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On our way from Rome to Salerno, we stopped in Naples for the day. Naples was very crowded and hot, and unfortunately, we were both feeling tired because we had caught a
cold, so we didn't enjoy it as much as the rest of our trip.
Of all the attractions in Naples, the one must see for us was 'Naples Antica Pizzeria da Michele'. This famous Napoli pizzeria serves
only two types of pizza - Margherita (tomato sauce & mozzarella) and
Marinara (tomato sauce, oregano, & garlic, no cheese). We got one of each and shared them (of course).
After the pizza we walked up the Spaccanapoli, literally, "Naples splitter"; it is a main street that traverses the old, historic center of the city.
On the way we saw Santa Chiara and Gesu Nuovo although both were closed during the midday (as were most churches in Naples), so we did not go inside.
When Pompeii was excavated, most of its artistic treasures were moved to the Museo Archeologico in Naples, so we thought we should
go there before heading to Pompeii. In addition to the fascinating Pompeii Mosaics, we also saw the Farnese sculpture collection,
which included the Toro Farnese (upper-left), a 3rd century marble copy of a lost bronze Hellenistic original that was restored by Michelangelo.
The Museo Archeologico in Naples has a 'Secret Room', which we had read required a reservation to see. When we visited, it was
open just like any other room in the museum. The 'Secret Room' holds erotic frescoes, pottery, and statues from the ancient world.
(The thumbnails above have been obscured, but clicking on them will reveal more.)
After leaving Naples, we took a local train down to Salerno where we stayed for the next four nights. We had a room
at the Plaza Hotel which was conveniently located right next to the Train Station.
Our first morning in Salerno, we woke up and headed right to Pompeii. We ate lunch at the Pompeii train station and talked with
a helpful shopkeeper who gave us advice on the best route to the ruins. We were excited to see the Amphitheatre (upper-left),
because Pink Floyd perfomed there in a famous film.
Unfortunately, this was as close as we got because it was closed to visitors.
The Thermopolium (upper-right) was the equivalent of of a fast-food cafe in Pompeii. The Via dell'Abbondanza (lower-right) was one of the major
streets in Pompeii. The 'Large Theater' (lower-right) was originally built sometime in the 2nd century B.C.
This view (upper-left) is from the top of the small theater and shows the layout of a typical city block. The
Caldarium (upper-right) in the Stabian Thermal Baths
was kept warm by an underfloor heating system. When Pompeii was excavated, archeologists made plaster casts (lower-left) of the
cavities in the ground that were created by the bodies of the residents of Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. In the bakery of Popidius Priscus
(lower-right) you can see the oven to the back left along with four large mills used to make flour.
During heavy rains the streets of Pompeii would fill with water because they lacked an underground sewer system.
These steps allowed someone to keep dry while crossing.
Chariots often left deep ruts in the road because they had to navigate between stepping stones.
Pompeii's Basilica (left) was the seat of the legal courts and a common location for financial and commercial transactions.
At Pompeii's brothel, pictures like this (right) were used as a menu of sorts, allowing someone who didn't even speak the language to order.
The next day we left Salerno on a SITA Bus for a day trip. We stopped in Amalfi for lunch before continuing on to Positano where we caught a ferry back to Salerno.
Amalfi was a regional powerhouse back in the 9th-11th centuries, but a 14th century tsunami combined with a plague almost completely annihilated it.
The city never regained its maritime influence; today, it is a pretty fishing village and a popular tourist destination.
Positano is a beautiful, very steep town on the Amalfi coast, filled mostly with shops, restaurants and small hotels.
On the ferry ride back from Positano we were able to capture these photographs of the beautiful Amalfi Coast.
On the ferry we struck up a conversation with a group behind us from Naples. We talked with them for almost 20 minutes, and
they spoke little English. This was the longest Italian conversation that we had the entire time in Italy, and it was more fun
than we would have expected. ('Ciao' ai nostri amici italiani.)
The next day we took a train to Paestum. Paestum has some of the best preserved Greek ruins outside of Greece. This is the Temple of Apollo.
This is the Temple of Athena at Paestum.
From this perspective (left), you can see both the Temples of Apollo and Athena. Unforunately, on the day we went to Paestum, the CompactFlash (CF)
card in our camera failed us, and we lost all the pictures from the first half of the day. Although we had some great photos from earlier in the day,
this was the closest we got to the Temple of Hera (right) after replacing our CF card.
Here we are in front of the Temples of Apollo and Athena (left). This is the train station at Paestum (right).
The next day after checking out of the hotel we walked to Avis. After renting a car, we were on our way to Assisi.
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