My hotel room in Naples faced out across the bay of Napoli and Mount Vesuvius, where I could see the sunrise each morning. I always kept my camera charged up just in case there was one of these mornings, and fortunately, there always was. I can’t believe my friend Valerio (Valpopando) actually lives there and gets to see this all the time. I hope he appreciates it!
Did I get that Italian right? I was kind of guessing. I picked up a little - very little. But I do know more than the average Olive Garden waiter, which is something I can be proud of, I suppose.
This was taken after I had walked about 10 miles all over the ruins of Pompeii on a hot summer day. I got away from the other tourists, who I generally dislike for no good reason, and found this spot that I was probably not supposed to be. The clouds were peculiar that day, and you can see them hovering over Mount Vesuvius. It’s interesting that the gap there in Vesuvius is actually what is covering the very ruins in which I was standing.
This second shot was from a small plane, barely airworthy, as it flew over Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
This was shot in Naples in the early morning before all the fog had time to burn off the Bay of Napoli. The volcano in the background is Mount Vesuvius.
This was taken on a rather hot summer day as a huge cloud was about to overtake the Roman ruins of Pompeii.
Here is an old Roman ruin in Pompeii. That area behind the amphitheatre is where the gladiators would live and train.
In Pompeii, which for some reason only has one “i” in Italian, I came across the miniature version of the colosseum. It was somewhat overgrown, but otherwise in perfect condition.
This is an extremely detailed mosaic that was uncovered in Pompeii and now resides in the Museum of Archeology in Naples. I am pretty sure this is the same skull that inspired the beginning of that show Rome on HBO, which is really a good show, by the way.
Here is one of my favorite pictures I took in Italy of Mount Vesuvius from an airplane, taken as I was leaving Naples.
Oh this is just another shot from a morning in Italy… Life is a little different over there, you know?
On the morning I left Naples, I went to the top of my hotel to eat breakfast on the roof, and I saw these incoming clouds and a rain over Vesuvius. So, naturally, I had to grab my ever-present camera.
This was an empty area behind the small amphitheatre that used to house the gladiators and serve as a training ground.
Here is a nicely preserved arch I found in Pompeii. You can see the mountains along the Amalfi Coast in the background.
This was a handheld shot I took during an early morning walk along the Bay of Naples. I was lucky to get Vesuvius so clear in the morning light.
This is Pompeii about an hour before sunset. This is one of the main market areas. Will commented that he was surprised they used so much brick and it looks so well preserved. But then again, Will was totally drunk and passing out while crying over his inflatable Lauren travel-doll.
Here are the ruins of Pompeii, which is spelled Pompei half the time so I am never sure how to spell it here… but anyway, here they are:
Zoom to the large size to see the details on the tiles…
