Amalfi Coast

Since we were not too far away, and really didn’t know if we would ever return, we hopped a train and headed to the Province of Salerno in Italy. We visited the Amalfi Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to the fabulous rocky coastline and beautiful Mediterranean communities, the Amalfi Coast is also known for its lemon orchards and production of the well-known liqueur Limoncello.

We were lucky enough to have a private driver transport us from Naples to the Coast, and also take us on a day long guided tour. Starting in Sorento, we were rewarded with spectacular views of the coastline and nearby islands were interspersed with visits to the communities of Amalfi, Positano, Ravello and some others. We got a chance to walk the narrow streets of each of these towns and make our way down to the beach, as well as take in many of the historic churches and mansions there.

We got to stop for a very nice lunch on an outside deck above Amalfi, on the Mediterranean coast. The Woman opted for the usual pizza, and I opted for the usual glass of Italian red wine. The weather was perfect, the breeze was gentle and pleasant, and the food was wonderful.

We managed to catch one glorious Mediterranean sunset while we were on the Amalfi Coast. The deep red-orange glow was special and the weather clear. We’ll hope for some more, but if not, this one was sufficient.

On our way to Sorento we finally got to visit Mount Vesuvius and the city of Pompeii. In 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted and Pompeii

was completely covered by volcanic pumice and ash, burying everything as it stood, including all the residents who did not escape. It was our second chance to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Because the burial of Pompeii was so sudden and complete, it contains some of the best-preserved ruins from the days shortly after Christ walked the Earth. The interest in the ruins has sparked some interesting and bizarre practices. Because locals were completely buried where they stood, archeologists have found their remains inside the cavity that formed around them as they perished. Historians have used those cavities as molds, filling them with plaster, and creating a mold of people and pets from 79 AD.

The homes and businesses stand as they looked at the time of the eruption. The beautifully tiled floors and patios remain, as well as the tiled and painted walls. You could get a feel for how the people lived, getting the sense of main family rooms, possible bedrooms, and internal patios. Even staircases to upper floors are still in place.

As in other Roman townsites that I have visited, the preponderance of phallic symbols was stunning. According to our guide, the use of such symbols as genitalia was an attempt to assure wealth and prosperity, success of crops, and perhaps even successful human reproduction.

We found several local restaurants near the central business district. Our guide told us that Romans back in those days were in the habit of buying prepared food from nearby chefs and either brining it to their home or dining at tables set up in the establishment. What you see here is the cooking counter with extended serving areas as well as multiple cooking holes where large pots and pans could be kept hot. Also, generally nearby was a brick oven assumed to have been used for bread and maybe even pizza.

We toured the Roman bathhouse as well as some administrative buildings. And of course, being from Nevada, when I heard they had discovered the Pompeii bordello, and that it was available to visit, I couldn’t pass it up. There wasn’t anything particularly unique about the building that housed the bordello, but the artwork was very interesting.

Pompeii was somewhere on the bucket list, and I am really happy we got to make it here. If not for Nick and Karen’s choice of our family trip, we might never have made it.

Talk to you soon.