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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →