One piece of advice that I received about the Grand Tour was not to have expectations for anything, because nothing is as you would expect it to be. While this is a fairly solid nugget of wisdom, it was far from the truth in the case of Italy. After disembarking our overnight ferry, we hopped on yet another tour bus and began our long journey across the Italian countryside. Every inch of it was just as incredible as one would imagine. Vast expanses of beautiful crops and fields dominated the landscape. The bus was filled with songs and games as we made our way from the eastern port town of Bari, to the western bay of Naples, where the ancient ruins of Pompeii lay. After a quick stop for some delicious Italian cuisine, we arrived in the beautifully preserved city, with a giant looming over our heads: Mount Vesuvius. Our guide, Annalisa, called it “Mr. Vesuvius” out of respect, because this massive force of nature is still active and capable of erupting at any time, burying the entire region, including Pompeii, just as it did in 79 AD. There was something awe-inspiring about being in the shadow of something with so much potential for power and destruction. The city itself, having been preserved by 20 feet of ash, for almost 2000 years, was almost exactly as it was in 79 AD, when Vesuvius erupted. Our guide showed us rich homes, poor homes, bakeries, saunas, and even fast food restaurants of the ancient resort town. The ash preserved everything from fruit to street fountains. Once our tour was finished, we loaded back onto the bus for yet another long journey. This time, to Rome. As we made our way through the mountains, the energy of the class, or lack thereof, was quite apparent. Most slept, some watched the passing landscapes, but few talked, as that required far too much effort. After a few hours of that, we arrived at our Roman hotel, and ate a dinner that few even had the energy to enjoy. Finally, after an enjoyable but tiring day, filled with equal measures of fascination and exhaustion, everyone retreated to their rooms for some much needed rest.
|
Categories |