Monday, October 26, 2026
Day 21/50
Naples, Italy
72F, sunny!
Sunset over Naples and the Tyrhennian Sea
What a day! It started at 5:30 a.m. this
morning so we could meet our shore excursion tour in the Explorers Lounge at 7:00
a.m. with 35 other people.
One of the first things our tour guide,
Enzo, told us was that Naples was like lasagna, with layers of archeological
artifacts deep in the earth.
Construction sites and road improvements are stopped when artifacts are
found. Recently 5 Roman boats were found
near the harbor.
City of Naples
The obligatory fortress
The ever present Mount Vesuvius
4000 feet high
Representation of the volcano's reach
Mount Vesuvius loomed ahead of us, not
that far from Naples. Enzo said that the last major eruption since October 24,
79 AD was in 1944. Volcanologists predict there will be another major eruption
soon. He said Vesuvius was considered the most dangerous volcano in the world.
I checked and here is what I found:
VESUVIUS
Highest global danger ranking: A
2026 threat assessment rands Vesuvius #1 worldwide with an Extreme (10/10)
danger score.
Population exposure: More
than 3 million people live within 18.6 miles of the volcano, making it the most
densely populated volcanic hazard zone on Earth.
Eruption style:
Vesuvius produces violent Plinian eruptions, capable of generating pyroclastic
flows, ash columns reaching miles high, and widespread destruction.
Historical
devastation: The AD 79 eruption destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. Later eruptions
in 1631 and 1944 caused major loss of life and infrastructure damage.
Naples has a city population of about a
million people and a metropolitan population of nearly 3 million residents as
of 2026. It is the third-largest city in
Italy (after Rome and Milan) and the largest city in southern Italy.
Naples was founded by the Greeks in the
7th century BC, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas
in the world. Located on the Gulf of Naples,
the city serves as southern Italy's main economic hub, anchored by a
major international port and advanced transportation infrastructure. TK and the U.S.S. Columbus made frequent
stops in Naples.
On
to the Amalfi Coast, and the Gulf of Salerno. Our bus passed vibrant villages
along the switch backs overlooking the Isle of Capri, red tiled roofs, laundry drying-hanging
out on balconies, bikes weaving in and out of traffic, white or yellow stucco exteriors
on apartment buildings and homes, people picking olives, lemon trees, people
parking wherever they wanted, traffic jams, horns blaring, palm trees,
roundabouts, a true assortment of sights to behold!
Our
first stop was a limoncello factory near Sorrento. We have visited this factory and store before,
and it was one of the reasons we took this tour—the individually wrapped soft
lemon candy! And they had sfogliatella!!!
Ready to ship!
You would have loved this treat--
fresh mozzarella and fresh ricotta with
chopped tomatoes and a bit of prosciutto
A great cheesemaking demo!
View from factory of the Bay of Salerno
Besides
that, we had a little lesson on how to make mozzarella and a small treat of
freshly made ricotta and mozzarella with fresh chopped tomatoes. Giovanni told us that fresh, real mozzarella
squeaks in your mouth. Making it seems simple
enough, milk, rennet, and the correct temperature. He said it takes 10 quarts of milk to make 1
kilo of mozzarella. Nothing is simple
when Janie is in the kitchen. He also told us that he adds milk to ricotta to
make it creamier—I gathered that making ricotta was the same recipe, you just
use the mozzarella leftover liquid and stuff.
https://www.sorrentoexcellence.com/en/
After
a brief stop to see an old craft of making art with wood veneer: making lace like items with an electric blade,
not laser) (https://gaja1852.com/), we had free time in
Sorrento, for which I was very grateful—most tours don’t seem to allow for a little
shopping or eating. The colorful shops were enticing, and after
some purchases we headed for pizza shop.
Street in Sorrento
I love the colors!
Lemons everywhere!
We were told Pizzeria Aurora
had the best pizza
Inside
Wood fired oven!
Their rule was no sharing, so we each had a pizza.
I thought it (Margharita) was very fresh and delicious
TK said he liked the ship's pizza better
What can I say? I will say the ship's pizza is good
Enzo pointed out Vesuvius tomatoes,
saying they were the best
Aside: Vesuvio Piennolo
tomatoes, or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio, are a traditional
grape-shaped tomato variety grown on the mineral-rich volcanic slopes of Mount
Vesuvius, prized for their concentrated sweetness, firm flesh, and long shelf
life. I don’t think we have such a variety—the
volcanic soil helps!
Our final
stop was Pompeii. Pompeii is only about 14 miles from Naples and sits at the
base of Mount Vesuvius. Originally
founded by the Osci, an Italic people before Roman times, it became a Roman colony
in 80 BC. It was developing into a multicultural city influenced by the Oscan,
Greek, and Roman cultures. By 79 AD Pompeii
was a prosperous resort city with a population of 11,000 to 20,000 residents. I
always watch documentaries on this intriguing city, rediscovered in 1748.
This
was our 4th visit to Pompeii—other places I want to go are Herculaneum
and the Naples Archeological Museum which holds most of Pompeii’s artifacts. The limoncello factory won out again, but
maybe next time! This website has good
basic information: https://pompeiicity.com/en/facts
Pompeii
is about 170 acres in size and about 67% of the city has been excavated. There are about 15,000 to 20,000 visitors per
day, and I think today all 20,000 showed up.
Pompeii would not be the same if sidewalks were smooth and the roadways
were paved, that is a fact.
So,
visitors negotiate the rough pebbled “sidewalk” and the very rough stones in
the roadway that vary in size. Keeping
pace with a guide, trying to watch the street or sidewalk for hazards, trying
to look at the various sites, and negotiating free space with 20,000 people is
quite interesting. This time, Janie did
not demonstrate her nimbleness and crashed and dived into the street with magnificent
grace.
I
was extremely fortunate—TK and another gentleman helped me back up, my camera was
not damaged, no clothes were torn. Some bystanders thought I hit my head, but I
don’t think so. My very padded upper
femur and hip were bruised, and now I have a black and blue swollen hip—and I
don’t need any added inches there, but that is all. So fortunate.
Apparently,
there aren’t as many visitors after October 31, so Dear Readers, if you visit
Pompeii, high season is in the summer—the Internet says April and May are best,
as well as September-October. Ha! I do not believe that! And, I would never never recommend visiting
when it is raining.
PHOTOS OF POMPEII
Above: Photos from the Coliseum, Opera, and Theater areas
Stepping stones because waste (human and otherwise)
was just dumped in the streets. Enzo, who I chopped off,
said it was extremely smelly in the streets.
No kidding.
Another view of a street with stepping stones
The forum area
Forum area
Individual shops' stalls
Amphora, to hold anything like
olive oil and wine
Fresco inside a villa
(original in Naples museum)
Chariot
(original in Naples museum)
Beware of the dog!
A "restaurant" of sorts
pots of soup?
Another "restaurant"
Mount Vesuvius looms in the background
Can you see the lumpy road?
Reflection: Pompeii was buried under 13-20 feet of volcanic ash and pumice and it took 17 centuries to find it again--this fact alone makes such a sight a wonder to behold. It is estimated that 11,000 people died from the effects of the eruption. The power of nature is unforgettable.
Our
bus ride back to the ship took about 20 minutes, it was a long day! We ate at the Buffet instead of the dining
room and then we called it a night.
TK's Takes: Pompeii--too many people, too rough. Most unsafe excursion he was ever on. Parking lot was full of buses. He is worried about the weight of all the candy he bought at the limoncello factory. [Note: Janie bought candy as gifts. TK bought candy for himself] Very rough seas today--the sea day. He played a slot pull with fellow shipmates. Lobster and filet mignon tonight for dinner--a formal evening.On to Crete, Greece we go!
