May 17
1) Vesuvius - an
active volcano best known for its eruption in AD79 that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, amongst others. Today, it is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3 million living nearby - making it the most densely populated volcanic region in the world.
And on this day - we were going to scale it.
2) Our journey started with us walking to Napoli Centrale Railway Station, where we took the Circumvesuviana Line to Pompeii Scavi. For the entire morning, we explored the ruins of Pompeii, including but not limited to: Temple of Apollo, Temple of Jupiter, Amphitheatre of Pompeii, House of the Tragic Poet, House of Venus in the Shell, and Lupanar of Pompeii. Everywhere we looked there was a story to be told, and it was quite surreal imagining the entire town reanimated to before the volcanic eruption...
3) By afternoon, we had covered most of the ruins, and we set our sights on that looming volcano in front of us - Vesuvius. Of course, starting from the foot of the volcano up an elevation of 1281m would have been too much for any of us, so we took a bus right up to approximately 1000m, before hopping off and climbing the remaining 300m or so. It was still an arduous climb, as the terrain was rocky and uneven, compounded by the fact that we only had 1.5 hrs in total to get up and down again.
4) After much grunting (on my part that is; my dad cannot be made physically tired under any circumstances, which I discovered to my own chagrin) we finally reached the summit. To be honest I was expecting bubbling lava lakes but what we instead saw was a moon-like crater with sulphur gas spewing from the sides. Just as cool, if not as hot (get it, get it?)
5) With only 40 minutes remaining, we scrambled to take as many pics and vids as we could, before scurrying down again. By 3.00pm, everyone was back in the bus, and we headed down the mountain and back to Pompeii. It took us slightly over an hour to reach, and afterwards we still had to take the train back to the central railway station. I mentioned in my post yesterday that my dad wanted to try out this famous pizzeria called L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele. As we had nothing left on our agenda, we patiently walked our way there. And then the wait began...
6) Da Michele burst into the limelight thanks to a little book called
Eat Pray Love. The number of awards plastered all over the front entrance further testify to its excellence. In short, it is a simple pizzeria, with only two main types of pizza - margherita or marinara - with choice of small, medium, or large. That's basically it. The prices are extremely reasonable - €4.00 for a small, increasing by €0.50 for each size increase. But do not be fooled - the cheap price gives nothing away in quality. Case in point being since its establishment in 1870 by the Condurro family, this pizza place has seen five generations of pizza masters succeed each other to carry on the tradition.
7) And with every single bite, I swear you could taste the difference. Simple yet amazing, the marinara sauce definitely sets it apart from the rest! After our delicious meal, we spent the rest of the day strolling about, as we slowly made our way back home. Along the way, we found the University of Naples Federico II open (it was usually closed to the public) so we entered for a bit. Founded in 1224, this is the oldest public non-religious university in the
world, and is now organised into 13 faculties.
8) Just before ending the day, we stopped by yet another gelato shop - very aptly called
Il Gelato. We made the mistake of ordering three scoops, and as the ice cream came with whipped cream, I soon found it melting all over my fingers! It was hands down the most value for money gelato I've ever eaten. And thankfully, we would have more in the days to come. But for now, it was straight back to our apartment for a well deserved rest. That's all in today's edition of the blog, and thanks very much as always for visiting. Have a lovely weekend, cheers! :))
Mount Vesuvius - never thought we would see it up close and personal,
much less set foot on top of its peak
The three scoop gelato with whipped cream,
moments before it starting liquifying into a semi-solid gloop of deliciousness :))
(thankfully the staff let us use their washrooms to wash our hands later ^^)
Fun fact: pridie Idvs Maias inscribed on the monument means
"the day before the March Ides" i.e. 14th of March
University of Naples Federico II
Institute of Chemistry and Physics
Faculty of Jurisprudence (Law)
My mum posing with the legendary pizza maker himself :))
(at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele)
Pizza rings post-meal :)
Bang-for-your-buck pizza, after a long wait outside!
Pizza margherita with double cheese - a steal at €5.00!
We ordered two pizza margheritas with double cheese, and one pizza marinara :)
The interior of the famed pizzeria
Recognise Julia Roberts from the movie adaptation of Eat Pray Love?
Honestly the decor reminds me a bit of traditional cafes in Ipoh (where I'm from)
Da Menu at Da Michele ^^
The laundry list of awards and recognitions on the front window
We had to take a number and queue outside before being called in - such is the sacrifice needed for what has been dubbed by experts and journalists as the "Sacred Temple of Pizza"
Back at the 1000m mark of Vesuvio...
Joy and elation as we clambered on to reach the peak on this unforgettable day!
Panoramic view from the summit of Vesuvius ^^
A massive crater is all that remains in an otherwise still active somma-stratovolcano
Sulphur gas can be seen spewing out on the right side of the picture
The view at the top was absolutely breathtaking!
The weather was absolutely superb on our ascent :))
Race to the clouds!
When we first arrived, there was a lot of fog which obscured the view for a brief moment
Then it cleared and the view was absolutely stunning!
I'm guessing the sign reads Vesuvius National Park ^^
View of Mt Vesuvius from the bus - simply incredible!
(and I shudder to picture the moment it erupted thousands of years ago!)
Scavi di Pompei
Making our exit from the ruins of Pompeii
Because nothing commands presence like a huge (active!) volcano in the distance
The Temple of Apollo
A poor dog that was chained and could not escape in time...
The Suburban Baths of Pompeii
These are thermal baths with vents for hot air!
A long disused public bath
At the Pompeii Amphitheatre
House of Venus in the Shell
(to the right, a fountain that birds drink from;
to the left, a statue of Mars with a spear and shield on a pedestal;
in the centre, two cherubs accompany Venus, protectress of Pompeii and the erotic sphere, lying in a large shell)
Frescoes on some of the walls that remain to this day
Lupanar of Pompeii - the most famous brothel in Pompeii
(the Roman word for brothel is lupanar, meaning a wolf den,
and a prostitute was called a lupa ("she-wolf)
Lupanare Grande of Pompeii
Walking along the Forum at Pompeii
(a collection of temple ruins, municipal buildings and the basilica in the social and civic centre of the Roman town)
Hearty Breakfast at Napoli Centrale Railway Station (Garibaldi Station) before taking the train to Pompeii Scavi
Mini baguette salumi e formaggio (salami and cheese mini baguette)
and foccacia stracchino e spinachi (cheese and spinach foccacia)
