Pompei revisited

We used our sightseeing day during our conference in Avellino to visit Pompei and Sorrento.  We had a group of 13 including three kids.   The tomtom gps tried to take us down a closed road, but we finally found parking outside the excavation.  We had a local pastor and his wife with us and he was very good at bargaining a deal for all day parking.   Several people picked up hats at the souvenir vendors outside and then we were on our way.  Unfortunately, the ticket both was out of maps, so we were on our own.  It was fun to see the city through the eyes of the kids.  They were so excited about everything.   We walked and walked, making up touristy stories about the different structures as we went.  Shawn and I remembered some stuff, from when we were there in March with my parents,  but mostly we just read the signs on the outside of each building and eavesdropped on the tour guides for info.  This time we were smart and brought in drinks and sack lunches so we could walk around a lot longer.  (Last time we got too hungry and had to eat tourist food.)   We saw the Villa Misteri with its petrified wooden doors and shutters, the baths, and amphitheater in our wanderings.  We also saw a house that had been built on top of the dig and was used as a bed & breakfast.  They were going to build more houses, but found more areas of the city that hadn’t been excavated yet, so only one was completed.  After 5 hours of walking everyone had had enough, so it was off to Sorrento for some ice cream and pizza. 

We found a great ice cream shop the last time we were there, so that was our first stop.  After walking in the heat all day, it was a nice cool treat.  We had a police escort into town where we were extended a dinner invitation to the house of the brother of one of the pastors in our party.  Shawn and I had met them when we were in Agrigento for Pasquetta.  They were very gracious to have 13 surprise guests for dinner.  They ordered pizza for us, including specially prepared ones for 2 who had gluten allergies.  We enjoyed the food, fellowship, and had coffee before driving the hour back to our hotel.  Everyone slept quite well that night.        (Pictures include: Shawn in the ruins, petrified shutters, garden with altar, Primavera Gelateria, SEGWAY – thought it was cool, and pizza and fellowship.)