Italy Day 2-Herculaneum and the Amalfi Coast

 We were up bright and early to head over to Herculaneum.  Herculaneum was destroyed in the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD, along with Pompeii and 3 other towns.  While Pompeii was covered in ash, making excavation a little easier, Herculaneum was covered in molten lava, making excavation much more difficult.

Having been buried under rock instead of ash, Herculaneum had a new town built on top of that which was buried.  Serious excavation started about 300 years ago and is ongoing.  While Pompeii was a large city, Herculaneum was a small, wealthy resort village.

Many of the residents fled when the first tremors began, leaving their servants to close up the stores and homes.  Many bodies were found in the boats that had been moored in what was once the Marina.  Reconstruction shows some of the skeletons. 

The molten lava actually acted as a preservative to much of the town.  I found the bathhouses fascinating.  I was also super impressed by the cisterns used to collect water by having a hole in the ceiling over a tub to catch rainwater.  When the Romans created aqueducts leading down from the mountains, they kept the pools but closed up the windows to make skylights.

Once the aqueduct system was in place the Romans built water fountains that provided free, fresh water to all who visited the area.  This water fountain was outside of a large restaurant in the village.

The ancient Roman kitchens had beautiful marble counters with terra cotta pots built in.  The food would be kept in these pots and served to diners.  Because this was a resort town, many of the mansions did not have large kitchens, but depended on the restaurants to provide food.

It was an interesting, informative morning.  Lena was an excellent guide. I was happy we chose to visit Herculaneum instead of Pompeii.

After the Herculaneum tour, we returned to our driver/guide, Enrico, who took us up the coast to Ravello.  We stopped at a scenic turnout to look at Milky Mountain, which got its name from the whitel limestone that weeps a milky liquid when wet.  We also enjoyed  Lemon Sorbet while at the lookout.

A harrowing drive filled with switchbacks, tight turns, and narrow roads landed us in Ravello at Salvatore Ristorante, established in 1958.  Look at the awesome view we enjoyed with lunch!!

Another exciting drive took us to the coastal town of Amalfi, the largest city on the Amalfi Coast.   It was very crowded but we did take a walk into the square to see the Amalfi Cathedral and have some gelato, before heading back towards Sorrento with a quick stop in Positano.

Enrico dropped us off at Hotel Villa Garden, right on the coast in Sorrento.  This is our home for the next 3 days, and what a lovely home it is.  We have an ocean view from the balcony of our room and enjoyed a sunset dinner at the hotel restaurant located on the water.

It was a busy, exciting day.  Tomorrow we have a more relaxed schedule and a cooking class in the evening.......