Pompeii
We arrived in Pompeii in the late morning having left Cassino first thing. The early part of the journey had been ok but the latter half was difficult. The roads were narrow and badly maintained and we had to hold our breath as we just got under a low bridge that we had no option to avoid as we were committed on the narrow road with no room to turn. The roads have definitely got worse as we approached Naples. As we arrived in Pompeii we felt it looked quite shabby and were a bit worried about where we were staying. However the campsite that Mike had located was like a little oasis: grassy parking lots, beautiful orange blossom scent and suitable amenities. What's more it was right opposite the entrance to the roman ruins. We caught our breath and relaxed in the sun with our lunch but by 2pm we were both ready to visit the ruins. 
It was on the 24th August AD79 that the roman town was buried by ash from the erupting Vesuvius. 
Although the story is so well known it took your breath away that so much of the town was left virtually intact. 
Vesuvius is a dominant presence in the background but today as has been the case for many years it was sleeping. Mike and I spent about 4 hours wandering around the site together but after that I went home and left the last hour to him. We were very lucky to see it on a day where the sun shone, with a cooling breeze. I can imagine how difficult it must be to explore this site in the height of summer.
Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast
Sunday was even warmer than our day in Pompeii (around 25C). We decided to spend it on the coast but so that Mike did not get any more grey hairs we chose to go by train to Sorrento and then take the coastal bus to Amalfi. For those who are not familiar with the Amalfi coastal road it is a spectacular journey. The route is narrow and twisty with sheer drops down to the sea below. If Mike had driven it he would have had to concentrate so hard on his driving that he would have had no pleasure from the views and we probably would have lost a wing mirror too. In fact, it turned out that motor homes are not allowed on this road, although we also heard that one could travel in one direction at a certain time and then come back at another set time. As it was we made the right decision. The bus driver was mad and obviously knew the road well so with a lot of horn honking he managed to deliver us to the small town of Amalfi without going over the edge or hitting anyone. We enjoyed relaxing in the sun after our week's sight seeing. I had a lovely swim in the sea which was not too bad a temperature once you were in. Later on we went for Pizza and a beer, caught the bus back, had another wander around Sorrento (it had been very busy in the morning when we arrived due to a half marathon being raced) picking up an ice cream on the way (it is true Italians do make very good ice cream) and then we caught the train back to Pompeii. It had been a very pleasant day.
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