I'm reminiscing like crazy!…read more If I could choose an island in Italy to return to, it'd be this one! It's just right. There weren't tons of tourists. Even during my visit in the autumn as the season changed, there were just enough people to make it lively. The vicinity is a walking area, although there are tuktuks, taxis, and buses. It's a beautiful scenic ride to Forio. Beware of the price gauge from taxi drivers though. Where I stayed in Cartaromana, near Ischia Ponte, was just perfectly close to the beaches and the Aragonese Castle. For you love birds, this is a destination wedding spot for sure. Tons of seaside restaurants are available, and you can take a romantic stroll along the ports afterwards. This is just as healing for the single freebirds who want to get away from it all. Enjoy your daydreaming...

I spent a day in Ischia and I wish I could stay longer. When I went, I took a speed boat for about…read morehour and regular furry took me at least 2 hours to come back to Naples. The Island is so unique and gorgeous, tons of wonderful places to go but I only had one day. I paid a cap to take me around the island. It was good to have a local as a guide and know what place to go. Beaches is extremely beautiful. The view from the top of the mountain is even better. Houses, buildings, street and all nature are stunning, looks like I'm in heaven. Suggesting: enjoy the island more then a day if you have time.

Visiting Pompeii Archaeological Park was like stepping back in time. I loved wandering the ancient…read morestreets and learning about the history of this incredible place. It was both fascinating and emotional. Walking the same paths people traveled nearly 2,000 years ago was surreal, but seeing the casts of the victims who were preserved by the eruption brought tears to my eyes. It was a powerful reminder of the human tragedy that occurred there. Be prepared for a lot of walking, and some of the cobblestone paths can be rough and uneven in spots, so comfortable shoes are a must. Despite that, it was a truly amazing and unique experience that I'll never forget. If you love history, this is one of those places that leaves a lasting impression.

Beautiful historical site dating back to the time before Christ. The last time I was here was in…read more1985 and was so long ago that I really forgot most of what I had seen. It was like I was seeing it for the first time. This is an archaeological site with a story to tell and one where I highly recommend that you get a guided tour as the story they have to tell is super interesting, very educational and entertaining. Doing it yourself, which I usually am a big fan of, is something you should avoid in this case. The guides are the storyteller's here and do an excellent job of weaving in key events and dates and the lifestyle of the Roman people that lived here at the time of the second eruption. They also go into great detail on the type of construction they had at that time and how they rebuilt the structures after the major earthquakes that occurred in front of the major eruption that happened in 79 AD. Added details, which I was not even aware of was their was a first major eruption that occurred with Mount Vesuvius in 2000 years BC! Who knew? This is just an example of the type of details they go into which makes this guided tour so fascinating. If you are a fan of history as I am and love seeing ruins and how people live thousands of years ago, then this is an absolute must visit. It's one of the best archaeological sites I've ever visited in my 69 years of being on this earth and being a seasoned traveler on top of that.

Very imposing and impressive structure, not well known in the expat community. At the base on the…read moreeast side, there is some parking next to what I think is a monument commemorating the struggles associated with unification (but not sure). From this location you will be able to assess the scale of the design as you can climb into some of the arches closest to the ground. On the west side there is a local switch-back road that will lead you to the entrance to the top of the aqueduct. If you have a small car (A or B class) you can drive off the main road right up to the gate. There is a small olive grove where people have parked their cars and turned around. May be private property so be careful. The gate is normally opened and you can freely walk across the span. We did not as we had some items in the car that we did not want to leave. Great views of the valley in both direction from the to of the span. This is now on our list of sites to take visitors.

While visiting Napoli during our Mediterranean cruise we made sure to visit Pompeii…read more U enter the park with your group & then u processed to walk around the entire area, this place is unreal to think this area was once inhabited by people seems so crazy. As u walk through the streets & ruins it feels almost unreal seeing how well preserved a lot of the structures & streets are is pretty cool. Seeing so much of this ancient city is fascinating, not a lot of the preserved bodies on display as I recall I think those are elsewhere, we saw 1-2 such an odd thing to see. The park is very well kept u can see Mount Vesuvius in the distance, this adds such an unreal factor, overall this was a very humbling & educational experience.

Since this is essentially a secondary listing for "Pompeii Ruins" on Yelp, just adding a few more…read morenotes here that I didn't include in my main review. Highlights for me were: 1) the Forum: on the south western side of the park, past the Temple of Venus which is fairly close to the entrance by Porta Marina. This was the main public square and socio-economic center for the city with many different government, religious and commercial buildings set around it. Some of the important ruins include the Basilica, the court of law and business center, and the Macellum, a covered food market and marketplace. Temples of Jupiter and Apollo served religious functions. 2) the bath houses: there are a few different locations Terme Stabiane, Terme del Foro, Terme Suburbane--though I went to the Forum location, was really impressed by how well laid out and preserved this building was. 3) thermopoliums: plural because around 80 different locations were found within Pompeii. These are the equivalent of street food vendors where the working class would procure hot food to go, since the majority of Pompeii's 10-35K residents at the time of its destruction in 79 AD didn't live in villas, rather in multistory buildings without kitchens, hence depended on these for sustenance. These L-shaped marble counters held terracotta jars of hot and cold food, such as stews, meats, and spiced wine. 4) "suburban" Villa di Diomede and Villa dei Misteri which require a separate fee of €8 payable in cash or card at the gate to that section of the park, if it's not already included in your particular combo ticket. These two villas underwent multiple restorations and haven't always been open to the public. Both are examples of larger, grand residences with more complex layouts, the latter housing famous colorful frescos depicting rituals related to an esoteric cult of Dionysus. 5) necropolises: a few different locations around the outskirts of the town, it was fascinating to see how ancient traditions of mausoleums carry into current conventions. 6) interesting signage: while I don't read Latin, from the translations I read about pertaining to some of the sites, they certainly got their point across. I chuckled at the mosaic with Latin phrase "Cave Canem" literally "beware of the dog" showing a snarling black dog, placed at the entrance of one of the domiciles. Side note there is restoration and excavation work ongoing at different sites within the park, so not every building is open to the public. Even some structures that were open within the past several months like the House of Menander and Lupanare di Pompei (Pompeii's brothel) were not open.

Piazza Tasso is a lovely square in Sorrento…read more Lucky to stumble across a local festival on our cruise ship tour to Sorrento and Pompeii. Our tour guide was not sure what they were celebrating. Take time to check out the beautiful baroque yellow church and everything Limoncello while you are in the neighborhood. The lemons in Sorrento are enormous and the geography reflects their impact. Limoncello granitas. Lemon pasta. Lemon biscotti. Lemons on everything from dish towels, baskets and bags to headbands. My sister-in-law even bought a pair of swim shorts that were covered with a large lemons in the pattern. Nice for a short stop while exploring Sorrento. Tip: There is a bathroom next to the church. It takes one euro each.

This is a great square in the center of Sorrento which have a bunch of great shops around it, great…read moreplaces to eat, and their Main Street which, for the most part, is closed to all car traffic except for security and business support. The smaller walking streets around it are pretty cool too for all kinds of things and souvenirs if they are desired. There are some great places for coffee too. The square can get pretty busy with cruise ships coming in and out of Naples and Sorrento so if you like it a little less crowded, get there early or in the off season.

A hike up Mount Vesuvius is the perfect way to get panoramic views of the Naples area, and wow, are…read morethey stunning! The hike itself is straight up and not paved for one mile there and back. I would not advise you to try and make it to the top if you aren't athletic. Just go up a little ways and get some photos. If you do make it to the top, you can enjoy a nice gift shop with souvenirs and even a glass of wine. They do provide bathrooms at the entrance but they were disgusting.

Mount Vesuvius is pretty bare and dusty; nothing polished about it. You feel where you are the…read moreentire time. It's not long, but it's enough to slow you down. At the top, you're right at the crater. Just you, the edge, and a very real reminder of what it is. A beautiful view of the Bay of Naples behind you but at the same time knowing it's that same volcano.... The one that buried Pompeii changes the tone a bit. It's not dramatic; just heavy. Worth doing the hike but just don't expect it to feel super touristy.

Sort of a miniature Pompeii. Two large villas that had been covered with 10 feet of ash. Remarkably…read morewell preserved. FREE admission. A good 1/2 hour walk from town, and not well signed, but you knew that -- it's Italy! You can bring a picnic.

This place is really cool and we stumbled onto it thinking it was something completely different…read more You can also check it out for free which was a nice change of pace. They even had a tour guide if you liked and they charged nothing to tell you about this beautiful place.