Positano and Pompeii along the Amalfi Coast

Positano and Pompeii down the Amalfi Coast via Bus

We had about 3 hrs. travel to the town of Positano.  Just before we arrived, we stopped at the Limoncello factory.  It's Sunday so no production.  We of course had to by a bottle. 

Positano

Positano is quaint little town known for its beautiful cliffside, quaint shops, restaurants and breath-taking views.  The first evidence of a settlement in Positano dates back to the Upper Palaeolithic, when the "Grotto La Porta" was frequented by gathers and hunters.  Jumping to modern times, Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th Century.  It began to attract large number of tourists in the 1950's especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in "Harper's Bazaar" in May 1953.  Mick Jagger & Keith Richards from The Rolling stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.  To complete the picture, natural lemon, orange and olive groves grow prominently across the cliffside town.  

Lunch at the top of the viewpoint.  Calamari w/ Zucchini and Pasta w/Clams, absolutely delicious paired with a very nice Italian Chardonnay

Pompeii

Pompeii is for history buffs which I am not.  This was very difficult to walk through the ruins and my brain was on overload.  This ancient city was buried under 13-20 feet of volcanic ash and pumice with the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD.  The mountain is located about 5 miles from Pompeii and caused 20k deaths.  The town was rediscovered in 1599. It is a completely preserved ancient city, with buildings, artefacts, and human bodies. Archaeologists have unearthed 1150 bodies to date. You will notice that all the paintings are red.  They were actually yellow and were turned red by the gases emitted from Vesuvius (the volcano).  If you are interested in reading more, here is a link.  https://pompeiisites.org/en/

Mythological Half Man/Half Horse

Nocera tuff columns that remain from the Temple of Apollo

Balilica of Pompeii

The Macellum is an ancient Roman indoor market that sold mostly provisions (especially meat and fish)

Casa del Menandro (The House of Menander)  

After our tour we stopped in at a local market to get Bread, Salami, Cheese and Champagne to go with our Limoncello.  Enjoying the evening back at the Hotel.