Don't take the Tour

The Gladiators' practice field

Our first big mistake - we bought a guided tour to Pompeii and Naples. You know the kind, go to a central point get on a bus, drive to a destination pf your choice and don't see what you really want to see because the organizers take you to places (restaurants and artisans factories) that you don't want to see - you just want to see the sight - because they get a kickback. Anyway to cut along story short we didn't have enough time at Pompeii to see what we wanted to see and we spent too much time wasting time in  an abbreviated and useless tour of Naples. 

What we should have done was to take the train and follow our noses, but not enough drive to do it that way.

The 'small' theatre

Anyway what we did see was impressive. The place was excavated in the 18th Century and work continues today. When you are told that 30 feet of volcanic ash had covered the place and then you see how much has been uncovered (4\5ths of the Town) you get a feeling for the immense task involved. We stayed on the site for the two hours allowed and admired the stones (well I did, Doreen told me tomorrow is shopping!)

Entering Rome at 9pm we saw the City of Lights in its true form.

Today it's the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps and the shopping cruise in that part of Town.