Napoli

We started the day off with a 6 hour bus ride to Napoli, which I do not Highly recommend, but if you don't want to pay as much for plane tickets, it may be your best bet. As we ride this god-forsaken bus, we begin to see a change in landscape. Flat-land that is used for farming and fishing changes to mountains and high-hills. Rocks turn to Green forest and the sky shown through the clouds. I thought that all of Italy would just be like Ugento, but I was terribly wrong.

As we drive along the winding mountain-pass that connects Napoli to the outside world, we discover the land hidden between mountains and sea. A total Metropolis, hidden by mountains. We descend  upon the city of the lively, hoping to not come out dead. We arrive at the bus stop, tired and limp, as we could not move throughout the ride. We stretch, and we begin our journey. We walk through the city to our hotel and take a small siesta, planning our evening out.

We start our Tour of Napoli out with the best damn pizza I've ever had, from this hole in the wall place that would not even scream out that it had the best damn pizza, but it did. The DOC, Mozzarella di Buffala Campagna DOP, San Marzano Tomatoes DOP, Basilico di Napoli DOP, insanity. The flavors just came together so well, and we did not take our heads off our plates till it was all gone. I smiled at the Owner, but inside, I was ready to shed a tear of joy. We leave, feeling complete.

After the Pizza experience, we bed down and wake up the next morning, ready to conquer Pompeii. We catch the 9 o'clock train out of Garbaldi, and get off at the entrance to the City. As we walk in, we are astonished at the immense size of the city. We had heard rumors that you couldn't see the whole city in one day, and those rumors were true. The Immense beauty that Pompeii holds is amazing, the architecture, the many remnants left over from their time, and the Art that laden the many different houses that still stand were amazing. But the most sobering of all, was the preserved bodies of the many that fell from Vesuvio's wrath. Many figures, perfectly preserved in ash, lay in cases. You can make out their facial expressions still, many in terror. One was found in the fetal position, holding on to what was left of their child. A dog, whom had sensed the earthquake that caused Vesuvio to explode, is preserved with the collar that ended up being it's death. The experience was quite sobering to me, and I do recommend going to see this city while you have the chance.