Welcome to Vesuvius National Park. Trash pick up does not seem to be a priority in this area. Everywhere you go there are mounts of junk laying next to the roads.
We did however climb Vesuvius. The last picture is of the town of Caserta Vecchia where we are staying during our visit to the Naples area. Our quiet mountain retreat after a hectic day on the road.
Getting to the archaeological sites is the interesting part, as they sit in the middle of the urban blight of Naples. Rob did a great job negotiating the roadways where traffic lights are either not working or ignored entirely! Then throw in some crazy scooters and fearless pedestrians for good measure and you get the picture. I drove him crazy shouting “look out” every 2 minutes!
Herculaneum is one of the towns buried after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The second one being Pompeii. The difference is that Herculaneum was covered by volcanic mud which kept the remains more intact while Pompeii was covered by the ash of the eruption. Both sites amazingly show the towns frozen in time; the grand houses with frescoed walls and mosaic floors and the shops still holding clay pots intact inside the counters. It is believed Herculaneum at the time of its destruction had around 5,000 inhabitants, Pompeii 20,000.
We drove from Lucca towards Naples taking the Appian Way, the original road leading to Rome. We were hoping to see remnants of old Rome, but only saw the remains of an aqueduct. It was an interesting drive though, through small towns and agricultural areas, tree farms, and greenhouses. We stopped at the land’s end town of Terracina, with its beautiful beaches, and fishing boats. There the fishermen have their catches weighed and sold at the fish auction right off the boats.
We took a 30 minute train ride from Lucca to Pisa to see the famous tower. From the train station it is a 30 minute walk to the Piazza del Duomo where the Tower, Cathedral and Baptistery stand. Other impressive buildings belong to the University of Pisa.
We rented a small apartment approximately 1 Kilometer outside the walled center of Lucca. You can walk all along the top of the medieval wall that wraps around the city. It is all tree-lined paths for pedestrians and bicycles. Lucca is a great town, known especially for their wine and olive oil. But the real treasure lies in the shops. Beautiful shoes, clothes and purses beckon from the windows. Did I mention Puccini? The composer of La Boheme and Madame Butterfly was born in Lucca.
Nice try Universal Studios, but there is no way anybody can re-create this. Portofino is incredible, makes you want to buy a yacht and stay awhile.
Today we hiked the trails of Cinque Terre which wind up and down, around and through the 5 towns. You walk narrow paths amidst tiered terraces of olive trees, grape arbors, and tomato vines; all the while winding their way along the Mediterranean coast line. The trek took us about 5 hours. We started at Riomaggiore, to Manarola, to Corniglia to Vernazza and ending at Monterossa al Mare. From there we caught the train back to Deiva Marina where we enjoyed a well deserved glass of vino.
After two long days of driving from Holland, we have arrived in Deiva Marina. It is a small village tucked between the mountains and the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean. We have rented a small studio apt. and from here it a short walk to the beach, hiking in the mountains, or to the small shops where we buy fresh bread everyday. [a person could die and go to heaven right here!) The first days we were here there was a bicycle race starting and ending here in town. It was great fun to watch, and the night before the race they had a rock band playing to start off the festivities.
We are just a few train stops away from the Cinque Terre, where you can hike along the 5 seaside towns connected by trails through a National Park.
