Pompeii

Today we went to Pompeii with Rick Steves (audio guide). We tried to get out early, but Mary wasn't feeling so great (pretty tired) and she went back to bed for a bit while she waited for her two cups of coffee to kick in.

As expected, Pompeii was pretty crowded by the time we got there at 11am. And Josh's copy of the Rick Steves audio guide hadn't downloaded right and wasn't working, so we spent the first 90 minutes or so tethered together listening on one iPod while fighting the crowd for a good view of the most important sights. And the House of the Vetti (best preserved of the houses) was closed for renovations. In fact, the whole street it was on was closed off so we couldn't even peak into the atrium to see the penis balanced with the coins to generate fruit. The brothel, for all everyone talks about it, was a bit anticlimactic too.

From Naples

From Naples

From Naples

So overall, it was a bit of a disappointing morning, which we followed with a picnic lunch in the shade next to the big amphitheater. After lunch, we explored the amphitheater, more buildings in town, and then moved on to the Villa of the Mysteries on the outskirts of town. It had absolutely fantastic frescoes.

From Naples

From Naples

From Naples

By the time we wandered back into Pompeii proper, it was pushing four o'clock and there was hardly a tour group to be seen. We wandered back through a bunch of the buildings on the morning's tours and now had them to ourselves.

From Naples

From Naples

With all the people gone, it took on a whole different feel, and we stayed for another 3 hours. Some exploring, and some just sitting and taking it all in. What an incredible difference a few hours make. This is why you should spend a few days in Naples or Sorrento rather than day tripping from Rome like everyone else does: so you can enjoy the quiet after the groups leave around 4pm until closing time at 7:30pm. I wish we'd realized this before; we could have squeezed something else (something less popular) into the morning. I'm used to places where everything shuts down at 4:30 or 5pm, so your only chance to beat the crowds is early in the morning.