There’s a song Jimmy Buffet sings about a volcano and the uncertaintanty of where he’ll land when it erupts….. I’m sure his imaginary volcano is in the sunny carribbean, and according to the lyrics, his main concern is to land where there’s rum…..but there is a very real and well known volcano in southern Italy that erupted over 2,000 years ago and I can guarantee the victims did not get catapulted into a rum factory! The well preserved ruins destroyed by this eruption are open to the public and are beyond fantastic! Welcome to Pompeii! Not only can you walk through the ancient Roman city, but if you are brave enough, you can climb the top (and around the entire crater) of the infamous volcano that caused all of this devastation…..Mt Vesuvius!! Beyond Pompeii, within an hour or so you can also explore towns all along the Amalfi Coast . Mummy, are we there yet????

Getting There

There are many ways to get to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii from NYC . They all include trains, planes and automobiles … and sometimes ferries and buses…and possibly a donkey. I flew to Naples and then took a 20 minute bus ride ( Alibus) bus right outside of the airport) 5. euro one way to a 35 minute train ride to Solerno.. and then a ferry from Solerno to Amalfi. Since I stayed in Ravello, I then needed to catch a cab up to this mountain town. The train from Naples station cost 11. Euros.. the ferry is literally 5 minutes (walking) from the Solerno train station and the ferry schedule is available here. The ferry ride was also 11 euros . The taxi ride up to Ravello was 30. Euros… but that is much lower than usual and took ridiculous negotiation. I’m exhausted just retelling it.

What to do in Ravello

– Hike down to Via de Fierre. We opted for this hike over the well known Path of the Gods at the recommendation of my hotel manager. It will be in the shade, he said. It’s a shorter hike, he said. It’s all downhill, he said.You can swim in waterfalls, he said. It was extremely tricky to follow the map just to get to the actual path. That’s partly because I forgot to listen to what else he said . My hiking partners and travel companions were reluctant. I think they were more afraid of me acting as trail guide and navigator than anything else. I was stripped of both titles soon after our departure because I was reading the map upside down. They are sticklers for details. I’m ok with that. No hard feelings. During the hike there were goats, steps, more steps, and yes… some up hill climbing! If you leave from Ravello, it takes about 2.5 hours to reach Amalfi….. when all was said and done, it was well worth it and did offer more shade than sun. There were a few random cafes in the middle of the forest worth stopping at… we stopped in and had fresh squeezed lemonade at a tiny cafe in the middle of the woods! You can continue the hike to go see higher waterfalls when you reach the junction, or take the trail all the way down to Amalfi . You can also swim in the waterfalls!!

Visit the Rufelo Villa – There is a beautiful castle-like structure in the center of town that you can take a self-guided tour of for 8. euros. The villa has amazing gardens that overlook the coast line below and a tower you can climb for even better views. It was built in the 13th century by a wealthy merchant family. It reminded me of my private villa along the coast of NOWHERE.

Spend some money in the shops– There is no shortage of shopping in Ravello. A lot of it includes touristy soulvineres, but they also had some unique shops with locally handmade dresses, several art stores and handmade jewelry.

Take a day trip to Amalfi – As I mentioned earlier, you can actually hike downhill from Ravello to Amalfi. You can also take a bus or a cab. You can spend the day in Amalfi where there are unlimited shops and restaurants, a beautiful beach and a magnificent cathedral to visit. From Amalfi, you can also hop on a ferry to Positano (20 min/ 11. euros) and other destinations along the coast as well.

Where to Stay in Ravello

The Parsifal- This was one of the most beautiful hotels with an amazing history to match. It was actually an 11th century convent repurposed into a hotel. I found it ironic that I was staying in a convent….. just saying. Regardless, the view from my room was unbeatable. The customer service was above and beyond and the breakfast was yummy. Location was great too…a five minute walk to the center of town.

The Hotel Bonadies is right next to the Parsifal. My friends stayed at this hotel and were very happy with it. This hotel lacks the charm, history and costumer service, but does have a nice pool.

Where to Eat

Salvatore Ravello – Possibly the best pasta and sauce I’ve ever had. Amazing views .

Garden ravelo- This was a great place to chill out and have pizza in a covered patio setting. The food was great and they offered more than just pizza.

Visiting Pompeii

You can take a day trip to Pompeii from the Amalfi Coast which takes about an hour…..but in my opinion, Pompeii deserves more than 1 day. We took a cab (you can also take public transport; a bus to Amalfi, then another bus to the train. Then the train to Scavi-Villa Dei Misteri station.) We did not take the buses and trains because my travel companions also fired me from my job as “transportation expert” . Have they no faith? The cab cost us 140. euros and took one hour.

Things To Do in Pompeii

VISIT THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE- yes.. I meant to put that in capitals! It’s that cool! You can spend hours wandering around and exploring. We opted to book a tour with an archeological guide. We booked the 2 hour small group tour with Get your Guide on . It was worth it! She took us to some great highlights, one of my favorites being the brothel. I’m a sick person. But I’m not alone. There is a preserved fresco in the brothel of a “menu” Although it’s no McDonald’s menu…you will find a variety of meat and buns…. and something that some may refer to as a “happy meal”….no further comments, your honor. The tour also took us to the stadium, the forum and some amazing houses with mosaic floors. Fun fact; the mummies you see are not original. An archeologist found something like fossils (imprints) of figures in various positions as they died during the eruption. He poured plaster in and created the 3-d mummies from these imprints!

$ our tour was 60 euro pp. if you go without a guide it is 18 euro to enter and explore independently

Tips for visiting- Bring water….it’s hot in the summer and the area is spread out. Wear good walking shoes! That is a must!

Climb Mount Vesuvius– There are several ways to get near the summit of Vesuvius. One way involves taking the train from Pompeii train station (it’s right across from the Porta Marina Superiore Gate and easy to find) the train takes under an hour and brings you to a bus stop. The bus departs every hour and brings you as close as you can get by car. the rest is all uphill, about 30 minutes of climbing. You can buy train and bus tickets online and you must buy your entrance ticket online at vesuviusnationalpark.it . you cannot buy tickets there. Entrance is timed for 2 hour slots and cost apps. 6 euros. You can also opt for a tour bus that will pick you up at the train station and take you directly to the same drop off point for about 45. euros. including your entrance ticket. Either way, you are climbing the last portion and if it’s summer, it is hot! once you reach the top there are several viewing points where you can look right down into the crater! I could hear Jimmy Buffet singing in my head.. “I don’t know where I’m gonna go when the volcano blows” (insert background music) . Did I mention that Mt Vesuvius is still an active volcano? And leave it to the Italians to sell wine by the glass and pastries at the top of a volcano. No bathrooms. No cellphone service. But Vino? Cannolis? Of course! Overall, it was a very cool experience and a good workout! Bring water and use the bathroom before you climb!

Enjoy wine tasting at Medici Winery- We reserved this in advance and had such a good time. The food was absolutely amazing and the wines were very good! They offer 5 tastings , but brought us a 6th (some of the best wine I have ever tasted…at 150./ a bottle I understand why. ) and they even gave us shots of limoncello followed by a tour in a golf cart of their vineyards. It was a fantastic afternoon!

$ the tour and tasting was 55. euro pp

the winery was about 10 min by cab from downtown Pompeii

Take the elevator to the top of The Pompeii Bell Tower. Right in the corner of the square in the modern part of the city, there is a beautiful bell tower that has unbelievable views from the top! Buy a ticket in the office behind the tower for 2 euro. I opted to walk down after taking the elevator up. The elevator reminded me of my recurring elevator nightmare, for one…but also because I wanted to view the enormous bells on the way down. Stop in at the adjoining cathedral to appreciate the beautiful paintings and architecture.

$ the tower is 2. euro to enter. the cathedral is free!

Visit the nearby ruins of Herculaneum– These ruins are about 40 minutes from Pompeii and are suppose to be more contained and better preserved. We did not have enough time to see them, but would have if we could.

Where to stay in Pompeii

Casa Di Plinio- This is a charming bed and breakfast about a 10 minute walk to the ruins. The rooms were adorable and cozy. The breakfast was great and location can’t be beat. Neither can the price! We scored rooms here for about 75. euros a night!

Where to Eat

Trammiere

Kalma

Ristorante Calise

Helpful Tips

Italy is on the Euro. at the time of writing this the Euro was almost equal to the US dollar.

Tipping is not necessary or expected in Italy. They already add a service fee for sitting at a table. You can leave 10% if you think service is above and beyond, but normally tip is not required.

When taking the train from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, you can stay overnight in Solerno to break up the trip and explore the town. I stayed at The Plaza for one night. It was a great hotel directly across from the train station, making it so convenient.

You can drink the tap water in the Amalfi region and Pompeii….but why drink water when you can drink wine???

I have wanted to see Pompeii for a long time and it did not disappoint. Paying a little extra for a guided tour made a big difference. As for the Amalfi Coast, I feel like Amalfi is like that overrated restaurant everyone raves about and you just don’t see what all of the fuss is about. Ravello was much more impressive, in my opinion. So if you venture over to this corner of the world, and you make it up to the summit of Vesuvius during your adventures, I hope you’ll land where there’s rum if the volcano blows ! I know there will be wine. and cannolis.