The Bay of Naples

We usually travel independently but could not resist this package tour from Exeter - flight, transfers, hotel, meals and excursions all included. Although we were the youngest by at least a decade, it was a lovely group and we enjoyed having other people to share our experiences with. But don't the olds complain ! Mostly about the fact it was a package holiday!

The Carlton in Sorrento is a 4*hotel, but in Italy the stars don't shine. The decor was 1970s, the plumbing was 1920s and they didn't take credit cards! But one of their more charming features was this lift so I present it as picture number one

Our first morning. I was so excited at seeing lemons growing on a tree that I took a photo of it, not realising that Sorrento is full of lemon trees, orange trees and olive trees. (quote: black nits are spread under the tree to catch the olive oil) !

The long and winding road leading to the Marina Piccolo

The Fauno bar, many happy evenings spent here in Piazza Tasso

Just to be on the safe side!

Mozzarella to go

This was not the only shop we saw with a bike in it, but it was certainly the only palace

We thought we'd catch the bus to St Agathe in the mountains. We had dithered over whether to stay here or right in the middle of Sorrento. We had made the right choice! This bar and a busy road were just about it

A ruined sawmill occupying a chasm right in the middle of Sorrento but not worthy of a mention in any of our guide books

Local fruit, a sort of sweet lemon but eaten like a grapefruit

Hooray, a show! I did not realise this would be the best bit

The show was supposed to be about the history of Sorrento, but apart from a brief Allied bombing was just folk dancing. Jon said this was the invasion of the Salvation Army (or maybe he said the Saracen Army)

This couple were arguing in the middle of the dance floor, completely ignored by the dancers and considerably more entertaining

Setting off on our first trip, to Pompei. This is Francesca and her rose, orange like her hair. No, red like her hair.

The Sorrentino Peninsular from the road

The small theatre. Someone said 'The Italians have ancient sites, abundant produce, great art, culture, and sunshine. They don't deserve it'. No comment, but if a more worthy nation were running it I doubt we'd be allowed to get our sticky mitts all over the place

The forum, with Vesuvius skulking in the background. The volcano was 3000 metres but the eruption was through the side and the peak collapsed. It now has 2 peaks and is 1200 metres. Pompei was a seaside port but the lava created an extra kilometre of land

Pompei was so interesting - this picture shows ruts in the road caused by chariots and also one of the frequent holes carved into the kerb to tie your horse to if you wanted to go into one of the shops. Across the road are stepping stones to stop your feet touching the sewage. The Romans thought of everything

Buns were found in this oven that were the crossed kind still baked in Naples today - one of the survivors must have opened a bakers up the road

The statues in Pompei and Herculaneum are copies - the originals are all held in national museums

The ceiling in the baths

The locker room of the public baths. In the glass case is one of the plaster casts made of a space in the ash where people were overcome by the hot ashes and just lay down and were covered. The ash hardened around them. The man is wearing a belt, showing he was a slave

The queue for the brothel! Because a lot of the visitors 2000 years ago were sailors not speaking Latin, pictures were painted around the walls for them to point at, to indicate which service they required!