Girl about Rome

As with many parts of Italy, I was lucky enough to have been taken to Pompeii, the city destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD as a child. Of course I appreciated it and thought it was pretty cool, but didn't remember much. A visit back was due, and sure enough I didn’t remember much and was captivated by it all over again.

Lets start by saying, most people forget that Pompeii isn’t just ruins, it is also a modern day centre, which is pleasant enough to have a walk around the quaint streets and pretty restaurants before you visit the ruins.

After a quick gelato pit stop, we entered the ruins. There really is no definite set route around the ruins. Whilst a lot of people recommend starting your tour at the exit in order to avoid groups of tourists and school children, we started from the entrance and didn’t have any problems.

Mount Vesuvius, looming dauntingly above us, was the volcano that erupted in 79 A.D spewing out falling ash that came so quickly it covered and preserved the city just as it was, giving us a snapshot of ancient Roman life.

Pompeii - You learn about it in a history class at school so you think you know what to expect when you see it in reality.

Wrong.

You can spend hours wandering in and around the buildings, gazing at the worn frescoes, the streets, the amphitheatres, the graffiti and the homes - everything is so well preserved.

The thing that fascinates me most about Pompeii is the preservation of the place.The ancient city of Pompeii was found to be almost completely intact.

What most people learn about Pompeii is the horrific destruction of the place and the sorry end its people faced. However the story before the destruction is what I found to be most fascinating. The ruins allow you to see the daily existence of the people back then, an existence surprisingly modern. There are remains of restaurants, bars, homes and shops that all remain intact, allowing us to realise how they lived then, in a life not dissimilar to ours now. Walking over the huge cobblestones, over 1000 years old, you can imagine the people of this ancient roman town, walking on exact same stones, going about their daily business, not knowing what was about to come of them.

Tracks of horse drawn carriages engraved into the pavement.

It was no secret that the ancient Romans were a sexual bunch, and what they did for pleasure was also unearthed when the excavations were done. Excavators unearthed evidence of numerous brothels in the ancient city of Pompeii, this was confirmed by the discovery of erotic frescoes and graffiti adorning the walls of buildings.

The brothel we explored was the only purpose-built brothel in Pompeii and probably one of the better preserved. It is called the 'Lupanare' (Latin for wolf's den) seemingly appropriate. A two-storey purpose-built brothel constructed a matter of a few years before the destruction of Pompeii.

The Lupanare had ten rooms, each of which had a stone bed, which would have had a mattress where a prostitute would entertain her clients.

The rooms where the prostitutes, probably slaves of Greek or oriental origin worked were windowless, and cramped, giving us an idea of the uncomfortable conditions they were forced to work in.

The most disturbing and fascinating thing was being able to see the casts made of the victims found frozen in their final moments of life, the expressions of fear still etched on their faces, mostly crouched or curled in a ball.

Bodies of ancient Roman citizens lay preserved in their positions in which they died

Towards the end we congregated in the ancient Forum where the remaining columns and structures of what was once Pompeii’s most important political and social centre stood silently in the shadow of the looming Volcano. As it was the end of the day, the sun was setting and it was a lovely time to sit and soak up the atmosphere and marvel the surroundings.

The last stop of the day was the amphitheatre of Pompeii, said to be the oldest amphitheatre known to us. It would have provided the basic model for the subsequent buildings.

It is an impressive construction, capable of holding up to 20,000 spectators, it would have hosted circus shows and gladiatorial games.

Tips

Do a guided tour. If you don't have someone to show you around like I did, take a guided tour. The guides are able to bring life to the ruins and tell you the stories behind them.

Italy, especially the south is hot. Don't visit in the scorching summer heat. Go in the cooler months.

• If you do come in the summer months, bring sunscreen/hat.

Bring water, once you're inside there isn't anywhere to purchase anything.

Wear comfortable shoes, the ancient cobblestones are fascinating but don't make for a comfortable walk.

• A day should be enough to see every nook and cranny of the ruins.

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This certainly isn’t going to be a detailed guide to visiting the Amalfi coast and Positano, but rather ‘how to see the Amalfi coast and Positano in the same day’ kind of post. Ideally I wouldn't recommend doing this, the beauty of all the places along the glorious coast definitely deserve more time, however, we had a friend visiting and in the tight itinerary, we only had a day for Ravello (see post above) Amalfi and Positano.

The Amalfi Coast has been etched in my memory since I visited as a child. The gorgeous tiny villages clinging on to jagged cliffs, over sized lemons and infinite blue water make it a place hard to forget. As much as I love travelling to new places, I was happy to go back to show the friend in town around. Amalfi and Positano often the glittering stars of the plethora of stunning places along the marvellous coast, like many other visitors to the area was a ‘must see’ and top of the list of places to show our guest.

After leaving Ravello, we drove to the town centre of Amalfi. We were with a friend of ours who lived in the area and was of course used to the tight spiralling roads and corners so it made for a pleasant and not so stomach churning journey. Due to our tight time schedule, driving was the only possible way, but of course public transport can get you around too.

A drive along the Amalfi coast is always guaranteed spectacular views from the car

We spent a lovely part of the afternoon in Amalfi, lunching, wandering the alleys and small streets and overloading on everything lemon, (lemon gelato and granita is a must).

Our first stop was the 9th century cathedral (Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea/Duomo di Amalfi) the glorious history of Amalfi is symbolised by this stunning cathedral, the golden age is represented (literally) by its golden Arab-Norman facade which dominates the Piazza Duomo. The piazza seems to be the unofficial town centre, with teenagers and tourists alike sitting and eating gelato on the vast steps.

9th century cathedral (Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea/Duomo di Amalfi)

We had lunch in Amalfi, we hadn't planned a location, and we paid the price as we ended up eating in a very average and over priced restaurant. It was so mediocre that I didn't take any pictures. There was also a problem of over charging when the bill arrived. It just shows these negative experiences can happen to Italians too (we were with 3 locals)

I would definitely recommend, as always, a bit of pre planning of where you are going to eat in order to avoid this.

It was then onto the picturesque Positano. Often called the “Jewel of the Amalfi Coast,” its not hard to see how it charms visitors and honeymooners from all corners of the world. It is almost built entirely on a mountain, with precariously-perched colourful houses dripping off the cliff side onto the pebble beach and sparkling blue water below.

Driving through the windy and tight roads of Positano was challenging and not something I would like to do myself, along with all the other cars, it takes some expert skills and manoeuvring We parked up in an indoor parking garage and walked down to the beach. Despite the large amount of other tourists and a sprinkling of locals, tranquilly strolling down, stopping in the independent shops and boutiques is still a real delight.

We reached the beach just in time to sit back and watch the Mediterranean sun set.

You won’t find white, sandy beaches in Positano, like most places in the area it has a pebble stone beach. However I am sure you wont be so bothered about the lack of white sand, and rather be more likely to be looking up at the spectacular setting and wondering how on earth it stays put clinging onto the side of the mountain.

Ciao for now

Zoe

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