Day Two - Pompeii

Today began in a bit of a rush with us having to be on the coach to Pompeii by 7am. Luckily the hotel opened up the breakfast selection earlier than usual so the kids could grab a quick bite to eat and then we were on our way.

The weather looked gloomy and the rain fell fairly heavily earlier on this morning but things cleared up as we got out of Rome and closer to Napoli. Pompeii is approximately 2.5 hours south of Rome but by bus it always takes a little longer. Traffic was slow in some areas and we also made a pit stop for some snack foods around 9.30am. We arrived in Pompeii around 10.30am but unfortunately our guided tour was booked in for 11.30. A few kids bought some wet weather gear as they didn't bring umbrellas ect and we sat under cover for a half hour or so. Carmina tried to sort out a tour guide for a bit earlier because the bus driver was going to pick us up at 1pm to get us back to Rome by 4.30pm.

Our tour started just after 11am and Vincenzo was our guide. He began with a brief overview of what happened in 79AD when Mt Vesuvius erupted. We then walked through the various areas of Pompeii; seeing places where Gladiators used to train, the grand auditorium where performers like Pink Floyd and U2 have done shows but previous to that singers and entertainers in the early 100s, various fountains, baths, cobble stone roads and finally to the main square or 'piazza' with some fantastic views of Mt Vesuvius and the rest of Pompeii.

The kids couldn't resist buying some souvenirs before we went and had lunch across the road at a place called "Vesuvius". We were served italian bread, hot chips, pizza margarita, sort drinks and choc chip icecream for 13 euros. The pizza was claimed to be "the best that I've ever had" by Kaitlin and indeed it was tasty.

We all took lots of photos and I've added a few below.

Tomorrow we are finishing our tour of Rome travelling to the Vatican, Castel di Saint Angelo, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum and last but not least the Colosseum.

Speak to you all 'domani' (tomorrow),
Carl

 The Appenine Mountains as we drove along the autostrada

 Pompeii: the area where gladiators used to train

 Our guide Vincenzo and the kids all rugged up near the cobble stone road.

 One of the areas with baths and lockers.

View of Mt Vesuvius from the main square of Pompeii.