Sorrento

We stayed in Sorrento and used it as a home base for our travels in the area. Additionally, it is a beautiful town and well known for all things lemon. Limoncello is the local lemon-based liquor, so stop at a few places to find your favorite recipe!

We visited in early January, so the holiday decorations were still up around the city. From Sorrento, we were able to visit the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Additionally, we stopped at Naples on our train back to Rome.

The Amalfi Coast

Every town along the Amalfi Coast is like a post card: a picturesque highway with towns built along the mountainside. We took the local bus and spent a day hopping from Positano to Amalfi.

Pompeii

Pompeii is a popular site to visit. The city was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Additionally, it is an amazing time capsule of one of ancient Rome’s vibrant cities.

Pompeii was a big city and there to traverse the city requires a long hike. Additionally, archaeologists are still doing excavation to sites within Pompeii.

The excavation team would encounter an air pockets, and they would pour plaster in the cast. The resulting grim impressions would outline the victims who were trapped during the eruption.

However, on a brighter note, Pompeii now serves as a dog shelter. Additionally, you will see numerous dogs that are available for adoption. Also, this reflects on Pompeii’s affection for dogs as there were numerous dog statues and mosaics, many of which now reside in the Naples Archaeological Museum (described below).

Herculaneum

Herculaneum is the lesser-known site of Mount Vesuvius’ destruction. However, in many ways it is much better preserved. Additionally, most of the building retain their rooves, murals and mosaics, whereas Pompeii was largely excavated and moved to the museum in Naples.

I think that if only have time to see one site, Pompeii’s size and history make it a must-see. However, in many ways we preferred the intimate and well-preserved, small-town feel of Herculaneum.

Naples

We spent a half-day in Naples on the train from Sorrento back to Rome. We dropped our luggage off in a locker station and spent a few hours exploring the city. Additionally, Naples is much more a working city than Rome or Florence and gives a more authentic view into everyday Italian life.

While in Naples, we visited the Naples National Archaeological Museum, which houses numerous artifacts from Pompeii. Additionally, we ate at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, considered the oldest pizzeria in the world.

Naples National Archaeological museum

The Naples National Archaeological Museum contains a large collection of sculptures, mosaics and artifacts from Pompeii. The city was a bustling metropolis at the height of the Roman civilization. Additionally, the king of Naples ordered anything of value to be brought to Naples when Pompeii was discovered. However, it now contains most of Pompeii’s treasured artifacts.

ALSO CONSIDER VISITING THESE NEARBY AREAS

Be sure to check out our 2 week itinerary for Paris and Italy!

Additionally, make sure to the visit Rome, Florence and their surrounding areas when visiting the Sorrento and Amalfi Coast area. 

Unfortunately, since we were there in winter, we did not get to visit the Island of Capri and the beautiful “Blue Grotto“. I do think that those sights would be fun options to consider.