Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano
Duration: 8/9 hours
You will admire the ruins of the most famous archaeological site in the world, where the remains of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD were found. This will be followed by a visit to Sorrento, where you will stroll through its narrow streets and discover ancient Roman villas, Greek buildings, and the magnificent view of the gulf. Moving towards Positano, we will travel along the Amalfi Coast, admiring picturesque landscapes and charming seaside villages.
POMPEII
A small town in the province of Naples, in the Circumvesuviana Plain, to the right of the lower course of the Sarno River. The ancient Roman center, of which extraordinary remains can still be seen, was destroyed in the first century by an eruption of Vesuvius: we owe Pliny the Younger the description of the catastrophe.
On a bright winter day in 62 AD, during Nero’s reign, the entire Phlegraean Fields region was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake. Seventeen years later, in 79 AD, Pompeii was surprised by a violent eruption of Vesuvius: a rain of incandescent boulders poured down on the streets, squares, shops, and houses of the city. Then fragments of pumice stone rained down, covering the ground to a depth of three meters, followed by a snowfall of ash so delicate and light that even the eggs and fish on the table of one of the houses in the city remained intact. It was only at the end of the 18th century that excavations brought to light the layout of the town and its buildings: a monumental complex which, together with that of Herculaneum, constitutes an archaeological heritage of extraordinary importance both for its value as a historical document and for its exceptional evocative power.
SORRENTO
An important tourist center on the northern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula. The name of this beautiful town evokes one of the most mysterious and fascinating inventions of classical mythology, the Sirens: according to legend, ancient Surrentum was founded in a place sacred to the worship of these capricious creatures.
The original settlement of the city, excluding a few sporadic prehistoric traces, dates back to Roman times, and even today the streets Tasso, Fuoro, and S. Cesareo reflect the road layout of the ancient Roman municipality. The beauty of the location (Sorrento was built on a tuff plain in the Lattari Mountains, overlooking the sea) and the mild climate have made the city one of the most important tourist destinations in the region, perhaps slightly altered by construction pressure that has increased significantly over time. In the center, among the 18th-century buildings and shops displaying the beautiful inlaid woodwork typical of the city’s craftsmanship, stands an interesting civil building from the Angevin period, the Sedile Dominova (15th century).
POSITANO
When traveling along the Amalfi Coast, the view offered by this famous fishing village is one of the most evocative: a handful of white houses descending towards the sea in a somewhat hidden cove, surrounded by citrus groves and olive trees. The architecture of Positano stands out for its simplicity and beauty: the houses are cubic, covered by a low circular vault, often opening onto the sea with a small portico. For years, the village, once known for its skilled sailors, has been an elegant and exclusive tourist center: its narrow, stepped streets are lined with dozens of small meeting places, and craft shops sell colorful and imaginative clothes.
