Pompeii

This will decrease my credibility as a tourist but Pompeii was never on my list of places I wanted to go. I mean, I did want to see the area. But I didn't want to see the civilization; I wanted to see Vesuvius, the mountain that was capable of freezing that civilization in time.  Vesuvius is considered one of the most volatile and dangerous stratovolcanos in the world; it hasn't had a serious eruption since 1944 and the 3 million residents residing in its wake are currently enjoying the longest period of inactivity in the last three centuries.  My inner geology geek squeaked with delight.

Vesuvius looms (and its ashy remains produce delicious wine)

Thankfully, Rosa and Lauren were a lot more desirous of seeing Pompeii itself.  Unfortunately so was an entire cruise ship full of tourists sailing the Mediterranean.  But we did quickly learn that in a place 170 acres across, it is possible to avoid the throng of tourists.

We bought our tickets (about 11 euros) and began scaling the site, from amphitheater to vineyard to everyday dwellings. The civilization was founded between the 6th and 7th century and the Oscans who built it knew a thing or two.  Drainage and drinking wells were ample; floor plan dwellings were considered; social space, worship space, communal space was given to all.

Lauren and Rosa, both friendlier than me, made friends with a random stranger who turned out to work on the site.  He offered us some on-the-side tour that I'm not sure was 100% legit.  We were led away from the tourists, underneath 'work in progress' tape and into open-roofed ruins tucked behind one alleyway or another.  We poked our noses around an excavation in progress where the bones of a family with two children were frozen trying to escape the ash cloud of 79AD.

she's finally taller than someone

We stayed away from the mainstay attractions, mostly because we couldn't get past the tourists.  And in the end, we only had 3 hours to wander because we had a train to catch.  It wasn't enough time and it was impossible to really take in what we were seeing.

I'm doing this no justice, I am aware. But I was in awe. Cliches aside, Pompeii really is one of those places you need to see to believe.

Our trip sort of ended there.  By sort of I mean Lauren and Rosa left me to book the flight home.  And because it was 1/3rd of the price and only half a thumb away on the map, I booked us a flight from Pisa.  This meant getting from Naples to Pisa on the train.  This turned into a seven-hour ordeal--a three hour train from Naples to Rome, followed by a night in the very dodgy area around Termini Station, followed by a four-hour train from Rome to Pisa.  In this process, Lauren managed to drop the bottle of wine she'd purchased as a gift.  It bounced and, in delight, I picked in up because I'd never seen glass bounce before.  This is of course when the bottle shattered all over my legs, my bag and my clothes.  I spent the journey smelling like a wino.

Which is not the most auspicious ending of a trip to Italy.  Then again, we did consume a lot of wine so maybe it was fitting.