:ship: Experts needed for Pompeii (y)(n)

[Iamthesea]

Sorry about the title. Having trouble with this new format. :mad:

 

Instead of resurrecting the Skip Pompeii thread,which I have thoughtfully read, I am interested in opinions on what we can get done in the port of Naples.

 

We (DH and I) are making our third visit to Naples in May. We will be there from 7:00am to 6:30pm.

On this trip, we will have and our adult children with us. They have never been to Naples. We pretty much know that we want to go to Positano, and perhaps Amalfi Town or Praiano. Plus, we want to eat lunch high up in the hills, as we have done before.

 

We have previously been to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Sorrento and Capri. Of these, Positano, Amalfi and Capri would be my choice to show the children... if we had time. However, another complication is that we visit on a Sunday. I don't think we can fit Capri in with everything else.

 

Furthermore, my son-in-law wants to see Pompeii after hearing a recommendation from a friend. DH and I have been to Herculaneum, but not Pompeii. None of us want to spend a great deal of time in Pompeii...especially with a guide. We will all be "ruined" out by the end of the cruise.

We would most likely ask our private driver to take us down the coast, first, and then do Pompeii on the way back to Naples. I do realize that it could be warmer on a May afternoon than in the morning. Hopefully, afternoon would not be as crowded as in the morning.

Questions:

1. Is there one area of Pompeii that is a "must do?" I think the most interesting area would be to see the preserved civilians. Is this in a museum and whats the best way to reach it?

2. Being it a Sunday, will we have time to go to Positano, another city (such as Praiano), have a semi leisurely lunch, and then do Pompeii?

3. Is Praiano worth visiting or is it just a duplicate of Positano (which we love.)

Thank you! :)

Edited March 5, 2017 by Iamthesea

[Hlitner]

First, we suggest you forget about Praiano (a small town on the Amalfi Coast about 5 miles from Positano). There is really nothing there but a few hotels (where we stay when vacationing on the coast) and an interesting little church. It is nothing like Positano or Ravello which are the two most interesting towns on (or near) the coast. If you are driving from Positano to Amalfi...you will pass right through Praiano....but if you blink you might miss it :).

 

As to Pompeii, it is a pretty large area and you can certainly limit your visit to certain parts. There really is no museum at the site...although many of the artifacts found at Pompeii are housed in the Archaeological Museum in Naples. You would probably have enough time to drive from Naples to Positano, spend some time walking around the town, enjoy lunch, and later visit Pompeii.

 

The key to fitting all this in a port day is to hire a competent professional car/driver for the day. There are several decent companies and drivers that are regularly mentioned here on CC.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

You can certainly hit the most popular sites within Pompei in 90 minutes; the Forum (#6 on the map), the brothel (Lupanare, #39 on the map), and the teatro grande (#43) are among the places where you find the most visitors. Map here: http://unicocampania.it/files/mappe/mappa_scavi.pdf

 

If you have a driver pick you up between 7 - 7:30 AM it would be too early to go to Pompei in the morning anyway so it makes sense to drive right to Vietri Sul Mare and head out along the coast from there.

 

Let's say you depart Naples at 7:30 AM on a Sunday, you'd be at Vietri sul Mare and entering the coast road by 8:30 AM. You could enjoy a leisurely drive along the coast, with stops for photo ops, and arrive to Positano by 10:30 AM.

 

You'll need to find a place that serves lunch fairly early, as in order to squeeze in 90 minutes at Pompei and still be back in Naples by 6 PM (entering Pompei at 3:30 PM, leaving at 5 PM) you'd need to finish lunch and depart Positano no later than 2 PM. For most sit-down restaurants that would require beginning your meal by 12:30, a bit on the early side but still quite possible. (La Tagliata, the well known place in the hills above Positano, is open and serving by then but reservations are required.)

[cruisemom42]

At the Pompeii ticket counter, they will give you (on request) a pamphlet and map of the site. If memory serves, the pamphlet suggests a route "if you have two hours" (which I think is the shortest one can spend there and have any kind of meaningful visit), plus other itineraries that take longer.

 

I have to say that I would rate the body casts pretty low in terms of the wonders that are to be found in Pompeii. Expert analysis of the casts has recently shown that many of the 'characteristics' of the casts are not actually due to the shape and skeletal remains of the person -- in other words, it is a very rough approximation indeed.

 

Some things that I would consider must sees in Pompeii are:

 

-- The Forum: it will give anyone a chill when you enter it and see Vesuvius looming up behind.

 

-- At least 2 or 3 of the houses; they open on various rotating schedules but some of the better examples can be found on Via della Abbondanza, which is one of the roads leading from the Forum.

 

-- The Forum baths (behind the Forum and near the cafeteria); gives you a great idea of what this very typical Roman activity was all about.

 

-- The Amphitheatre -- it's actually one of the oldest (if not THE oldest) surviving amphitheatre, older than the Colosseum.

[Iamthesea]

Very helpful, cruisemom2. And as for the body cast, knowing my SIL, he would want to see that. The Forum is a must as long as that lava is not flowing. ;) I still remember the first time I stepped foot on the road to the library in Ephesus. Amazing! (been there twice).

 

We could hire a guide to get us around quicker, but I would not want to hurt their feelings if we couldn't stay more than 90 minutes.

 

First, we suggest you forget about Praiano (a small town on the Amalfi Coast about 5 miles from Positano). There is really nothing there but a few hotels (where we stay when vacationing on the coast) and an interesting little church. It is nothing like Positano or Ravello which are the two most interesting towns on (or near) the coast. If you are driving from Positano to Amalfi...you will pass right through Praiano....but if you blink you might miss it :).

 

As to Pompeii, it is a pretty large area and you can certainly limit your visit to certain parts. There really is no museum at the site...although many of the artifacts found at Pompeii are housed in the Archaeological Museum in Naples. You would probably have enough time to drive from Naples to Positano, spend some time walking around the town, enjoy lunch, and later visit Pompeii.

 

The key to fitting all this in a port day is to hire a competent professional car/driver for the day. There are several decent companies and drivers that are regularly mentioned here on CC.

 

Hank

 

Hank - OK, it's no to Praiano.:D We know exactly where it is having driven by on our other two trips. Love the way the tour driver says the name! I just thought it might be another place that we would want to walk down into. Thank you for the advice.

 

Oh, and we have used both Rome Cabs/Stefano Tours or Rome In Limo. Will probably chose Stefano Tours this time around.

 

You can certainly hit the most popular sites within Pompei in 90 minutes; the Forum (#6 on the map), the brothel (Lupanare, #39 on the map), and the teatro grande (#43) are among the places where you find the most visitors. Map here: http://unicocampania.it/files/mappe/mappa_scavi.pdf

 

If you have a driver pick you up between 7 - 7:30 AM it would be too early to go to Pompei in the morning anyway so it makes sense to drive right to Vietri Sul Mare and head out along the coast from there.

 

Let's say you depart Naples at 7:30 AM on a Sunday, you'd be at Vietri sul Mare and entering the coast road by 8:30 AM. You could enjoy a leisurely drive along the coast, with stops for photo ops, and arrive to Positano by 10:30 AM.

 

You'll need to find a place that serves lunch fairly early, as in order to squeeze in 90 minutes at Pompei and still be back in Naples by 6 PM (entering Pompei at 3:30 PM, leaving at 5 PM) you'd need to finish lunch and depart Positano no later than 2 PM. For most sit-down restaurants that would require beginning your meal by 12:30, a bit on the early side but still quite possible. (La Tagliata, the well known place in the hills above Positano, is open and serving by then but reservations are required.)

 

euro cruiser - Thank you for the map. ;)

After researching the tour companies mention above, I see there are tours on both sites that go to Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano, plus a lunch stop! Tour times from 8:00-5:00, so I guess Positano, lunch, and Pompeii can be done. RIL even has a tour that does Sorrento, Pompeii and Island Capri! :eek:

 

 

We have been to La Tagliata and either want to go back there or Ristorante Da Costantino. They both open at 11:00. Not too early after having breakfast at 6:30 or so :D.)

 

Is anyone else having to prove that you are not a Robot on this site? Very annoying.