Another day trip we took was to Vesuvius and Pompeii. Nicolas at Villa s. Michele told us he would arrange everything, we would just wait outside at 8am and someone would pick us up. It could have gone either way, we had no idea what we were waiting for, a bus, a taxi, a friend of his on his day off? who knew… we knew enough to trust him we’d get there, that’s about it, the rest we could figure out for ourselves.

As it happened it was the full-on package holiday type tour bus. It screeched to a halt in the bend outside our villa – big lettering down the side stating ‘www.sunland.it’. With a collective groan we had to scramble on and take the last two seats available on the backseat of the bus. Now in all our travels, we’ve never done this before – taken an organised tour, on a bus, with 40 odd others and a guide. If a tour is necessary, and sometimes it is for accessibility, we generally try and find a small outfit – something that doesn’t scream ‘sheep!’. So here we were, on a bus, filled with Americans a few Germans and thankfully some Aussies, and a tour guide called Lorenzo. Lorenzo started his spiel when we got on, how the day would run, where we were going, at what time, what we were eating and how long we had to eat it, what we would see, what we would think and what we would feel – because he knew…. he’d been taking groups like ours for the last 30 years…

Another collective groan. This time the Aussies on the backseat joined in.

I have to say it was a nightmare, the herding of people here and then there, but we survived it and not only that, we managed to visit both Vesuvius and Pompeii with very little effort on our part. No scheduling required, no decisions to be made, no extras to pay for. That has to be worth something, especially in Italy.

First stop was a big tourist joint ostensibly a toilet stop, but was in fact where artisans make cameos. You could watch them, have a brief tour on how they’re made, and of course part with your money and buy one. I haven’t thought of cameos for years, I seem to recall my nana having one on a brooch or chain and I remember dismissing them as for old people. In fact they are very beautiful, highly intricate and take someone very talented to complete one. They are also very very expensive. Michelle missed the tour, the explanation and the shop, she was busy talking business on her mobile…

We then piled back on the bus, Lorenzo told us everything he knew about cameos, and then started on Vesuvius, the history, the folklore and the facts – although I’m not sure all of them can be validated… As the bus made it’s way up to the top of Vesuvius you had to ask yourself why people would choose to live so close to an active volcano? It’s not extinct, everyone is sure it will erupt again and probably reasonably soon, it’s not like the locals haven’t seen it before, the last eruption was in 1944 and it levelled the suburbs at the foot of the mountain, but still they live there. Insurance must be pricey.

Michelle racing up the path with the smog of Naples in the background

The bus dropped us off at the car park around 1000 metres high, then there is a short trail of about 860 metres long that takes you up to the highest point of Vesuvius looking deep into the 1944 crater at 1281 metres. There were all sorts of people making the walk, some in sandals, I even saw one woman in high heels – not to be recommended I’d say, the trail is dust and lava gravel and has an average slope of 14% – you’re given a walking stick to save your knees on the way down. It was impressive, you could smell sulphur and see wisps of smoke escaping and unbelievably there was a shop at the top selling souvenirs!

the crater

Next stop was a production line meal. The food was actually very good, a salad, a pizza and a jug of wine, and they had us in and out within about 35 minutes. Amazing.

Vesuvius in the background

And then Pompeii. I’ve heard about Pompeii for years, studied it at school, seen BBC documentaries about it, and even just recently read the novel titled Pompeii by Robert Harris (which is really very good, by the way) but nothing could prepare me for the site itself. It’s a city. A huge city and it gets bigger all the time, the more exploration they do. Sometimes when you visit a site that has become a big tourist stop you wonder where all the entrance fee money goes to, but here you see it. You see the work they are doing all around you. It’s so amazing. Lorenzo led us around, dodging other groups, giving us bits of info, bits of history and bits of heresy, but he was more like a noise in the background. The ruins themselves are so impressive you don’t need to hear all about them, every sight you see screams achievement, life, and history. Here in AD79 people lived and walked these streets and now almost 2000 years later, thanks to the eruption of Vesuvius 5 miles away which coated the city in ash, we can see it. Really fantastic. If I go back, I would go with a good guidebook and a picnic lunch and wander about the city as the people who lived in it probably did. For me, definitely a highlight.

street after street of Pompeii

Back on the bus the trip home was significant only for our discussions with the other passengers. A few Australians making their travel plans for the next day, they were leaving for Florence by train, another couple off to France and some more on their way to Capri. The journey was quick and noneventful until about 2 miles away from our villa. The bus stopped, we didn’t notice for a couple of minutes, then looked up ahead and facing us, about 1 foot away was another tour bus – front window to front window. There was nowhere to go, reverse and we would go backwards over the tiny stone wall that separated us from a 200 metre drop into the sea, forwards and we’d plough straight into the bus.

our bus passing ordeal

It took about 20 minutes but eventually we got past. The bus was so close we could see the sweat on the drivers face as they passed us, and there was one useful (or crazy) man who climbed up the side of the bus and hung off his front mirror to assist them around the bend.

Then we were back in the relative peace and luxury of Villa s. Michele. It was a good day, but if you can manage the trip without 45 other sheep it could be even better.

See some more pictures here