Last Thursday, Samantha and I, with our friend Maggie, started our Campania region adventure in Pompeii so we could have enough time to visit certain sights. The next day, we joined our school group and visited Capri, Sorrento, and Naples.

Pompeii

We stayed a night in Pompeii to have enough time to climb Mount Vesuvius and walk around the Pompeii ruins. While we didn’t do at least one of those activities the first day because we arrived at the hostel late, we had a really nice dinner at a restaurant our host recommended. One of the dishes we had was a reproduction of ancient Pompeiian bread based on what was preserved by the ash. It tasted really, really good.

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We visited both sites the next day. I was so happy that there was a shuttle service from the Pompeii ruins to Mount Vesuvius despite the many twisting turns. The total hike was 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) long. Luckily, we only had to walk about 30 minutes from the ticket office to the crater and walk around.

The pathways were not only steep but also made of small volcanic stone pieces so my steps dragged downwards sometimes. There were so many scenic views from the crater; too bad it was cloudy.

The tour guide explained that the next eruption would be very powerful and similar to the one that destroyed Pompeii. She also pointed out that the volcano is monitored 24/7 by volcanologists.

The Pompeii ruins were huge; you could spend a whole day exploring. It was amazing to see the structures and items that were still intact. I could only imagine what the houses looked like before the eruption. The mosaics were very beautiful. There was a series of mosaics on the floor of one home that depicted various animals. In addition, the preserved bodies of victims haunted me. One person looked like he was praying or trying to breathe. Archaeologists still excavate the site.

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Capri

The island of Capri was a rocky ferry ride from Naples. Many of us didn’t feel well because of that; I was so happy to get on land. We went on a boat tour, which was abruptly shortened after it started to shower. I immediately regretted not bringing my waterproof jacket. Everyone on our boat was drenched. The other half of our group on another boat had a tarp they could cover themselves with. I was confused for a moment when I first saw the huge blue mass on the boat: Where did everyone go?

After we got off the boats, we took shelter under the outdoor seating area of a restaurant until the professor guiding us gave us tickets to take the funicular to the village of Capri. We were currently in Marina Grande. The inclined cable car ride would have been more scenic if there weren’t so many clouds and rain. Once we reached Capri, my friends and I went to a restaurant to have lunch and dry our clothes and shoes.

Then, we took the bus to Anacapri. Samantha and I walked around the village and enjoyed the brief sunshine. Anacapri featured many gorgeous painted structures such as benches and staircases.

Sorrento

The ferry ride from Capri to Sorrento was calm. One of the grocery stores we saw before splitting up for free time displayed citron, a big citrus fruit compared to lemon.

My friends and I walked down the main street, walking into almost every store to kill time. There was a narrow street behind a gelato place that had shops. We were so tired from our ordeal in Capri that we wanted dinnertime to come.

Our dinner was extravagant; the appetizers were plentiful. Not only that, but also we were served slice after slice of pizza. I unfortunately had had two servings of gelato beforehand so I could only eat two slices. One of my friends got a pie when he only wanted another slice, so a few people helped him finish it.

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Naples

The last day of our trip was spent in Naples. We took a funicular to Piazza Fuga and walked to the Monastery of San Martino. During the walk, I was fascinated by the presence of escalators in the street. At the monastery, we looked at many presepio (nativity scenes) represented by terracotta figures. We also walked around the gardens before it started to rain. There were many beautiful views of Naples and the ocean too.

After visiting the monastery, we walked down the Pedamentina to the historic city center.

Our tour guide showed us the seafood market, where we saw live clams, mussels, and sea snails in large shallow dishes of water.

After visiting two churches, she suggested pizzerias for lunch. The professor led us to the pizzerias, one of which we waited 30 minutes to get a seat. It was worth the wait; I had a delicious fried pizza filled with sausage, friarelli (broccoli rabe), and provolone cheese.

My last trip outside of Florence is Cinque Terre in two weeks. I can’t believe that the semester is almost over; I really enjoyed living in Florence. I’ve got to make the most of days I still have here!

Crafting into the sunset,
Virginia

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