Pompeii, Naples & the Amalfi Coast: Frozen in Time and Lemon Sorbet

From Rome, we took the train down to Pompeii — the ancient Roman city buried, and remarkably preserved, by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Walking the original stone streets, past frozen plaster casts of the residents caught in the eruption, is one of those experiences that’s hard to describe until you’re standing in it. Bring shade and water — the site is enormous and almost entirely exposed, and it gets brutally hot with very little shelter.

Pompeii Ruins

We finished the day in Naples with more pasta and pizza, which, fittingly, is where pizza as we know it actually originated.

Traditional Onion Pasta

The next day, we took a boat from Naples over to Sorrento and Amalfi, booked through GetYourGuide. In Sorrento, we followed a small path just left of the main dock and found a swimming spot full of locals — no crowds, no tourist markup, just clear water and a great afternoon.

Amalfi Coast Boat Tour

Amalfi itself is the town that gives the whole coastline its name, a former maritime republic that once rivaled Venice and Genoa for trading power in the Middle Ages. Today it’s better known for its cliffside views and lemon groves than its naval history, but that legacy is still woven through the town’s architecture. We had gnocchi, did some shopping, and spent time on the beach — and tried the region’s signature lemon sorbet, made from the enormous Amalfi lemons grown on the terraced hillsides. It’s an essential regional stop, not a tourist gimmick.

That evening, we made our way to a small town called Meta for our accommodation — honestly, we’re still not entirely sure why we ended up there. Not much to see or do, but that’s travel; not every stop is a highlight, and that’s part of the adventure.

We flew back from Naples to Nice the next day, closing out one of the most food-packed, history-dense, sunburned-and-worth-it trips either of us has taken.

Highlights: Pompeii · Sorrento’s local swimming spot · Amalfi town & lemon sorbet · The boat ride between coastal towns