This is the first view of the town that we had before going on a tour. Some of the city walls are covered in ancient graffiti. My favorite: (House of Caecilius Iucundus): Whoever loves, let him flourish.  Let him perish who knows not love.  Let him perish twice over whoever forbids love.

There are ruts in the streets from where the many carts traveling through the city streets. There are also stone blocks in the street for pedestrians to step onto to cross the street. The sidewalks are higher than the modern sidewalk because the streets had water and waste flowing through them. The stone blocks in the street were also as high as the sidewalk, so people did not walk in the waste and water. The stone blocks were also used for what we now call speed bumps. When the carriages were going through the city, they were going fast. To avoid people from getting splashed by the water and waste they had stone blocks in the street. This would make the driver slow down when they were speeding, so they could get through the blocks.

Apollo statue with Mount Vesuvius behind.

Many of the relics (including bodies) have been moved to a museum in Naples. The few that are left in Pompeii are chilling.

This is a view of a window from inside the bath house, this is where many of the bodies were found. Apparently the citizens of the city thought that they might be protected by the bath house, they were wrong. Although, the bath house did serve as an excellent way to preserve their remains.

The Forum, where many of the official buildings of the city would have been here.

The house of the tragic poet (Casa del Poetica Tragico) named for its mosaics. This is one of the more well known mosaics 'Cave Canem' (Beware of the Dog) it is at the entrance of the house.

A mosaic from the House of the Vettii, one of the best maintained houses in Pompeii.



This is an image of the Arcaded Court which was the barracks for the Gladiators. We were told that women were not aloud in this area, however there was the body of a woman found on the steps leading to the barracks and the body of a gladiator chained in the barracks. Perhaps she was trying to save him...

The vineyard watch dog.

We decided that after our non-stop tour of Sicily we were ready to stay in one place for a little while. We booked a room for four nights in Sorrento (known for it's lemoncello). We found a lovely little family run bed and breakfast and decided to use it as a base as we explored the Amalfi coast. We spent four days walking through lemon orchards, sipping cafes, walking through bougainvillea covered streets,  and of course watching the world cup. We relaxed, we explored.

The beach that we landed at is right next to the sulfur baths (a bit smelly). It was fun to swim around and happen upon a vent spurting out warm water. Mostly though, it was just nice to be in the ocean.


After five days that took us around the entire island of Sicily, it was time to head back to the main land. We found a boat that would take us over night to Naples, not a bad way to go in my opinion. A word to the wise though: pack your own dinner. The food on the boat was expensive and not great. The view though, well... that was worth it.

Sleepy Charlie, early in the morning as we arrived in the Bay of Naples.

The sunrise over Mount Vesuvius. A beautiful welcome to the next leg of our journey.

As we strolled onto the beach we laughed at all of the silly tourists that were laying on the rocky shore rather than swimming in that beautiful blue water. Then we finally got close enough to the water to realize the reason no one was swimming. The water was full of jellyfish! What? To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was ready to jump in head first and worry about the stinging beasts later. But then, my all too logical husband suggested that we get a over priced ice cream instead and call it even. I grudgingly agreed.

After a disappointing afternoon at the beach we took the tram to the top of the mountain and wondered along the city streets. Dinner was at a little pizzeria followed by a night of watching the world cup at a little pub. In the end I managed to forgive Taormina for the jelly fish, just barely. The shot above shows one of the streets of Taormina with the active Mount Aetna behind.

The view from the top, looking down at Trapani.

Charlie stole my camera.

Venus Castle, built atop the ruins of the the Temple of Venus.

After our little jaunt up to Erice we headed off to Agrigento. Arriving in yet another hilltop town, but this one meant navigating through streets that were a bit more of a challenge. At one point we were headed straight up a cobble stone street that was so narrow I had about two inches on either sides of my mirrors. I was holding my breath just hoping that no one would be coming from the other direction. Ahhhhh the adventures of traveling in Italy!

We did eventually find our hotel and decided to head down to the Greek Ruins and then to the Museum. The ruins were pretty impressive, but it was a bit too hot and we didn't have any water on hand.

The ruins with Agrigento in the background.

I really enjoyed the museum. At one point Charlie and I got separated. I manage to meet one of the restorers from the museum and he whisked me about showing me the treasures he had worked on. We communicated as best we could, me with my broken Italian, him by acting out what he was saying. He got me a cool bottle of water, gave me a nice little souvenir and helped me locate my missing husband. Once again, the kindness of the Sicilians wins me over.