Italy 2012: From ruins to relaxation

At around 10am on the morning of August 25, 79 A.D., Mt. Vesuvius awoke, spewing deadly ash and mud over the once bustling merchant city of Pompeii. I heard about this amazing archaeological site years ago on a travel program and even then, had a difficult time looking at the plaster casts of victims caught in the agony and fear as the ash engulfed them. To see the casts in person, still affects me. Until I actually visited the site, I had no idea of the great size of the city, nor of the preserved state it was in after excavation. 2000 of the nearly 20,000 residents of this city died in the eruption. The second day the debris continued to fall and molten mud took out a neighboring city of Herculaneum.


Morning in Pompeii



I arrived at the entrance of Pompeii early, about 30 minutes after opening, and hoped I could miss the hordes of tourists sure to come. I was able to avoid most, and listen in when I passed by an obviously important site.

Plaster cast of the hollowed out form left by one of the volcano's victims.

Frescoes on the dining room walls of one of the wealthier homes.

I was impressed by the beautiful frescoes and mosaics still visible and the imposing stone roads, complete with crossing stones to avoid the rubbish and waste being continually washed down the street. I spent about 2 hours wandering in and out of homes, shops and forums. When I left the masses had arrived and the ticket line was wrapped around the street. I decided one ruined town was enough for me, so I scratched the plan to go to Herculaneum and headed back to Sorrento for a quick bite and a change of clothes (it was much warmer than I thought it would be.)

The Theater at Pompeii

Positano was beckoning me...

Only about 30 minutes along a harrowing hairpin road, Positano hugs the cliffs along the Amalfi Coast. I got off on the first bus stop in town and walked about 30 minutes, sharing the same skinny road with two way traffic. It was all downhill and I had some amazing views as I neared the beach. I am working up to walking the Cinque Terre trails next week, so it was a good way to ease into all-day walking.

Walking down to Positano.

Almost to the beach.

I recently watched the Italian film, Il Postino again and remember a line Mario Ruoppolo says referring to his love, “Your laugh is a sudden silvery wave.”  I saw such waves on the small, but inviting beach in Positano. It lived up to my romantic vision of the town. A few boats were moored a ways out and swimmers and sun bathers filled in the rest of the bay. I kicked off my shoes and had a “Positano pedicure”, painfully walking along the pebbles and rocks (no real sand to be found near the water).


Picture Perfect Positano.

Walking in the water was a very refreshing end to my trek down the cliff to the beach. I was lucky to be there as the sun was setting, bathing the terraced town in warm Mediterranean light.

Definitely a postcard-perfect day.