Dave and Vera's Blog: Day 9: Southern Italy (Pompeii and Sorrento)

The map doesn't show it, but we back tracked today, driving back to Sorrento from Positano. It is all related to rugged coastline, one way roads, and big buses. You have to see it to understand.

Sorrento is a much larger town than where we just came from. This is Marina Grande, confusingly named since it is the smaller of the marinas, but the more picturesque. Our orientation to the town included a rather rushed limoncello and gelato making demonstration. Sorrento is on the south side of the Bay of Naples, with the large city of Naples on the other side. Pompeii and Herculaneum are in between, with Vesuvius in the background. After lunch, it was off to Pompeii on the commuter train.

Pompeii with Vesuvius in the background. The crowds were overpowering, even though it is a weekday and we are out of the prime tourist season.

Many of the columns were made of brick, but covered in a white plaster cement made of ground up marble. Much of that plaster finish is gone.

A casting of a dog that died in the eruptions. The inhabitants of Pompeii were killed by poisonous gas, and then buried in over 30 feet of ash. Most roofs collapsed from the weight. All organic material decayed away, leaving a cavity into which plaster was poured to capture the shapes like you see above.

The inside of a Roman bath.

Painted walls inside a typical Roman home.

A bakery complete with mill stone (human powered) and a wood fired oven in the background. The oven was in such good condition that it almost looked like a wood fired pizza oven you might see back in the states.