Pompei is a ghost of a town - a town buried in ash and soot when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. But that ash also preserved the city. and now we have an appreciation of daily life in the Roman city. There was a lot to see and we were grateful to have our tour guide, Antonella, who highlighted important details of streets, buildings and merchants: everything from tools and tables, baths and brothels to paintings and people was frozen in time. A little misstep and I got separated from my group. But thanks to the Carabineri, I found my way back down and waited where the guide would return the headsets at the end of tour. However, with so many tourists and groups weaving in and out, no one even missed me. A little disconcerting, but at least I wasn't covered in ash for all eternity.
Our next treat was a visit a mozzarella factory (farm). We walked down 168 steps to enter the demonstration and dining area of Fattoria Terranova. A long covered terrace with hanging baskets of flowers, peppers and tomatoes set the stage for learning the process of making the cheese. We cheered as Joe took a turn at churning and braiding, and were then treated to a parade of amazing dishes with a limoncello cake finale.
In the early evening some of us attended Mass at a Catholic Church in the area of Piazza Tasso. The well-attended Mass was held outdoors in a courtyard. I enjoyed being among the local parishioners hearing the prayers in Italian.
A little later we met up with our group to attend the Sorrento Musical at the Tasso Theatre. . Magical songs such as “Torna a Surriento,” "O Solo Mio," and lively Tarantella dances transported the theater-goers back in time to experience the daily life of southern Italians with scenes of fishermen at sea, buyers and sellers in the markets, festive feast celebrations, and love and romance played out from balconies and moonlit promenades.
Can it get any better than this? Fantastico.
Our next treat was a visit a mozzarella factory (farm). We walked down 168 steps to enter the demonstration and dining area of Fattoria Terranova. A long covered terrace with hanging baskets of flowers, peppers and tomatoes set the stage for learning the process of making the cheese. We cheered as Joe took a turn at churning and braiding, and were then treated to a parade of amazing dishes with a limoncello cake finale.
In the early evening some of us attended Mass at a Catholic Church in the area of Piazza Tasso. The well-attended Mass was held outdoors in a courtyard. I enjoyed being among the local parishioners hearing the prayers in Italian.
A little later we met up with our group to attend the Sorrento Musical at the Tasso Theatre. . Magical songs such as “Torna a Surriento,” "O Solo Mio," and lively Tarantella dances transported the theater-goers back in time to experience the daily life of southern Italians with scenes of fishermen at sea, buyers and sellers in the markets, festive feast celebrations, and love and romance played out from balconies and moonlit promenades.
Can it get any better than this? Fantastico.
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