Pompei and the Amalfi Coast

Well it has been another exciting weekend of traveling in Italy!  The school took us to Pompei, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Naples for the weekend.  A group of about 30 IES students got on a charter bus and headed for Pompei early Friday morning.  We arrived in Pompei around lunch. The school arranged for all but one lunch for us the whole weekend, and our first lunch was a traditional Italian meal with 4 courses.  So after we ate that huge meal, we met up with our tour guide of Pompei.  She took us through the ruins of the city and explained what many of the buildings were used for and such.  We saw the theater, homes, Basilica, forum, Mount Vesuvius and the famous brothel.  It was so neat to walk through the streets because everything was so well preserved.  It was easy to imagine what life would have been like for the Pompeians.

Streets of Pompei 



Forum of Pompei and Mount Vesuvius

After the tour of Pompei, we got back and the bus and headed to our hotel in Sorrento.  The hotel was on the side of a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.  We had another 4 course meal for dinner and went to bed so that we would be ready to wake up at 7am for touring Saturday.

View from Hotel

Saturday morning, we got on the bus with another tour guide and headed for the seaside town of Positano.  The ride to Positano was almost as beautiful as the little town itself.  The streets wound up and down the mountains along the coast, so as we were riding we were looking down the side of the mountains at the sea.  It was a little bit scary but still gorgeous! We walked the rest of the way down the mountain in Positano to the dock where we got on a boat to take us for a little cruise.

Positano

Positano

The boat took us along the coastline from Positano to Amalfi.  Along the way, we stopped to see the Green Grotto.  Its a cave inside the mountain where the natural light makes the water appear green and sparkling! I have never seen anything like it!  The boat ride lasted for about an hour and I have never been happier to have my feet on dry land than when we finally made it to Amalfi.  I do not usually feel sea-sick after riding on a boat, but this water was so rough and the waves were huge, which made for a very rocky boat ride.  But it was still a blast! 

Green Grotto

Once in Amalfi, we were given some free time to explore the town.  Theres a beautiful old church and the oldest paper factory in Europe in Amalfi.  And there is the beach of course!  So we wandered through the streets and along the beach for a while.  It was so nice to be out in the sunshine by the ocean! 

 Amalfi

The bus picked us up again in Amalfi and we headed back up and around the mountains to the even smaller town of Ravello.  Ravello is at the top of the mountain and is a popular vacation spot for the elite, or so the tour guide said.  Apparently Jackie O loved to visit Ravello.  Ravello is also home to the Villa Rufolo.  This ancient villa has the most breathtaking views of the coast from above and also stunning gardens!  I cannot even begin to describe them, so you will just have to look at some of the pictures haha. 

View from Ravello

 Inisde the Villa Rufolo

 Villa Rufolo

 Villa Rufolo

 Villa Rufolo

Everybody was worn out after all of that sightseeing, so it was a very quiet bus ride back to Sorrento Saturday evening.  After dinner Saturday night, we were able to enjoy a local band in our hotel, which was fun.  We also had some limoncello, which is made and originated in the Amalfi coast region of Italy.  Lemon trees are growing everywhere in this area!  They also have some of the largest lemons I have ever seen!  Some where the size of cantelopes! 

Sunday, we left Sorrento and headed for Naples.  I didnt really know what to expect in Naples, but I was a little bit surprised when we arrived.  After having seen so many beautiful coastal towns the day before, it was a bit of a disappointment to see that Naples was so dirty and full of trash and construction.  It is on the coast and you can seen lots of mountains around it, but it was just not my favorite place.  We did get to have pizza for lunch, which was delicious, and then we headed back to Rome!