Still in Italy.

 

The city with one of the very few active super volcano’s in the world and catacombs that date back to the third century, with graves an countless dark tunnels, Naples, or Napoli, is sure to have you hooked on her dark and dangerous mysteries in no time.

What fascinated me here is that all the historical attraction sites, and some of them are extremely old, are wonderfully preserved. It gives one a sense of actually reliving the stories that get told on the tours as you walk about some of the ruins or climb the stairs of old homesteads. It is great to see that a country takes so much pride in their heritage and history and they do not mind sharing it with the world. I do believe that that can be said for most of Europe, as you will see with some of the other places I have been to, which you will learn about a little later.

 

I went to Herculaneam, which is a smaller city than Pompeii, but that was also in the path of the valcano, Vesuvius, when it erupted in 76 AD.

When Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it destroyed the ancient Roman town and covered it with volcanic mud which quickly hardened and you can see the evidence of the mud destruction everywhere. This site is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After seeing some of the damage the infamous volcano caused, I decided to go and see for myself what this destroyer of cities looks like. It is a very long drive up the side of the volcano, but it is worth it.

This gigantic, very active I might ad, volcano is about 1,2 km in height and spans 48 km around it’s base. Geologists reckon that it is about 17 000 years old. Talk about an old lady! And she is very temperamental. She erupted more than 50 times in the last 2000 years.

Want to see Italy for yourself? Go here.

 

Onward to Pompeii.

You need at least a full day, more or less 6 hours, here. There is just an abundance of things to see and learn on the walking tours. You can not grasp the extend of the damage and all that was Pompeii in an hour or 2. You will do yourself an injustice. It is a large area to cover, almost 1 square kilometer. It was home to about 11 500 people, so there are a lot of allies and avenues and secret entrances to explore.

Thank you Napoli, for sharing your hidden secrets. It has been a blast.

 

Now Capri is the total opposite of Napoli’s city life and dark hidden secrets. Capri is a beautiful island located on the south side of the Gulf of Naples. It is known for it’s upscale and world – class shopping and cuisine, spectacular views and awesome natural beauty. You can easily hop onto a fairy or rent a small motor boat to get you from the mainland to the island.

For those of you who want to feel a bit more ‘free like a bird’, you can always opt for the Monte Solaro Chairlift, that will also take you to the top of the mountain. A lot more open and some find it a tad scary, though it is sure to be worth it for the great views you will experience.

On the top of the mountain, you will find shops for millionaires, spa’s for the rich and famous and art work that captures the heart of Capri in every brushstroke. I wandered off and stumbled upon this gorgeous garden. The Gardens of Augustus is stunning with its beautifully well kept gardens and not to mention the view overlooking the bay. You can also see the famous Blue Grotto in the distance. It can get busy here, as all major tourist attractions do, so be sure to check on Google when the peak times are for visitors and try to work around that.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. It was a great way to end my visit to this side of Italy. But there is still so much more to see. So I bid thee farewell, until next time Napoli. Addio.