Days 14-15 Pompeii and Italian Food

Days 14-15

Pompeii and Italian Food

We had fond memories of the place we stayed in 2008, so we thought we’d try it again.  The hotel is called La Tonnarella, and it not only has great rooms and spectacular sea views, but it has probably the best hotel breakfast.  All their fresh fruits are in season and locally grown, they have fresh Italian bread, eggs to order, great coffee, fresh juice, and a great view of the coastline from each table.

This is a month long vacation, and being in Sorrento has a special place in my heart for my first and only Italian haircut.  During our last visit in 2008, we visited Figaro’s barbershop where I was treated with great enthusiasm since I was an American.  I find it amazing they can cut as little hair that I have with scissors.  Their hands are so quick that I think they would make really good pickleball players.  Antonio is pictured, and he gave me my 2016 Italian haircut.  His father, Giuseppe, cut my hair in 2008.  The haircut was an early fathers day gift from Shari.

Sorrento is only 30 minutes by train from Pompeii, and it is an amazing place to see as it has an incredible story.  Almost 2000 years ago, Mt. Vesuvius did like Mt. St. Helens did in the state of Washington in 1980.  Behind Shari is Vesuvius with a cloud covering most of one of it’s two peaks.

When Vesuvius erupted, the inhabitants died from the ash and gases. The city was partially destroyed and then buried under many feet of ash and pumice.  The lack of air preserved what was left as it was in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius wiped it off the map.  So what we see is an amazing view of the remnants of an ancient Roman city.  Some examples are this patio with a painted tile picture concerning a conquest . . . 

The men’s public bath . . .

And even some of the victims . . .

It you look at this temple, you’ll even see the head of Jupiter nearest the second tallest pillar.

The only negative about the visit was we got a guide service that misrepresented its service.  You get to monuments like this and know that you want to get started before the big crowds arrive.  We typically get to attractions early to beat the larger crowds.   Pompeii has lots of interesting stories to tell, so a really good guide can help immensely.

Do you remember ancient history and how the ancient Romans helped civilize their empire by engineering incredible water systems and roads?  Check out this two lane road (for chariots) and the elevated crosswalk.

One thing we learned was that the roads were also the sewer system, so the slope of the roads had purpose.   I bet they hoped for rains for more reasons than watering the crops. 

It’s no secret we love Italian food, and it is one of our reasons to visit Italy.  We weren’t in Sorrento all that long in 2008, so we are discovering something we probably missed when our focus before was on boat rides to the Amalfi Coast and the Isle of Capri.

This simple Caprese is made with Bufalo cheese, the best mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes that taste like they used to 40 years ago.  I’d pack my suitcase for the way home with these two great ingredients if I’d pass customs.  Not all restaurants are equal, and we were lucky enough to get a tip from people we met on the Amalfi coast bus.  Besides the caprese, the Italian bread at the Bufalito restaurant is the best I’ve ever had, and I grew up on it.  I attribute my Mediterranean skin shade to eating lots of it.  This became a recurrent lunch place

We also got a good tip on an agriturismo farm/restaurant that was a short drive from our hotel.  I think expectations were a farm house and very simple foods.  Instead, the place was a unique multi-level exotic greenhouse. A driver picked us up at our hotel and drove us home when we were ready. 

The German Shepard was part of the welcoming we got when we arrived.

Edy, one of the head waiters, was also a very friendly host.

I don’t know that we had any simple food.  Edy wouldn’t allow it.  I took the following picture prematurely as there were still a couple of antipasto plates missing from this photo.

Many of the dishes pictured involve various types of seafood.  

We were pretty satisfied with just the antipasto, but we still had main courses to enjoy.  

For us the food in the Sorrento area is the best Italian food we’ve ever had.  It is probably due in part to all the great ingredients that grow so well in this area.  Just look at these lemons used in limoncello.  The biggest ones by Shari are huge when compared to her hand.

Italian pizza is one of our favorite foods.  Shari had identified her favorite pizza place from our 2008 trip.  After having the pictured pizza two times, she now has a new favorite pizzeria.