5 years ago; Pompeii Audio Tour by Rick Steves' Italy. Once upon an ancient Greek time, that woman, Dirce, seduced a king who abandoned his pregnant queen. Because tepidarium means "lukewarm bath.". Mondo will do their best to assemble a small group of like-minded travellers. We have 60 self-guided walking and museum tours covering Europe's most fascinating destinations, from Athens to London and Sevilla to Salzburg. Rick: So the pedestrians walk across and not get wet? Take the Eurostar (fast train) from Rome Termini to Naples, transfer to local commuter train Circumvesuviana and head for Pompeii Scavi. Over the ages it became an important center ruled by a series of foreign overlords. 39:20. Echoes of ancient Neapolis survive. Smaller but wonderful. This one shows little cupids playing out commercial activities of the town: collecting flowers, taking your knocks on a chariot, and enjoying the local wine. I'm at the point now of waiting until we get there and hire someone on the spot. I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe. (From Naples, Pompeii is easily reached via a CitySightseeing bus or the handy but shabby Circumvesuviana commuter train.). I don't know your budget but I've found hiring a driver from Sorrento to Pompeii is outrageous. You can stand at the bar or pay double to sit. At about 1 p.m., Vesuvius sent a mushroom cloud of ash, dust, and rocks 12 miles into the sky. Most tourists don't spend a whole day at either Pompeii or Herculaneum. We'll go shopping Neapolitan style, dodge scooters in Naples' crazy traffic, explore the city's vibrant neighborhoods, admire exquisite ancient mosaics, taste pizza in its birthplace. I would also recommend a visit to Herculaneum. pghautz, 2 posts, April 2023 Beside this wall there was a room where the slaves made the fire. Pompei city is not the most attractive overnight location - at least not in my long-ago memory of staying in a cheap campground near the gates, though better accommodation than that is certainly available. Be careful, but be assertive. And a short jet-boat ride takes you to the enchanting Isle of Capri. Tour of Pompeii - Rick Steves Travel Forum Home Travel Forum Italy Tour of Pompeii Tour of Pompeii Jump to bottom Posted by pghautz on 04/25/23 11:23 AM Our tour of Pompeii with guide, Gaetano Manfredi was educational, interesting, and moved at an excellent pace. Most of your time for that day is spent on the train. That's what I meant by including the individual details along with the recommendation. Again, the art of Pompeii shows an intimate and impressive mastery of realism. While the site is evocative, the horrors of that day in 79 AD are hard to imagine. No. This scene from the grand Battle of Alexander with over a million pieces decorated a floor in Pompeii's House of the Faun. Rick: Walk together, OK? While Europe has other dangerous volcanoes, only Vesuvius sits in the middle of a three-million-person metropolitan area that would be impossible to evacuate quickly. Naples is Italy in the extreme its best (birthplace of pizza) and its worst (home of the Camorra, Naples' "family" of organized crime). Each has a symbol of the ailment cured: heart disease, lung problems, a sick child, whatever. After we purchased the tickets we were told to stand in a particular spot and off we went. Here, we have the casts of those people. Herculaneum is much smaller and can be visited well in three hours. Scot, do you have a specific website for Tours of Italy? I'll be giving him a shout out as the reason for my trip in an upcoming Trip Report. Rick: So literally, "low." Pompeii Tour - Rick Steves Travel Forum Roberta: It can mean "low." But if your feet don't give out, you could either spend a whole day exploring all the nooks and crannies of Pompeii, or you could visit both sites with a break for lunch. It spewed for 18 hours straight, as winds blew the cloud south toward the city. If the foregoing is not your thing, then Pompei is indeed not for you. It's the easiest and best experience if you have an iPhone (any iOS device) or Android. It was one we will always remember. Here we go. Thank you! The curia housed the government. There will be no charges at all on the client's credit card as our company only needs it to confirm the booking. But it seemed just fine at the time. Another finely detailed and realistic mosaic shows street musicians boisterously entertaining those not quite up to a night at the theater. And don't forget to look up. The city has a brash and vibrant street life "Italy in your face" in ways both good and bad. Gaetano: Well, there was always water flowing along the roads, and washing the roads, so that's why the sidewalk all over, and the stepping stones. To book a tour with Gaetano put your search line Pompeii tours by Gaetano and Ciro. On the recent visit we decided to visit Pompeii, and saw a reference by Rick Steves to a wonderful guide person Gaetano Manfredi. The Company must confirm acceptance of the Client's booking in writing. These were commonplace in Pompeii's wealthier homes. We had limited time to do these tours so we wanted a private driver. Should we stay at lodging close by Pompeii so we can walk? We did a late afternoon tour and were the only two on the tour. Roberta: Life in the streets, yeah. Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines. We (4) opted for a three hour light overview. To get a clearer picture of what everyday life in ancient Rome was really like, visit the well-preserved (and unlucky) city of Pompeii. In this program we go shopping Neapolitan style, dodge scooters in Naples' crazy traffic, explore the city's vibrant neighborhoods, admire exquisite ancient mosaics at the National Museum of Archaeology, taste pizza in its birthplace, climb the lip of Mount Vesuvius, and wander the amazing ruins of the Roman town it destroyed: Pompeii. It's easy to forget that, for many centuries, the people of Pompeii painted Mount Vesuvius like this before it blew its top. With its buildings, gridded street plan, and frescoed art remarkably intact, Pompeii offers the best look anywhere at life in an ancient Roman town. Terms of Service | Privacy. But, sadly, still pricey. (We did it, but opted for a car transfer on departure!) While Mount Vesuvius is sleepy today, in AD 79, the volcano exploded, sending a cloud of ash and cinders 12 miles into the sky. She loves Pompeii and easily expressed her knowledge and love. And if you look closely at some of the walls, bright red graffiti pops out exclaiming that Julius was here. Watching the police try to enforce traffic sanity is almost comical in this gritty city. 2023 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy. Water was abundant in this well-plumbed city. But the ability to re-enter there should not represent a new rule! I am still leaning towards hiring a private guide for the 4 of us. I have hear great things about Gaetano from multiple sources so I am excited for my tour. Rick likes Sorrento as a home base with a good mix of public transport in multiple directions, if you're staying a few days and also want to visit Amalfi and/or Capri, for instance. After working out, Romans would relax, be pampered, and enjoy the social scene in a public bath. You need to distinguish between signs for (and train tickets to) "Pompeii Scavi" (i.e. Heres the website https://www.sharedtours.com/: We just booked a guided group tour at the ticket booth. You know, during the excavations, sometimes the archaeologists found, under the volcanic materials some empty spaces left by the decomposition of the bodies. When Mr. Steves toured Pompeii with me, it was his 4th time, having been previously with different other guides. For assistance and information please write to sharedtours@mondoguide.com, For assistance and information please call (0039) 081 7513290 - (0039) 081 599 34 62, For emergency please call (0039) 338 584 17 95 or (0039) 340 46 05 254. He was fantastic! Naples' fish market wiggles and squirts from under one of the city's surviving medieval gates. Most of it's still alive! ), and then drove to where the ferry goes to Sicily. It is good to take a map at the visitor center and somehow plan your time (whatever that might be) before you just start walking, as some of the most famous sights are quite apart from each other. From Sorrento, the Circumvesuviana train take 30 minutes to Pompeii and slightly further to Herculaneum. 1) Cancellation 3 days or more before the services: 0% of cost of services booked. Absolutely wonderful. This tangled mess as intense an urban scene as anything you'll find in western Europe still somehow manages to breathe, laugh, and singwith a captivating Italian accent. He was fantastic! Some of it's humorous, some of it's erotic you'll have to come here in person to actually see that and some if it is simply beautiful. And also, assume able-bodied beggars are actually pick pockets. It's about a 15 minute train ride from Sorrento to Pompeii. Baking in just the right combination of fresh dough, mozzarella, and tomatoes in traditional wood-burning ovens, this restaurant is considered by many the birthplace of pizza. Belly up to the crater-edge viewpoints. $25.19 19 Used from $19.53 23 New from $18.90 Now more than ever, you can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling through Italy. Allan, are you not considering the Circumvesuviana for your Pompeii day? I didnt find it all that bad to use except once when it was very crowded. How much time is needed? ( i did tip him 20 euros), I'm also interested in this! Terms of Service | Privacy, Pompeii: Italys Frozen-in-Time Roman City. wongamyr, 1 post, November 2021 Pause at any street corner to enjoy a vivid slice of Neapolitan life. Take a Peek Behind the Chic The adjacent Victorian iron and glass of the 100-year-old Galleria Umberto I takes you back to a grander time. But if you are sleeping in a hotel in Sorrento, the train is a trivial (and extremely cheap) excursion to Pompeii, stopping right across the street from the Porta Marina entrance to the ancient site. Centuries before Christ, Naples was a thriving Greek commercial center called Neapolis or, the "new city." We have plenty of free walking tours lined up during our one-month European vacation so spending some $$$ once in awhile works out just fine for our budget. There is no verbal or written; representation, warranty, prior agreement, or description of services, other than as expressed herein. To cancel the word Pompeii on the ticket?) Just wondering, did this tour guide give you any incentives to post a positive report? That is yet another (regrettable) special case. While excavating, modern archaeologists detected hollow spaces in the volcanic debris that were created when victims' bodies decomposed. Stan and I have backgrounds in anthropology, which includes archaeology, so we consider ourselves pretty good judges. This is great information to know, does anyone know if the Manfredis also offer tours for the nearby historical sights in Herculaneum, Baiae, Mt. You can also just rent an audioguide or just take your Rick Steves book. 81 comments Best Add a Comment DVInoise 1 yr. ago We were just there. We found a great selection of restaurants, including one with a Michelin star that we could just walk into without a reservation. I found the Circumvesviana train to be uncomfortable and dirty, not particularly gritty however my mum, when she travelled with my dad, was faced by a young man masturbating in front of her, an experience she would probably describe as somewhat stronger than gritty! This is the perfect spot to try both the sfogliatella pastry and the mushroom-shaped, rum-soaked bread-like cakes called bab, which come in a huge variety. The Farnese Collection fills a grand hall with statues excavated from the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. Count me as one of those people that prefer a real guide to an audio guide. There is another train that runs less frequently called the Campania (?) That's exactly what we're doing this time as we explore Naples. In 2011 we paid 250 for a 2 hour tour. On the slim chance this person might still be offering tours, we inquired. In so many ways, you'll find southern Italy is a distinct culture from the north. The guards manning the turnstiles/gate said we could exit and re-enter; there were a few restaurants very close by to choose from for a lunch break. Some people come from Salerno, and take a cab, or hike in the heat from the Trenitalia station. Pompeii is a gigantic archaeological site that can be 'sampled' on a 4-hour brisk walk or on a full-day visit (9 to 6 with breaks). It's a classic place to sample a unique Neapolitan pastry called sfogliatella a crispy pastry filled with sweet ricotta cheese. We toured Pompeii with Gaetano last April, and found him to be a fabulous tour guide. 2023 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy. It is a bucket list item for my 11-year-old, so I don't feel that the audio tour will be sufficient. Is the seafood fresh? The hotel we stayed at in the town of Pompeii is now closed. ddodds0402, 1 post, June 2022. I agree that this train is very difficult and unpleasant with luggage. Pompeii is the only one that has food service inside the site, which is the most likely re-entry issue. I would make the bigger sites (theaters, specific people's houses) a priority and then see what you see on the way to those. Pompeii Audio Tour by Rick Steves' Italy | Mixcloud Named after the first Italian queen, it comes with the colors of the Italian flag: red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and a garnish of green basil. Life in Pompeii was stopped in its tracks. Stopped in its tracks by a volcanic eruption in 79 A.D., the city of Pompeii is remarkably well preserved. Pompeii & Herculaneum - Rick Steves Europe Picturesque Positano, the gem of Italy's Amalfi Coast, is more than just a pretty facade, Rick Steves writes. Located just south of Naples, Pompeii was founded in 600 BC and eventually grew from its Greek and Etruscan roots into a bustling Roman trading city and port. 01/19/23 01:41 PM 2813 posts In April 2022, we booked our Pompeii private guide through Askos tours. And a steady stream of water flushed the chariot-rutted streets clean. Walking through its colorful old town is one of the most memorable . Gaetano: This was the tepidarium, so people coming from gymnasium after sport, they were massaged by the slaves. Favorite Add to Repost. We also used Askos for a day trip to Naples to see the National Museum of Archeology. A traveling museum exhibit just a few years ago covered objects from Villa Oplontis, one of them. Pompeii is just about at the halfway point between Naples and Sorrento. Take the Eurostar (fast train) from Rome Termini to Naples, transfer to local commuter train Circumvesuviana and head for Pompeii Scavi. This past February, when I was planning a family trip to Rome with my adult children and grandchildren, I again wanted a tour of Pompeii, so I contacted Gaetano and was thrilled that he was still giving tours 12 years later. Pompeii?? : r/travel Take Rick Steves along as your personal guide! You can do more if you have the time. Both sites are easily accessible ty EVA suburban trains. I've been looking for group tours of Pompeii for our visit in April. Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines. I think that is fair to post on this forrum to give a positive nod to Rick Steves' information being accurate. I gave the book five stars, a rating I rarely give, on Goodreads. Strange and wonderful characters, someone singing/begging and of course PICKPOCKETS. Each of the eight kings in the niches is from a different dynasty: Norman, German, French, Spanish, Spanish, Spanish again, French the brother-in-law of Napoleon and, finally, an Italian: Victor Emmanuel II, Italy's first king. Hope that helps. We took a Walks of Italy tour in Pompeii and it was wonderful. The vast Piazza Garibaldi facing the train station provides an off-putting welcome to those arriving by train. It's hard to advise without those details, but Herculaneum does not take all day like I consider Pompeii to, being smaller. Home Page - Pompeii Tour Guide Judging from the enthusiasm of those munching these hot and tasty pies, what really matters is not the quantity of ingredients, but the quality. Spaccanapoli, literally "split Naples," is a perfectly straight street that dates from ancient Greek times. The action is masterfully caught, as hoofs flail, capes fly, and the dog snarls. Each stall is eye-catching. Planning to return in 2023, so keep us posted. Rick Steves has an arrangement with Mondo Guides for shared tours. An aquarius is a hydraulic engineer in the first century. [clams]
Pompeii Audio Tour. The most memorable and pleasant person I have met in my carreer was in 1993 Mr. Rick Steves, very famous travel writer and public television host. A shared tour is a smart way to experience the sights, while meeting up with fellow Rick Steves readers. All Pompeii & Herculaneum Travel Forum Posts. Venus, the patron goddess of Pompeii, was a favorite pin-up girl. Roberta: This is basso living. The collection ranges from grand statuary and exquisite mosaics to the most intimate details of everyday Roman life. Consider Rick's free, downloadable audio tour for Pompeii. Lacrime napoletane! Join free & follow Rick Steves' Italy. The date on which the request to cancel is received by the Company will determine the applicable cancellation fees. I would verify that any hotel also has private parking. We stayed in Sorrento and used the Circumvesuviana train. If you are intimidated by the Circumvesuviana commuter train, there is also the Campania Express. Is it easy to take the train there from Naples?