Naples, Italy – Tuesday, December 28

Last updated on December 30th, 2021 at 02:43 am

Pompeii: City of Beauty & Ruin

Stroll the streets, explore the residences and squares, and glimpse life in this city frozen in time. In 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of ash. Excavation has revealed with astounding precision exactly what life was like on that day. During your guided tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will walk ancient cobblestone warrens past baths, temples, an amphitheater and the forum—public buildings once teeming with life. Peer into the mansions of the wealthy and the more modest homes of the working class. See remarkable plaster casts of victims, anchored to the moment of catastrophe: a mother protecting her child, a dog tied to its chain. As you explore, your guide will describe a typical day in Pompeii. Learn about its catastrophic destruction, centuries-long disappearance under stone and ash and rediscovery during the 17th century.

Scenic Naples

Discover the highlights of Naples, a major center of Italian culture, during a scenic drive. Naples was the location of a powerful independent kingdom for 500 years, luring the region’s finest architects and artists, yet its history stretches back thousands of years. See evidence of its rich past, from Greek and Roman monuments to Renaissance splendors. Embark on a coastal drive to Mergellina, a residential area that has long offered Neapolitans a respite from city life. Admire the many beautiful villas and enjoy photo stops that offer stunning views of the gulf and the city. Return to the city center for a drive by Piazza del Plebiscito, perhaps the grandest public square in the city, with the former Royal Palace of Naples overlooking the bustling square. You will also see the imposing medieval fortresses of Egg Castle and New Castle, before returning to your ship.

Today we wake up as the ship is coming into the Naples port. It is a bigger port than we have been in thus far on the trip. We are happy to know Naples authorities will accept our antigen tests from yesterday, so we are cleared to go ashore. We have two excursions today, so we will be busy!

First we headed to Pompeii, about 30 miles outside Naples at the base of Mt. Vesuvius. As we drive along we are treated to a clear view of the top of Mt. Vesuvius. When Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 the port of Pompeii and its 20,000 inhabitants were frozen in time, perfectly preserved by the volcano’s ashes. The city has transfixed visitors since it was discovered in the 18th century. It is not a ruin, but an unearthed city, with stone paved streets and buildings largely intact with the exception of wooden doors, roofs, etc. It is much larger than Joyce had envisioned. Our guide took up to a recently unearthed large house and garden. We saw tiled floors and frescos decorating the walls – truly amazing! We walked along several streets, seeing food stalls with jars built into a ‘counter’, largely intact fountains, drainage ditches and early water pipes. Our last stop was The Forum, the centre of public life. Set around it were important administrative and religious institutions, including the Basilica and the temples of Apollo, Jupiter and Vespasian. Along one side were covered storage areas containing jars, cooking pots, cornices, etc. that archeologists had unearthed. There were also plaster casts showing a man and a boy laying as they were when the gas and ash overcame them.

Nearly 2,000 years after the eruption that destroyed Pompeii, Vesuvius remains the most dangerous volcano in Europe, with an estimated 700,000 people living in the danger zone. Consequently the volcano, which last erupted in 1944, is constantly monitored. When it explodes again, scientists fear an eruption will put Naples in danger. If signs of activity increase to a potentially dangerous level, a 72 hour evacuation plan will be implemented.

We headed back to the ship returning onboard about 45 minutes before our Naples excursion, A Scenic Tour of Naples. Alan went to the Pool Grill for a quick sandwich and Joyce ate dried fruit and nuts in the stateroom.

We got to the bus in plenty of time and started out. The streets of Naples are narrow and very crowded with both people and cars. The traffic moved quite slowly, with motorcycles weaving around busses and cars. There were tall apartment buildings everywhere. Most buildings were small shops on the ground floor with apartments on upper floors. Most apartments had balconies with large plants, flower boxes and hanging laundry. Trash and recycle bins were overflowing with the lower parts of most buildings covered with graffiti. 

Near the port is Castel Nuovo, also known as the Maschio Angioino, this Angevin fortress was built for Charles of Anjou in 1279–82 and given the nuovo (“new”) part of its name to distinguish it from two earlier castles. We drove around the Piazza Giovanni Bovio, The University, Piazza Monteoliveto, Piazza Dante and many other building and piazzas with statues.

We drove up one of the large hills to overlook Posillipo and a small island very close to the mainland, Isola di Nisida, I think. We exited the bus for our first photo stop, overlooking the city and the bay. We drove back down the mountain for our second photo stop along the port. We were given about 20 minutes to walk along the  bay. It was another beautiful partly sunny afternoon for a pleasant walk, before taking the bus back to the ship.

We were both pretty tired, so we went back to the stateroom to nap while watching “Art of the Vatican”, a lecture by guest lecturer, Dr. Emma Roberts, on our stateroom TV. We took the night off from pictures and blogging. We had dinner and returned to the stateroom to watch University of Houston beat Auburn, sorry, Kyle, on ESPN.