Day 11: Wednesday, September 15: Naples, Pomeii, Rome
Today 15 of us woke up to a nice breakfast in the city of Naples, Italy. Others in the group grew home this morning back to the U.S. For those of us doing the Italy extension, this day would another good one, with full sun and temperatures in the mid 80s.
Naples
Because of the late arrival last night, we enjoyed a 9 a.m. departure from the hotel. We were greeted by our local guide, Annalisa. Valentino was our driver. We enjoyed a city tour by bus. From a distance we saw Puteoli (Acts 28:13), the port where Paul sailed into from the Malta. From here, Paul took the Appian Way to Rome. Naples also has its own beautiful port as well. This is a city of about 1 million.
Pompeii
About 30 minutes away is the archeology site of Pompeii. This was a city literally buried in ash as a result of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Pompeii was a city between 11,000 – 15,000, with many visitors because of its location and function as a port on the Mediterranean Sea. The size of the city was 66 acres, with 44 acres hang been excavated to date. The city was covered with 7-8 meters (up to 25 feet) of ash. Houses were completely covered, and all those who stayed in the city did not survive. The eruption lasted 3 days. To date, 100 casts of people have been made.
“I really enjoyed the sites we visited today. First, Naples is a beautiful city. We saw the area where Paul sailed into. Pompeii was a great site. It was instantly buried with ash. Then to walk where Paul did on the Appian Way was special!” -Tour Member-
We saw many things as we walked through this city that ended abruptly. We saw the smaller theater (the large one is being restored), personal houses and villas, and shops. In the houses we saw, the colored frescoes were impressive to see. In the area of the forum (where we took a group picture) we saw the Temple of Zeus, with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. There were a total of 11 temples in this pagan city. After visiting the site, we enjoyed some over-baked pizza at the base of the walls of this ancient city.
Drive to Rome/Appian Way
Following lunch, we drove to Rome. This provided a much-needed nap for many of us. 🙂 Approaching the city from the southeast, we stopped to see the original pavement of the Appian Way. Paul walked on this road when he entered Rome (Act 28:15-16). Close by is the hotel where we are staying for the next three nights. We enjoyed dinner together. We all are looking forward to two full days in Rome.
Day 12: Thursday, September 16: Rome: Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Cathedral, Trevi Fountain.
