Welcome to the Travel Journal. Additional information is aslo in Great Places to Stay
Compania
Along the west coast of Italy, with the Tyrrhenian Sea along its coast, Compania stretches from just north of Naples to south of Sapri.
Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans all occupied this region at one time and the architecture across the region illustrates such a past.
Over the past years our journeys have taken us to Naples and the the Amalfi Coast.
Pompeii
We visited Pompeii on our 2001 holiday. For the 2005 Amalfi Event/Italy tour we arranged for a guide tour of Pompei.
In 2005 we visited Herculaneum, and although the large temples there are better preserved, if you want to get the feel of an entire roman city, then you have to visit Pompeii.
I was impressed and it was more than I had expected. We opted for a bus from Salerno and then took the train back via Sorrento and a bus from Sorrento to Amalfi where we were staying. It can all be nicely done in a day.
The site opens at 9:00 am until one hour before sunset. Where good shoes as it is hard to walk on the stone roads with their paving area for the wheels and the stepping stones for the pedestrians. The colours are amazing. They are still there. Hell, there is still graffiti on the walls - the original stuff!
At one time Pompeii has a population of 20,000 and it dates back to the 7th Century BC. It was only of three or four major trading centers in Campania at the time. Of course what makes this town unique was the events of A79. The volcano erupted, most of the towns people left with an estimated 10 percent perishing. The town was covered in ash and stone. The upper floors of buildings that were visible were looted. Engineers found it when they were digging an aqueduct in around 1600.
So if you have not seen Pompeii yet, plan to do so. When I read an newspaper article in June 2008 about how tourists are ruining Pompeii by taking bits of it out with them, it made me think that the days of just walking around the site may be limited.
Capri
You catch one of the many boats to Capri from the dock in Amalfi. They will take you to Marina Grande and from there you can ride the funicular from the harbor to the top or walk up along the small walkways. There is lots of walking to do if you wish, take the funicular for the five minute ride.
At the top is the town of Capri and there you walk the crowded streets with incredibly priced goods, have a lunch and take in the sights. The Carthusian monastery of San Giacomo is open in the mornings. The small cloisters date from the 15th Century and the larger ones from the 16th Century.
On our trips to Capri, yes it is very scenic, but a day trip will do you.
Santa Maria di Castellabate
The Cilento Coast area is south of Amafli. It has a landscape of steep cliffs, green valleys, olive trees and the water. Some call it Amalfi Light. We did not find it as dramatic as the Amafli Coast and some areas are aimed at the vacation season and lack charme.
Santa Maria di Castellabate is one of the exceptions, this is a charming village, with real working people not just tourists, good beaches, restaurants and hotels.
The local museum has an exhibition of greek urns and anchors that have been recovered from ancient shipwrecks. The coast of Santa Maria is mentioned by Homer in Uylesses. There arearchaelogical sites along the coast to visit. Visit the Villa which houses the amphoras from the Phenician ship that was recovered off the coast. The nest most similar exhibition is in Marsala.
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| Santa Maria di Castellabate has charm and is not over-run with new development. | Ristorante da Andrea in Santa Maria di Castellabate offers tables that hang of the water. See Great Places | Great old town feeling. |
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| Amphoras from the wreck of an Phenician ship found off the coast. | Santa Maria di Castellabate | Enjoy the beach with the old town behind you. |
I certain enjoyed our time here and it is one of the places that I will visit again.
Karen and Glenn Marcus travel extensively throughout France and Italy. We would enjoy hearing from you. Karen and Glenn Marcus
marcuslink • www.marcuslink.com | info@marcuslink.com
marcus travel planning • www.marcustravel.com | info@marcustravel.com