Day 37 - Vesuvius & Herculaneum

We enjoyed an early breakfast at the hotel and caught the first shuttle into Sorrento. We rode the train to the Ercolano (Herculaneum) stop where we gathered with a group of folks and hired a taxi to take us up Mt. Vesuvius. The weather was warm, but drizzly on the coast. But it cooled off considerably as we gained elevation heading up to the 4,000 foot Mt. Vesuvius. We got our tickets and made the short, 15 minute, hike from the parking lot to the crater rim. The wind was blowing a gale and it was raining off and on, but the deep crater scenery was wonderful. We met a nice couple from England as we hiked around the rim of the crater and enjoyed getting to know them as we made our way, wet and cold, back down to the parking lot.

The taxi dropped us off at the train station, where we parted from our new friends and headed into the town of Ercolano. We took cover from the rain in a traditional southern Italy pizzeria and enjoyed some lunch. Afterwards made our way down to the edge of town to another set of amazing ruins, Herculaneum. These ruins are smaller in scale than Pompeii, but have some really nice art and artifacts that could be considered in better condition than some of those at Pompeii. The entire town was completely buried by a mud flow and has been carefully uncovered. The ruins now reside in a man-made crater with the rim of the mud flow surrounding the the ancient former town. Again, we were provided with a very detailed map and booklet containing a description of the history of Herculaneum, the disaster that befell the town and the current archeological finds and restorations. Some of the frescos in the homes of the wealthier former residents are in amazing condition considering their age.

After returning to Sorrento and our hotel, we had some dinner and met up with our friends from England for conversation and night-cap drinks of lemoncello in the small bar of the hotel.