Napoli e Pompei

Ciao a tutti!
Yesterday was another very busy day - after breakfast we headed off on a Freccia Rossa bullet train to Naples, and from there we took the local Circumvesuviana train to the Scavi of Pompei half an hour away. Just to show how unpredictable Italian organisation can be, on the news in the morning they had announced a series of local transport strikes which were due to hit Naples in the middle of the day. Our contingency plan was to go for a walk around the centre of Naples and then go on to Pompei, but of course when we got there, the strike was non existent and our original plan was fine.
Recovering from the stress with a necessary coffee, we then did our usual negotiation to get into Pompei for free. In the 1970s Don Dunstan's government had made an agreement with the Cultural Ministery here to encourage exchange visits. The only problem is having to explain each time that Australian passports list our places of birth as the suburb of the hospital in which we were born rather than our home town. Eventually, after a somewhat animated discussion, it was all sorted.

We spent the next four hours walking around the ruins of Pompei, checking out the theatres, the villas of the wealthy residents, the amphitheatre (although I did have to explain that the film starring Kit Harrington was historically inaccurate), the baths, the streets with their pedestrian crossings and wheel ruts caused by countless chariots and carts, the food outlets, the forum and the agora. As an aspiring archeologist, Kaylah was in heaven.
After a quick lunch, we then looked at the body casts, poignant reminders of the loss of life on that fateful day in 79CE. The top of Vesuvius loomed in the background, with its peak obscured by cloud. Its presence was still felt though.
By then, closing time was looming so we headed back on the Circumvesuviana for our return to Napoli Centrale. On Ms Guerra's recommendation, we indulged in some local pastries at the Cuori di sfogliatelle and purchased some local Strega-infused chocolates to take back home before heading back to Rome. A late dinner and a big sleep finished off our day.