Herculaneum to Rome

 HERCULANEUM TO ROME


Funicolare at Capri Town





Funicolare at Marina Grande

The moving day drill once again -- leave our packed bags by the door, enjoy breakfast, then check out and head out to see Italy. Once again our bags took off before we did and would await us in our hotel in Rome. We walked a quarter mile or so to the funicular for the ride down the cliff to Marina Grande, where we boarded a high speed ferry for the 50 minute trip to Naples. The day was sunny, and the voyage was smooth. At the Naples harbor we boarded a bus where our Italian tour guide who had been with us in Anacapri joined us for a half hour ride from Naples to Herculaneum (as you'd guess, named for the Greek god Hercules). She'd guide us through the uncovered city, explaining the what, how, and when of the disaster.

Vesuvio from Herculaneum

The larger and more famous of the cities which were destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD was Pompeii. Herculaneum was the smaller, bayside (Bay of Naples) home of the patricians of the area. When Vesuvio erupted, rather than having been hit by flying rocks and lava like Pompeii, Herculaneum was blasted first by superheated (nearly 500 degrees F) gas and ash. This means that the ruins of the city and its residents weren't destroyed by debris, but were parboiled then covered by over 50' of fine ash. Through the centuries the existence and fate of the city had been lost from memory until some ruins were discovered when a landowner had his workers dig a well.  In the 1700's excavation began, and it continues to this day. Herculaneum's ruins were remarkably well preserved. Rather than describing it, here are some photos:










After having spent a remarkable couple of hours traveling nearly 2,000 years back in time, we boarded our bus for the Stazione di Napoli Centrale (Naples Central Train Station), where our group had a decent lunch before boarding a high speed (up to 160 mph) train to Rome. 

The cars were roomy with large, comfortable seats and plenty of leg room. The staff brought around soft drinks and large, delicious cookies.  In 1:40 we pulled into the station in Rome, where we were met by a bus and transported to our hotel, Hilton's Hotel Aleph Rome. It too was an attractive, centrally located hotel with an attentive, helpful staff.  And once again our bags welcomed us to our room.



That evening we were free to have dinner on our own.  After having a drink on the rooftop bar with enchanting views we invited our new friends Joe and Jean from North Carolina (via NYC) to join us at a pasta and pizza restaurant which Maria had suggested that is less than a half mile from the Aleph. Wandering past the impressive Excelsior Hotel and the U.S. Embassy to the Pizzeria San Marco made us feel like the fortunate tourists we were, and we enjoyed the delicious pasta and wine in a relaxed outdoor atmosphere. It was a delightful, laid back evening and an excellent meal.  

Westin Excelsior

Another full day, so we hit the hay. Tomorrow will be a full day of sightseeing in the Eternal City.

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