In mid-April, finally it was time for the ISA Rome excursion I had been looking forward to the most: Sorrento, Capri, and Pompeii. Visiting Pompeii has been a dream of mine since I was a small child reading the Magic Treehouse series. The story of Pompeii was always my favorite, and as I’ve gotten older and my interest in all things Roman has only grown, I’ve wanted more than ever to visit there.
On the first day of the excursion we stopped to climb Mt. Vesuvius before heading to our hotel in the town of Sorrento. It offered and amazing view, and if you looked carefully, you could see the air shimmering from heat where the volcanic heat escaped through vents in the volcano. If you have not climbed a volcano before, for the record, you do not stand over a pit of bubbling lava. It’s mostly just barren rock and a big hole. The wonder comes for from the potential and the knowledge of how this hunk of rock changed the course of history in such a short time span.
Sorrento was a beautiful and quiet town on Italy’s coast, and provided a great base for us to take the ferry over to the island of Capri. Capri was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is well worth the cost of a boat ride to fully see and appreciate the beauty of the island. The water was gorgeous and came in so many different shades of blue that it seemed that neither paintings nor pictures could do it justice.
Finally came the day for the tour of Pompeii. It was fascinating to walk around the ruins of the city and see the ancient baths and houses, all while the figure of Mt. Vesuvius loomed ominously in the distance–an ever present reminder of the fate that befell the citizens of Pompeii.
