A CAMPANIAN JOURNEY

As you disembark your cruise ship in Sorrento, meet your private guide and driver and set off for an extraordinary archaeological site.

Buried in deadly volcanic ash after the sudden eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and accidentally discovered in 1748, Pompeii is an absolute must for first-time visitors to Italy. Your guide will take you on a carefully planned trail through this incredible ancient settlement and explain the purpose and function of the foundations and buildings you will see along the way. You will also find out about the lifestyle and customs of those who inhabited them, the techniques used to uncover and interpret findings made here and the evidence that has been pieced together to give us such a stunningly vivid and accurate picture of Roman Campania. Although much excavation work remains to be done and conservation presents the curators with a massive challenge, what you can still see and touch here is simply astounding.

Step back in time as you access the excavations through the city gate of Porta Marina. Once inside, follow your guide through the ruins of the ancient city and conjure up scenes of Pompeii’s inhabitants while they go about their daily chores. Can you imagine how life must have been in this once thriving agricultural and trading centre peacefully perched in the shadow of mighty Mount Vesuvius, unaware of the imminent disaster, 2,000 years ago? How did Pompeii’s 15,000 residents spend their time? What were their occupations, beliefs and traditions? What did they eat? Which leisure activities did they enjoy? The answers to these and many more questions are securely safeguarded within Pompeii’s crumbling walls, jigsaw pieces in a tantalizing, real life puzzle just waiting to be reassembled – with a little help from your guide.

When you walk along the well-planned streets, taking the very same route once trodden by faithful temple-goers and busy market traders, you’ll notice the road building skills that were needed to set the large paving blocks in place and the high kerbs and stepping stones conveniently arranged to allow people to cross without getting their feet wet and dirty. This is just one small but significant example of the ingenuity of the ancient Romans in the fields of engineering and urban planning, achievements which remained unequalled for centuries and whose remarkable legacy continues to guide us to this day. Our culinary habits, pastimes and vices too may well have their roots here. From fast foods to spas, from red light districts to gambling the ancient Romans of Pompeii were already seasoned experts in the pleasures and transgressions of the city.

Your guide will certainly point out Pompeii’s age-old venues for public meetings: the forum, once the site of the market, administrative offices and court; the thermal baths where citizens came to relax, play sports and socialize; the temples, a source of precious clues to our understanding of the creed and religious rituals of yesteryear’s worshippers. Theatres were popular with the locals who gathered here to watch a varied calendar of shows, such as Greek tragedies, musical performances, poetry readings and the much-loved light-hearted plays that featured frauds, betrayals and brawls. You will also take a peek inside a private residential villa which provides a wonderful example of the layout of a wealthy citizen’s dwelling and the decorative tastes of the age.

Casts of the bodies of the ill-fated population, trapped forever at the very moment of death, leave the visitor with a particularly haunting memory of a cataclysmic event that has meticulously secured for us so much priceless knowledge about the Roman way of life.

After some free time for lunch return to Sorrento, a picturesque cliffside town offering sweeping views of the Bay of Naples. According to tradition, its name derives from the word Siren and is linked to the legend of Ulysses and the mermaids. These mythical sea creatures, half female and half fish, seduced sailors with their celestial voices and lured them onto the rocks causing shipwrecks. As the Odyssey recounts, Ulysses heard the Sirens singing as he was sailing past Sorrento and succeeded in defeating them by filling his companions’ ears with wax and asking his crew to tie him to the ship’s mainmast. The Sirens were so humiliated by their failure that they hurled themselves into the water and turned into the rocks that today rise from the sea, south of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and are known as Li Galli.

Here you can saunter along pretty streets lined with Baroque-style churches, boutiques and craft shops, take a peek inside the intimate cloister of San Francesco, famous for its 14th century arcade, and admire the trompe l’oeil paintings of the Sedil Dominova. This is an open loggia which once served as a meeting place for the local nobility and is now a popular gathering spot for card players. Not to be missed are also Piazza Tasso, the pulsing heart of Sorrento, and the view of the Vallone dei Mulini from Via Fuorimura. Here visitors can look down on this deep ravine that appeared more than 35,000 years ago, after the eruption of the Phlegraean Fields. Though abandoned today, this site was formerly a bustling centre of activity. Ruins of a 17th century flour mill enveloped by lush vegetation still stand as enduring monuments to Sorrento’s distant past.

Sorrento was a fashionable summer resort for wealthy patricians in ancient Roman times and remains a prime tourist destination today with its tasty culinary specialities, gorgeous seascape views and glorious weather. Limoncello, Italy’s golden liqueur, is also produced locally so don’t miss the chance to sample a glass before climbing back on board your cruise ship.