Summer of 2010

Cheung Family trip to Italy

July 7/Day 7: Visit to Pompeii, Naples, and the island of Capri

We departed from Assisi in the morning, and headed south to Naples.
On the way there, we passed by the famed Appian Way.

Arrival in Pompeii. The site of the ancient volcanic disaster.

Before entering the historic city, we stopped for some lunch at a local stop.

This is the Teatro Piccolo (small theater) inside Pompeii. The tour guide (in blue) invited us to try our hand at singing. One of our tour members gave it a try.

There were no sewers in Pompeii. So the developers ensured all the streets were sloped so that the waste would flow out of town. As a result, they put these tall stepping stones in the middle of the road to prevent stepping in the muck. You can see the deep ruts that the wagon wheels produced over the centuries of use.

This is a well that is on the side of the road for public use. The side on the sidewalk were used by pedestrians, and the users would put their hand on the side, producing a deep groove over the years. Stephanie put her hand in this groove in the same place as the ancient Pompeiians. Touching history!

Video of the day: A look around Pompeii.

A typical Pompeiian home. The roof sloped to an opening in the middle to collect rain water into the cistern in the middle (with the post). There would also be a mosaic at the front door for decoration, and this is still intact today.

The main square of Pompeii with Vesuvius in the background. It is this volcano that erupted in 79 AD.

One of Pompeii's most famous attractions, the Lupanare, or brothel.

It has some well preserved frescos for the patrons.

Plaster casting were made of the hollow space left behind by the people that inhabited Pompeii. Some of these castings still contain the bones of the deceased.

Along the main road they had food vendors. These round holes are clay pots that held hot food.

From Pompeii, we went to nearby Naples and its port. From there, we took a jetboat to the island of Capri.

This is the boat we took to the island of Capri.

Our first look of the harbor in Capri. A very beautiful sight.

Scenes from the harbor in Capri.

From sealevel, you take a cable car (Funiculare) to the town of Capri.

There is a single track, which splits into two in the middle so that the two cars can pass each other. This is typical of all the cable cars we rode on this trip.

View from the front of the cab as we ascended.

The view at the top is really beautiful.

We stayed at the Hotel La Palma, a very nice place right near the cable car.

The hotel was very beautifully decorated. Lots of painted decorations.

The lobby is decorated with nice furnishings and fresh flowers.

We had dinner at the hotel that evening.

Stephanie brought her poi lights on this trip and dazzled many pedestrians with her show.

Coming up the next day: the most beautiful scenic views of the trip!

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