Next day I travelled down to Naples. The Lonely Planet describes it as "Crazy and confusing" which is a pretty accurate description. If Rome was bad then the traffic here is more chaotic & the drivers insane. Cars jostle with each other along the street, vespas weave in and out of traffic, parking seems to be OK in what appears to be the most inappropriate & obstructive places while pedestrians scuttle across the streets with traffic stopping inches from them - much like a group of dogs snapping at your ankles.

On the plus side the hostel that I stayed in included homemade meals. Italians eat large meals with pasta being just the first course! Lunch pretty much meant dinner too. The girls I was sharing with were a Canadian, American & Brit.

From Naples it's a short train ride to Pompeii. To do Pompeii any sort of justice you really must get there early. I can't remember what I expected apart from that it wasn't going to be very big but it was huge! The archeological area of Pompeii extends over roughly 66 ha - of which about 45 ha have been excavated.

On 24th August AD79 Mount Vesuvius suddenley erupted burying Pompeii under ash & rock. Baths, temples, public administration buildings, houses, shops and amphitheatres have all been uncovered. There are also a few plaster casts of the victims of the eruption on display in such places as the Forum Granary, Villa of Mysteries and Garden of the Fugitives: liquid plaster is poured into the cavity left in the bed of ashes by the gradual decomposition of the victim's body. As the plaster solidifies, it reproduces the victims shape and, usually, the look of terror in the last few seconds of their life.

Intro | Berlin | Prague | Vienna | Munich | Venice | Italy to Monaco 2003 | Swiss | Rome4 | Assisi | Naples