| Italy 2008 |
| Napoli |
| "Forget driving in Naples unless you have a death wish." - The Lonely Planet |
 |  |  |  |
We left Matera by bus the next morning, headed off for Naples. We were spending
two nights in Napoli, and planned on visiting the ruins at Herculaneum. TJ had
advised us (and we had the same advice later from other sources) that Herculaneum
was preferable to Pompeii...fewer tourists, better preservation and not so wide
spread that you couldn't see most everything in a day. So that was the plan.
We were staying in a bed and breakfast near the train station. We soon discovered
that this meant we were in a pretty seedy part of town...stolen property, drugs and
who knows what-all else were available for the asking. It was also obviously the
landing point of a heavy West African diaspora. So we put on our hardened traveler
faces, braved the amazing traffic, and went off to find our very pleasant
accommodations. We managed to not be mugged, burgled or scammed during our
stay, but Naples was a bit of a shock after the more bucolic nature of Matera.
The next morning we rose and headed for the station to catch the train to
Herculaneum. To our great surprise we met Jon Cockburn, one of our former
classmates, on the platform. We spent the day with him, which was great because he
knew a huge amount about the site, the history and the area. All afternoon we went
poking through the ruins with Jon, before heading back to Naples.
We spent the early evening wandering around with Jon, and we had a lovely dinner
with him down by the harbor. We had to cut our dinner short, though, as there were
some last minute problems with our mortgage loan in Tennessee, and we had to rush
away to take care of them. We wished we'd had more time with Jon in
Naples...perhaps another time.
two nights in Napoli, and planned on visiting the ruins at Herculaneum. TJ had
advised us (and we had the same advice later from other sources) that Herculaneum
was preferable to Pompeii...fewer tourists, better preservation and not so wide
spread that you couldn't see most everything in a day. So that was the plan.
We were staying in a bed and breakfast near the train station. We soon discovered
that this meant we were in a pretty seedy part of town...stolen property, drugs and
who knows what-all else were available for the asking. It was also obviously the
landing point of a heavy West African diaspora. So we put on our hardened traveler
faces, braved the amazing traffic, and went off to find our very pleasant
accommodations. We managed to not be mugged, burgled or scammed during our
stay, but Naples was a bit of a shock after the more bucolic nature of Matera.
The next morning we rose and headed for the station to catch the train to
Herculaneum. To our great surprise we met Jon Cockburn, one of our former
classmates, on the platform. We spent the day with him, which was great because he
knew a huge amount about the site, the history and the area. All afternoon we went
poking through the ruins with Jon, before heading back to Naples.
We spent the early evening wandering around with Jon, and we had a lovely dinner
with him down by the harbor. We had to cut our dinner short, though, as there were
some last minute problems with our mortgage loan in Tennessee, and we had to rush
away to take care of them. We wished we'd had more time with Jon in
Naples...perhaps another time.
| Frescoes and mosaics from Herculaneum. As always, we greatly enjoyed the ancient artwork. |
Gods by the harbor.
| Bakers' millstones. |
| Vanessa looks to the past. |
| Pillars of the past. |
| An ancient street, and our friend Jon...the best tour guide we could ask for. |
| Various sights from around Herculaneum. |
| Vesuvius looming large. |
| Vanessa on the train to Rome. |
In the morning we walked again to the train station, this time
headed back to Rome, and then to Texas. We were tired, and
looking forward to the move, but sad that our time in Italy was
coming to an end. We had such a fantastic time, and we met
some wonderful people. We consider ourselves extremely lucky,
and we hope that we keep in touch with all of our new friends!
headed back to Rome, and then to Texas. We were tired, and
looking forward to the move, but sad that our time in Italy was
coming to an end. We had such a fantastic time, and we met
some wonderful people. We consider ourselves extremely lucky,
and we hope that we keep in touch with all of our new friends!