Mt. Vesuvius
Naples...
Day trip tour from Rome to Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, about a 3 hour drive w/ the obligatory stop at the tacky tourist shop/cafe. The first part is to go to the top of Mt. Vesuvius (weather permitting, it's also closed for the winter). We got lucky, while cold and very windy, there weren't any clouds. Our guide told us he had been there the prior weekend; it was very warm without a breeze and you couldn't see into the crater.
The full-size coach bus takes you up a pretty tight road (lots of switchbacks) and deposits you about a 20-min walk from the top. The walk is pretty steep and it takes another 10-15 mins to get to the very top of the rim (farthest from the parking lot).
After Vesuvius we headed down to the outskirts of Naples where we had 'authentic' Neapolitan pizza at a restaurant. Not bad, but not the real thing either. Then it was on to Pompeii.
Mt. Vesuvius
Naples...
Day trip tour from Rome to Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, about a 3 hour drive w/ the obligatory stop at the tacky tourist shop/cafe. The first part is to go to the top of Mt. Vesuvius (weather permitting, it's also closed for the winter). We got lucky, while cold and very windy, there weren't any clouds. Our guide told us he had been there the prior weekend; it was very warm without a breeze and you couldn't see into the crater.
The full-size coach bus takes you up a pretty tight road (lots of switchbacks) and deposits you about a 20-min walk from the top. The walk is pretty steep and it takes another 10-15 mins to get to the very top of the rim (farthest from the parking lot).
After Vesuvius we headed down to the outskirts of Naples where we had 'authentic' Neapolitan pizza at a restaurant. Not bad, but not the real thing either. Then it was on to Pompeii.