Vesuvius!

Well I can check that off the list – I’ve been to the top of Mt Vesuvius, stood at the edge, and peered into the crater. Beat that!

Off early on the train again, jostled along with commuters and kids who probably ought to have been in school by then. In somewhat typical Italian fashion, Herculaneum randomly decided not to open until 11, so with two hours to kill, I hiked back up to the station and caught a shuttle with a group of German tourists up to Vesuvius.

The road winds its way up an impossibly narrow set of switchbacks to another typically Italian scene of chaos with cars, taxis, tour busses all honking at each other trying to park in this bumpy little patch of gravel. Then you’re off on foot up a steep trail hugging the edge of the mountain – never have I seen so many overweight and out of shape tourists accomplish such feats of athleticism. A good half hour pretty much straight up. Beautiful views of Naples, the whole harbour, Capri, fading in and out of the clouds. And soon you’re above even the clouds. The air turns cool, the wind picks up. All about you the red rock. Sharp jagged peaks. And then … A gift shop. And then another gift shop, this one with a bar. And then! Another gift shop. And then! The peak! The crater! The rocks falling away in a sheer cliff below. Fantastic.

Back down the mountain and back to Ercolano (Herculaneum in Italian). The town itself is quite charming. A sleepy seaside town sloping gradually down to the sea. Clean and quiet, buildings of pink and red and yellow, all lit up by the sun.

Hercuaneum decided to open by then. Much smaller than Pompeii, but rather fascinating. A much better sense of what the buildings looked like. In some cases very well preserved with their second stories and even the charred wood frames around the doorways in tact. More beautiful frescos and mosaics. Only took a couple hours to see the whole thing. One particularly fascinating point – Herculaneum was once a seaside town. The edge of the city was the ocean. There is now a good chunk of land – houses, roads, a railway, between it and the sea, the land extended out by the lava I suppose. The ruins themselves are far below what is now the land. When you’re down there, you crane your neck up to see the more modern buildings surrounding you.

After that, finding a little place in Ercolano for some lunch – beer and the best bruschetta I’ve yet had. Then back on the train and a meandering wander through the side streets of Naples back home.

Almost done here. Another hour or so out on the patio here. Then dinner, then packing up. Off to Capri in the morning. Time enough for breakfast, and then it’ll be making my way down to the port to the ferry docks. Looking forward to a couple much quieter days there before its on to Florence.

Half way point tomorrow. Dark clouds approaching.