Pompeii and Positano

 We knew Anya wasn't going to Pompeii because she didn't feel well, so we got up early, showered and dressed and headed for Piazza con Poppolo. We caught a taxi immediately. 

The Piazza is gorgeous, with a giant Egyptian obelisk brought over by Augustus when he conquered Egypt. Augustus is my favorite. He was intelligent and believed in Ceasar as did the people and he avenged Ceasar's murder.

At any rate, I'd booked a trip to Pompeii with a lunch in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. I wrote a song called Pompeii when I was in a band called 49 Fingers, so Pompeii has special meaning to me.

We found our tour guide, MariAlena. I had set up a day trip from Rome to Pompeii for the three of us. We had an option of visiting Vesuvius or Positano on the Amalfi Coast. I opted for the Amalfi Coast.

So when we got on our tour bus, we were interested to learn that we would drive for an hour and a half and then have a break, then drive for another hour and a half to our Destination. I was still thinking we were going to Pompeii first. That's not what was planned.

To be honest, 20 minutes into our trip I had a panic attack and had to beg Robert to ask the tour guide to find a stop. She did, and she was incredibly gracious about it, too. She said she'd been in my shoes before. I nibbled a tiny corner off one of my strong anti-panic meds and we moved on.

We stopped at a gas station/corner store that had coffee, paninis, sodas, and the weirdest "chochke". (Swag, some call it.) I got a panini for Robert for later and bought a zip-up Italy sweatshirt because it was pouring rain and suddenly cold. 

Because I quit smoking a year ago, I forgot Robert couldn't help me carry drinks; he had to go smoke. So I didn't have enough hands to grab sodas. 

We got back on the bus and continued past Vesuvius. At this point, it became clear they were taking us to Positano first, and we wouldn't even get there until 1pm.

The Amalfi coast is gorgeous. The cliffs are high and the sea is cerulean blue and there's no end to it. It looks like it goes on forever, unlike the Oregon coast that has rocks and islands and commercial ships. 

The Amalfi coast also has bright white buildings all nestled into the hillside with crazy, curvy roads snaking into the towns. I've never seen roads like that except Lombard street in San Francisco. 

So our tour bus guide split us up into two small shuttles to get us into Positano. We were given two hours to either shop or get down to the beach and back.

Positano was a sleepy town but now it's a wealthy person's getaway. The shops in town have this incredible clothing, including men's and women's clothes in linen, silk, cotton, and raw silk. It's all stunning.

They're also known for their pottery and brightly colored Italian plates and bowls, as well as their ocean art. There were also colored gemstone jewelry items that were intensely expensive. 

We opted for finding the beach.

Robert and I hoofed it all the way down to the Mediterranean. He introduced me to it and I of course did a quick rock hounding search. I found sea glass, smoothed terra cotta with a pattern, a smooth red and white rock of some sort that I can't identify but got all excited about, and others. I was happy.

Robert obviously loves the Mediterranean. We talked about doing two weeks in Positano and renting a boat with a captain. What a joy that would be.

We hoofed it back up the crazy walk up the switchbacks among the shops and stairs until we found our shuttle. We still had time so we stopped at a Cafe and ate caprese salad and had apple martinis. Then we got back on our shuttle.

Finally, they took us to Pompeii.

We pulled up, split into two groups, each with our own guide, and our guide showed us about a tenth of the archaeological park. 

The archaic Pompeii is currently about 66 acres of excavated history from the Vesuvius eruption of 79AD. We saw maybe 5 or 6 acres.

Our guide showed us the theater, the homes, the fast food courts of ancient Pompeii, the water systems and the pressure controls, the home water systems fed by open atriums, the brothels, the saunas. It was incredible.

We were able to visit one body contained in a glass case. Because I'm currently reading the history of the Jefferson Bass Body Farm in Tennessee, written by Dr. William Bass, I looked at the body with more curiosity. 

It looked like a younger woman. They had laid down with their face down on the circle of their arms, like they knew they were going to die. There was no lava flow over Pompeii. It was just 10 meters of hot ash and pumice that incinerated everything. The "body" was actually a plaster cast of the bodily imprint in the ash.

The entire site was surreal for me. I walked it. I was there. But it was surreal and magical and powerful and mysterious. I wonder if I will ever see it again.

We finally bought some souvenirs and got back on the bus and got home to our flat in Rome after 9pm. We were exhausted. We didn't even bother to stop for dinner.

Leaving Italy now will be like losing a good friend, or finding a beautiful park or beach in your neighborhood that you can't ever find again. My heart is full but I want to go back. I want to see Germany, The Mediterranean, Switzerland. I have the travel bug. Let the house fall down around us: we can't take it with us when we die but we can make love in Venice by the light of the moon and maybe someday our souls will intertwine beyond this life, too. If not, we'll sure have great memories.