Italy 2016: Day 8

We left Roma this morning and took about a four hour drive to the outside of Pompeii with the occasional stops. We stopped at a gas station that was stocked full of beautiful Easter candy and Italian souvenirs. Once we got to our designated stop, we have a delicious lunch (a choice of pizza, pasta, or fried calamari). After lunch, we walked to the next meeting area and watched how the original jewelry of Pompeii was made. It is called cameo and is made by master artists who carve the pieces out of seashells. After seeing the jewelry, we ventured around the original, excavated city of Pompeii. Pompeii was absolutely amazing and we could see Mount Vesuvius, which is the volcano that covered Pompeii in volcanic gas and ashes, killing all of the inhabitants. We wandered around and explored the ruins with our local guide. We saw ancient bath houses, residences, temples, and the courthouse (basilica).
After Pompeii, we took a short drive along the Italian coastline to Sorrento to enjoy some free time strolling through this small coastal town. We were allowed to eat, drink, or go shopping. We tried Sorrento’s traditional dessert, a light flaky pastry filled with lemon-flavored ricotta cheese. As the sun was setting, we left Sorrento and traveled to our hotel for dinner. Tomorrow we have an early wake-up call for visiting the island of Capri!

-Asia Gibson