Pompeii and Sorrento

Thomas had no school this week (which was closed for the entire week due to carnevale). So, we decided to take advantage of the time-off to visit a more distant Italian destination. John took a few days off from work and we set off...

First, to provide a little background, we've mentioned before that one of Thomas' favorite TV shows is 'Doctor Who'. Well, ever since he saw one episode about Pompeii, and then learned that the city is in Italy, he's been begging to visit the site. So, we decided that this was the perfect opportunity to head south to visit Campania, the area around Napoli, and Pompeii.

We stayed in the resort town of Sorrento, which is absolutely beautiful. Because it was off-season, the hotels were mostly empty and low-priced. 

The landscape and atmosphere of this region of Italy is significantly different that what we've experienced in the North. It was refreshing to get out and see another part of the country.

Of course, the highlight of the trip was our visit to Pompeii. Thomas was completely beside himself with excitement when we arrived (mixed a little fear that Vesuvius would erupt). John brought Sammy's backpack, which make it much easier to navigate the ruins. We really took our time to explore the ruins, which are absolutely phenomenal. The structures, mosaics, roads, baths, and shops are fascinating. Of course, the eerie plaster casts of bodies that were trapped in volcanic ash are also disturbingly captivating.
We saw far too much to write about here, but it was one of our best trips. The only down-side was that Sammy caught another cold, and had a very bad sinus infection by the time we had to leave.

Next week it's back to work, school, and the daily routine.