000 people perished, mainly from suffocation by the volcanic ash.  I am really struggling with the accents of the local guides, and by the time I have caught up to what they are saying, the facts and figures are a bit elusive, so I hope I am writing things down correctly.

Walking down the street was aided by these large stepping stones which were placed far enough apart for chariots and wagons to pass through, but also allowed drainage.

This was a bakery, you can see the ovens.

This was the entrance or vestibule of the largest, wealthiest house in Pompeii.

This was it's garden.

An example of the mosaics found.

This is one of the bodies found, preserved by the volcanic ash.

This was the best street in Pompeii because it has the best views, down the end.  Such a fascinating place.

We left Pompeii and made our way further south to Sorrento, and this is the scenery we were met with. 

Just stunning.  We can certainly throw away the winter woolies, the weather has been consistently warm to hot, which is a lovely change from the UK. Tomorrow we head to the Isle Of Capri.