Ciao from Campania..
After a fabulous week in Umbria we had to move on, so we headed south and west via
Rome and Napoli to the southwest coast of Italy, the region called Campania – there is definitely a very different feeling in this part of Italy, because it is much more densely populated and is generally more commercialization, tourism, etc. However, there is just as much to explore here as in the other two regions we’ve been to, so we’re still seeing a ton. (Dad, I’ve decided that you & mom definitely need to add Italy to your list of places to visit – you would love the regions we’ve been to… especially Umbria and Trentino)
Spent the last two days exploring ancient Italy – a day in Paestum, which is one of the best preserved ancient greek cities in the world – even better preserved than those in Athens… they date back to the 6th century BC and were only excavated in the 20th century so are remarkable well preserved… Yesterday we spent the entire day at Ercolano and Pompeii, which are both amazing, and very different in the way they were impacted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD… in Ercolano the city was totally preserved under 35 m of mud and small rock pellets, unlike Pompeii which was buried in lava – it was amazing to see the houses and even mosaic tiled floors and frescos after 2000 years being buried. We’ve continued to have amazing guides who seem to know everything about Italy and its history.
Today was the highlight though, as we spent the entire day on the stunning Amalfi coastline, which runs between Napoli and Sorrento (south of Napoli) – It’s impossible to describe the beauty in writing – there is a 50 km stretch of road that bends and winds along the cliff tops that drop into crystal clear blue water – we the small coastal towns of Positano, Maiori, Almalfi, and Minori which are all tucked in along the rocks – it’s been roasting hot – in the upper 80s/90s (28-30) and gorgeous and sunny.. we spent the day gawking over one amazing panorama after another… you really have to see it to believe it. We visited two neat shops – one small family owned place that made handmade limoncello (liqueur) and the other was a restaurant where we watched the owner hand roll the pasta – then stayed for a 5 course lunch of fresh gnocchi (say know-kee) and sea bass that was caught this morning… Needless to say, it was siesta time for a hour after that, which was ok b/c everything closes for a couple hours in the afternoon anyway…
We’re staying in a very interesting hotel – supposedly 5 star, but more like 3-4, about 50 m from the Mediterranean (which is still bathtub temp like at the moment)… The hotel is like something straight out of the Sopranos, with big Italian weddings every night – we’re all convinced that it’s a mafia stronghold, since we’re so close to Naples!
I’m up to 16 different flavours of gelato to date – we all eat at least one or two a day… it’s so good… the gelato, mozzarella and tomatoes are worth the visit alone!
Arrivederci amice!
Nancy
After a fabulous week in Umbria we had to move on, so we headed south and west via
Rome and Napoli to the southwest coast of Italy, the region called Campania – there is definitely a very different feeling in this part of Italy, because it is much more densely populated and is generally more commercialization, tourism, etc. However, there is just as much to explore here as in the other two regions we’ve been to, so we’re still seeing a ton. (Dad, I’ve decided that you & mom definitely need to add Italy to your list of places to visit – you would love the regions we’ve been to… especially Umbria and Trentino)
Spent the last two days exploring ancient Italy – a day in Paestum, which is one of the best preserved ancient greek cities in the world – even better preserved than those in Athens… they date back to the 6th century BC and were only excavated in the 20th century so are remarkable well preserved… Yesterday we spent the entire day at Ercolano and Pompeii, which are both amazing, and very different in the way they were impacted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD… in Ercolano the city was totally preserved under 35 m of mud and small rock pellets, unlike Pompeii which was buried in lava – it was amazing to see the houses and even mosaic tiled floors and frescos after 2000 years being buried. We’ve continued to have amazing guides who seem to know everything about Italy and its history.
Today was the highlight though, as we spent the entire day on the stunning Amalfi coastline, which runs between Napoli and Sorrento (south of Napoli) – It’s impossible to describe the beauty in writing – there is a 50 km stretch of road that bends and winds along the cliff tops that drop into crystal clear blue water – we the small coastal towns of Positano, Maiori, Almalfi, and Minori which are all tucked in along the rocks – it’s been roasting hot – in the upper 80s/90s (28-30) and gorgeous and sunny.. we spent the day gawking over one amazing panorama after another… you really have to see it to believe it. We visited two neat shops – one small family owned place that made handmade limoncello (liqueur) and the other was a restaurant where we watched the owner hand roll the pasta – then stayed for a 5 course lunch of fresh gnocchi (say know-kee) and sea bass that was caught this morning… Needless to say, it was siesta time for a hour after that, which was ok b/c everything closes for a couple hours in the afternoon anyway…
We’re staying in a very interesting hotel – supposedly 5 star, but more like 3-4, about 50 m from the Mediterranean (which is still bathtub temp like at the moment)… The hotel is like something straight out of the Sopranos, with big Italian weddings every night – we’re all convinced that it’s a mafia stronghold, since we’re so close to Naples!
I’m up to 16 different flavours of gelato to date – we all eat at least one or two a day… it’s so good… the gelato, mozzarella and tomatoes are worth the visit alone!
Arrivederci amice!
Nancy
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