Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii

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Another early start today for our drive to Mt Vesuvius.  Leo asked this morning if we would need a harness to climb the volcano (cute).  The drive there was so much easier than using Italian transport, but the GPS took us up some very crazy, bumpy, skinny mountain roads.  Climbing Vesuvius was relatively easy, it took us about an hour while we took photos and enjoyed the view.   It was fantastic reaching the top; the crater was massive with steam coming from the rocks.  At the top you could walk around the rim of the crater, like always dotted with little stalls to sell souvenirs.  Mt Vesuvius is most famous for the eruption of 79AD which buried the city of Pompeii.  The weather changed quickly at the top and we became covered in cloud and needed jackets to warm up.  After Mt Vesuvius we headed to Pompeii, although we knew it was a Roman city buried in ash we had no idea how big it actually was.  We spent from 2pm – 6pm walking through all the streets, amphitheatre, gardens, coliseum and forum; once again we didn’t finish everything as it is 64 hectares of streets and buildings.  We saw the people who were covered in ash and frozen in time.  The whole city is unbelievable with every turn offering something else to look at.  Leo and Corban did twice the distance as everyone else as they were busy running in and out of all the houses pretending they lived there.  Some of the houses were very well preserved and it was amazing to see the colours, paintings, designs/patterns, tiles that lined the insides.  All of the streets were named and numbered with accessible roads.  The city even had a complex water system.  There is written record of the eruption in 79AD but the city was left buried until it was rediscovered in 1599.  Even then it was not excavated for another 150 years until 1748.  Pompeii is a must see place!  We had also planned to visit Naples in the afternoon however we simply enjoyed our day so much we didn’t leave in time.  We did however go for a quick drive through on the way home.  The roads were the bumpiest we have ever driven on in a city and the people drive like maniacs.  There are no lines painted on the roads, no need to use traffic lights or even the roads, foot paths and tram track were also available if you wanted.  We are absolutely shocked that ‘Bessy’ didn’t get a scratch and we are all still alive:+)