Italy - Day 3 - The Worst of Times. It was the best of Times.

We traveled from Rome south to Pompeii.  If you don't know about this place, Google it.  It was a thriving Roman colony that was hit by a massive volcano eruption.  Lava, hot ash, and toxic gasses rained down on the city.  Buildings were buried 10-20 feet deep.  Our tour guide painted a much more devastating picture.  In any event, the city ceased to exist and every living creature was destroyed in an instant.

You can see Mount Vesuvius (the volcano that erupted) in the background of the picture above. Archaeologists are still in the process of uncovering Pompeii, but there is enough completed that you can see how people lived.  We were able to walk down main streets, peer into ancient merchant shops, and even visit the red light district complete with beds and erotic pictures on the walls.  Think "The Oldest Profession".

I won't go into it here, but an archaeologist even figured out a way to make plaster molds of people and animals in the exact position they were in when they died.

We traveled from Pompeii to the Amalfi Coast and Positano of Sorrento.  This is a mountainous region with spectacular views of the Mediterranean. These cliff side villages are quaint, but packed with visitors.