*Posts on this site may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only work with companies I truly believe in and promote brands I use myself. Please see my disclosure policy for full details. Thank you.
Three options today: Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Vesuvius. Or some combo of the three.
We were going to go yesterday as it was free day! But the incoming rain and exhaustion from travel delays meant we changed up our plans.
Of course today it’s usual Italian weather and scorching hot! Which means making good decisions about how long to spend out in the sun.
Having read the advice of another blogger we pick Herculaneum as the best option. It’s apparently less exposed than Pompeii and better preserved.
The only reason I want to got to Pompeii particularly is the name. And that just isn’t a good reason today. One day I’ll come back when it’s not the height of summer!
(Note to self: throw a coin in the Trevi fountain when we get there as that means I’ll return to Rome!)
I book our tickets for Herculaneum online as am advised that’s the best thing to do in case it’s busy. No difference in cost so makes sense.
And we head to the train station!
Top tip: walk the extra couple of minutes to Porto Nolana where the train originates. You’ll get a seat and avoid the crowds at the next stop!
Tickets are easy to buy and only cost €2.40 to get to Ercolano Scavi.
From there it’s a 5-10 minute downhill walk to the ruins.
Herculaneum
Quick history lesson for those who don’t know about the site.
Herculaneum is located at the foot of active volcano Vesuvius, infamous for the burial of the city Pompeii. Of course Pompeii wasn’t the only place destroyed, it’s just the larger site and the most well known.
Herculaneum was a smaller town, largely a fishing community. The closer proximity to Vesuvius meant the people there had a much quicker death than those in Pompeii. They would have been eviscerated by the heat and thus there are no remains in the town itself.
The only remains found are of those who sought shelter in the caves by the sea, awaiting rescue from ships. They were sadly buried alive and sealed inside.
On Pompei however the people slowly suffocated in ash and thus were uniquely preserved, forming casts of their final moments.
My visit
Our ticket time is 12:30 but we arrive just after 11. They don’t even blink and just let us in, so I reckon the timed entry thing is only enforced on very busy days.
Highlight for me: there’s a cat in the ticket office! So I am of course immediately distracted and just stroke the kitty.
Yes, I’m still essentially a child lol.
We opt to wander the ruins of Herculaneum ourselves rather than take a tour. If you really want to get to know the history then I do suggest at least getting the audio guide.
I already know quite a lot about this stuff though, and like reading and taking my time.
It’s interesting and amazingly well preserved. Oh, and there’s another cat wandering around the town. Love it.
Food Fatigue
After an hour and a half of wandering, it’s really too hot to be outside.
If it were a bit cooler and I a bit fitter I would have liked to visit Vesuvius. There’s a bus up the mountain and then you hike to the crater.
As it is my body is protesting after Herculaneum and I’m a rather hungry. So add hiking Vesuvius to the things to do next trip, and hope by some miracle I get fitter as I age…
Maybe if I could have cooled down and eaten I’d have made a go of it. But as it was, what is a minor problem for most people, a massive inconvenience for me.
The only gluten free options around are salad. And I’m not feeling it.
So we head back to Naples.
Naples’ reputation for pickpockets is true
You may have heard that Naples is notorious for theft.
You hear about pickpockets in every city, but it is quite prevalent on Naples.
I can vouch for that!
On the walk from the train some bastard tries to unzip my bag as I’m walking. I feel it and swing around, and he strolls past me.
I wish I’d been able to trip him up or something but it all happens so fast.
He wouldn’t have been able to get anything out my bag anyway as I keep anything valuable zipped up inside the inner pocket.
Still, from then on I utilise a carabiner clip to attach my zip closed on my backpack!
Chilled Afternoon
Not much to tell from the rest of the day. We indulge in some Gelato (in a gluten free cone! Score!) and have a little downtime at the apartment.
It going to be a long day tomorrow so decide to prepare this time. I get some gluten free bread from the amazing Leopoldo Senza Glutine cafebar, plus some more treats…
And a bit more ham and cheese to make my own sandwich with.
There’s a minor glitch with the hot water back at the apartment, but its easily fixed with a quick message to our host. After that it’s just dinner to sort out!
Pizza Pizza Pizza!
You can’t come to Naples and not have pizza. I seek out reviews of Gluten Free pizza places and there’s one nearby.
And so at last, gluten free pizza and as a bonus gluten free beer for dinner!
And thus ends our second day in Naples.
Early start tomorrow as we head to the Amalfi Coast!
One thought on “Pompeii, Vesuvius, Herculaneum”
Comments are closed.