Global Traveller Blog

Before setting out I packed up as I needed to change accommodation from Avio Suite to Nice Stay. Fortunately it was in the same mosern building on Melisurgo street which had a number of B&Bs. Convenient!.

I pre-booked my ticket for Pompeii even though it wasn’t strictly necessary. I jumped on the Circumvesuviana a little after 8 and arrived at Pompeii in time for the opening at 9. There were only maybe 50 people at the entrance. Not too bad! I was stoked.

My friend Pietor insisted that the best approach was to go to the Villa of Mysteries right away but it took me some time to orient myself on the map.

Finally I found myself at the gate and paid the additional fee to visit Villa Diomedes and Villa of Mysteries. First up: Villa Diomedes, the luxury summer house just outside Pompeii.

And then the Villa of Mysteries which just floored me . Pietor was right; because it was the beginning of the day I was nearly alone.

I lost track of time contemplating these remarkable frescoes which I found moving, then somehow troubling and finally haunting.

Back in Pompeii I discovered even more stunning frescoes. Some, a little racy such as these in Vetti house.

Then the sculpture such as the faun, the original of which is in the Archaeology Museum.

The artistic quality of the works surprised me. I didn’t expect it.

Not to mention the mosaics.

And the public buildings

And then there were the smaller details: the public fountains, the outdoor food stalls with sunken ceramic pots to serve busy Romans in need of a quick bite. There were shops and bars, bakeries and brothels (I’m sure). And then one day the sky opened up and rained fire and rock and it all ended.

And finally after 5 1/2 hours I ended.  I walked in the footsteps of the ancients. And walked. And walked. I put bandaids on my feet and walked some more. I left exhausted but happy. Then I twisted my ankle running to get the train back and was less happy.

Still I made it back to my room,

got some ice for the swelling and wondered what the Romans did for sore muscles. Probably drank wine.

October 23

The ancient Greek city of Paestum is a must for its ancient temples and it’s easy to get to. We took an early train which dropped us off an easy 15-minute walk from the entrance. It took  little over an hour to get there.

This is a view of the amphitheater even before getting into the park.

We weren’t alone but the park wasn’t crowded. First up was the so-called Temple of Ceres which was later found to be the Temple of Athena.

It dates from the 6th century BC and is composed of Doric and Ionic columns on a mound. It faces the rising sun.

Next was Heroon, the “tomb of mystery”

It looked like a tomb but it was uncharacteristically placed within the town. Also there were no bodies found inside, only some nice vases.

The site was spread out and traces of the later Roman settlement were a pleasure to seel.

(See a  reel of Roman Paestum here)

Next up was the Temple of Neptune dating from 460 BC.

The Romans changed a lot when they arrived but left the temples alone. No need to aggravate Zeus, Hera & Co any more than necessary.

Perhaps the most impressive was the Temple of Hera, the oldest Greek temple on earth, dating from 550 BC.

The silence and beautiful landscaping of the park made it easy to conjure up the days when the pantheon of eccentric Greek gods ruled the region.

After visiting the park we stepped inside the museum which displayed artifacts, vases, votives and statues. The most precious find is the tomb of the diver. These frescoes are the only ancient Greek tomb frescoes ever found and date from 480 BC. The Greeks believed that death was nothing more than a dive into the unknown.

After the visit we hurried to catch the last train out but got completely lost, walked about 5km in the wrong direction, missed the train and dragged ourselves back to Naples several hours later.

October 18

It was a smooth but long day on the trains. Nice-Ventimiglia-Milan-Naples. Left Nice at 7:24, arrived in Naples in the pouring rain at 6:05. The Frecciarossa from Milan to Naples is comfortable and has wifi but the dining car was 4 cars away so I stayed put.

The B&B, O Sarracino, was only a five-minute walk from the train station. In theory. In fact, it took us 15 minutes in the downpour to get oriented. Using Google maps on a rainy night is challenging.

Alfredo welcomed us with Neapolitan warmth and we settled in.

Dinner was nearby in Trattoria Avellinese. It was simple and so local that a family brought a horde of their screaming kids. Good food but noisy.

October 19

Still raining! Hard! So much for exploring Naples on foot. We figured it was a good day to explore the Archaeology Museum but the first job was to figure out whether a pass that included that and other sights would be worthwhile. After scrutinizing the fine print it appeared that it wasn’t so we bought transport passes and headed out.

All the mental work left us hungry for pizza.

We headed to the celebrated Starita which serves up the best pizza in town. Fried pizza? Oh yes! It was heavenly with a chewy flavorful crust. And then we dragged our soggy selves down to the Museum

It hardly seemed possible that there would be a long line to get in on a rainy October afternoon but there you have it. It was discouraging.

We took a lengthy tea break in the elegant Galleria Principe di Napoli across the street. 45 minutes later the rain had stopped and the line had shortened so we headed in.

The massive museum displays finds mainly from Pompeii and Herculaneum. It was entrancing. Here are the highlights:

The Toro Farnese depicts the torture of the seductress Dirce by the enraged sons of the father who abandoned them. Carved from a single 13-foot high block of stone, it’s the largest intact statue from antiquity.

And then there’s “tired Hercules” so finely carved the veins in his arms were visible.

There was so much to take in.

We finished in the “Secret Room” crowded with giggling teenagers eager to see Porn: Classic Edition

We returned to Trattoria Avellinese for a simple dinner of penne arrabiata.