Today is our last full day here in Positano.
I am a little sad, as we have had an incredible time, and we have met some lovely people. It will be very hard to say goodbye!
Our last tour of the trip is a visit to Pompeii. I am not sure what I was really expecting, but to say I was blown away is putting it mildly!
As we travel around the bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius is ahead of us. It's peak is shrouded in clouds. There are no signs of rumblings today!
Our driver, Rino drops us at the entrance to the site, and says he will pick us up in around two hours. Actually by the clock it is only about one and three quarter hours, so we say can we make it a little longer. I am sure glad we did.
The size of the site is enormous! I think perhaps I was expecting a kind of showplace of artifacts, when in fact, the whole ancient city of Pompeii has been excavated! There are ancient ruins as far as the eye can see.
It was quite an arduous day, as the cobblestones both on the road, and the pavements, are very uneven. I would hate to try and see this place if you had any problems with mobility! It was quite amazing to see the city as it was.
My only complaints we're that the audio guides that we hired were quite difficult to use, in that the sites were not well numbered, and we had a little bit of a hard time navigating our way around. Often a road would be closed and we had to back track, and once got a little lost. Of course this was at a time when I needed to use the facilities! There were few of these to be found! The restoration of this town was amazing. Everything was there, from the "fast food" shops,
to the baths,
centers of industry, and the courts and municipal buildings of the day. What is so hard to imagine is that this ancient city had streets that were actually curbed and guttered!
You could almost imagine the chariots driving through the city.
Pompeii was a quite unfortunate city, as only a few years previously, it had been hit with an earthquake, and much of the town was under renovation when the volcano erupted and covered it.
What is most amazing is the fact that the excavations happened back in the1800's, and how they were able to make the plaster casts of the bodies as they lay in situ. Quite eery to see the people crouching in fear!
Our tour over, and we try and navigate our way out of the site. Even this was difficult, and we had to backtrack to return our audio guides. A hour or so trip back home, and a quick stop in town to get our last minute shopping.
We have our last cooking class tonight, back at the restaurant we had our chefs welcome dinner at on the first night.
Tonight we are making pizza, a couple of vegetable side dishes, and... Torta Caprese again! It was interesting to make pizza the way they made it, and not in the machine like I do.
I may just have to give it a go when next I make pizza. Wish that I could get the wood fired oven as well!
After the class we all ate together again.
We have all become firm friends, and we are all starting to get a little sad about our imminent departure. This tour has been great, the size has been perfect, and luckily we have got on well with everyone (well there was one that was a little annoying, but she wasn't with us all the time). We all regretfully leave early to go home and pack.
Positano is a very hard place to leave. It is so magically beautiful, and the people who have made our stay so wonderful are like family. In fact we get kisses from all as we leave! Tomorrow is a long day. First the trip to Naples, then the train to Rome, train trip to the airport, and then the long flight home. A decision has been made to not stop in Dubai, and just head on home! And so the dream ends... Back to reality now!
.... a day in transit.....
....and then home....
so Sad! Italy has been all that I dreamed about, and more. Oh, how I wish to return!!!
I am a little sad, as we have had an incredible time, and we have met some lovely people. It will be very hard to say goodbye!
Our last tour of the trip is a visit to Pompeii. I am not sure what I was really expecting, but to say I was blown away is putting it mildly!
As we travel around the bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius is ahead of us. It's peak is shrouded in clouds. There are no signs of rumblings today!
Our driver, Rino drops us at the entrance to the site, and says he will pick us up in around two hours. Actually by the clock it is only about one and three quarter hours, so we say can we make it a little longer. I am sure glad we did.
The size of the site is enormous! I think perhaps I was expecting a kind of showplace of artifacts, when in fact, the whole ancient city of Pompeii has been excavated! There are ancient ruins as far as the eye can see.
It was quite an arduous day, as the cobblestones both on the road, and the pavements, are very uneven. I would hate to try and see this place if you had any problems with mobility! It was quite amazing to see the city as it was.
My only complaints we're that the audio guides that we hired were quite difficult to use, in that the sites were not well numbered, and we had a little bit of a hard time navigating our way around. Often a road would be closed and we had to back track, and once got a little lost. Of course this was at a time when I needed to use the facilities! There were few of these to be found! The restoration of this town was amazing. Everything was there, from the "fast food" shops,
to the baths,
centers of industry, and the courts and municipal buildings of the day. What is so hard to imagine is that this ancient city had streets that were actually curbed and guttered!
You could almost imagine the chariots driving through the city.
Pompeii was a quite unfortunate city, as only a few years previously, it had been hit with an earthquake, and much of the town was under renovation when the volcano erupted and covered it.
What is most amazing is the fact that the excavations happened back in the1800's, and how they were able to make the plaster casts of the bodies as they lay in situ. Quite eery to see the people crouching in fear!
Our tour over, and we try and navigate our way out of the site. Even this was difficult, and we had to backtrack to return our audio guides. A hour or so trip back home, and a quick stop in town to get our last minute shopping.
We have our last cooking class tonight, back at the restaurant we had our chefs welcome dinner at on the first night.
Tonight we are making pizza, a couple of vegetable side dishes, and... Torta Caprese again! It was interesting to make pizza the way they made it, and not in the machine like I do.
I may just have to give it a go when next I make pizza. Wish that I could get the wood fired oven as well!
The "boys" at Le Tre Sorelle" eating before "service!
Luigi giving some sage advice to Marti and Scott!
After the class we all ate together again.
We have all become firm friends, and we are all starting to get a little sad about our imminent departure. This tour has been great, the size has been perfect, and luckily we have got on well with everyone (well there was one that was a little annoying, but she wasn't with us all the time). We all regretfully leave early to go home and pack.
Positano is a very hard place to leave. It is so magically beautiful, and the people who have made our stay so wonderful are like family. In fact we get kisses from all as we leave! Tomorrow is a long day. First the trip to Naples, then the train to Rome, train trip to the airport, and then the long flight home. A decision has been made to not stop in Dubai, and just head on home! And so the dream ends... Back to reality now!
.... a day in transit.....
Our last meal in Rome
A Street March
so Sad! Italy has been all that I dreamed about, and more. Oh, how I wish to return!!!
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