Page 118 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

Day 4 - Tuesday, July 18: Excursion to Campani - Pompeii and Naples. This morning, taxi
10-15 min to Rome Tiburtina or Termini railway station in advance of first-class train service 70
min to Naples (train schedules have not been released for your travel dates yet but we
recommend a departure around 9:00 a.m. with
arrival to Naples Centrale around 10:15 a.m.).
You’ll be met by your guide (Fiorella or one
of her colleagues) and a separate driver for the
transfer 30 min to Pompeii for a 2- to 2.5-hr
private guided walking tour of the renowned
archaeological site. Buried under ash, sand
and pumice following the massive eruption of
Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii was
preserved by debris for hundreds of years.
The eruption lasted for more than 24 hours and
initially allowed an escape for those who decided to flee. Others weren’t so lucky. The town
was not rediscovered until 1594. The excavations that started in 1748 have since uncovered 112
of Pompeii’s total area of 163 acres. During the visit, your guide will take you on a trip into the
past to witness the remarkable basilica that was once a justice palace, the forum and the well-
maintained large and small theaters. You will also visit a bakery where you can still see the
stone mills and oven. Next, you could visit one of the amazingly-preserved private homes in
Pompeii. At the House of the Tragic Poet, you could see the famous entryway mosaic of “Cave
Canem” or “Beware of the Dog.” The tour might finish with a visit to one of the four Roman
bath complexes of Pompeii.

What is so remarkable about the ruins of
Pompeii is the incredibly complete, fresh, vivid
and intimate insight they give us into the daily
life of a Roman city at the height of the Roman
Empire. Frescoes shine a light on the goings-
on of everyday life, and preserved everywhere
are mundane details of how the estimated
17,000 inhabitants lived almost 2,000 years
ago.

Continue on with your guide and driver to Naples, the capital city of Campania. Naples figures
prominently in the rich gastronomic history of Italy as the birthplace of modern pizza. It was
here in 1889 where an Italian chef created a tri-colored pizza of tomatoes, local mozzarella
cheese and basil. Designed to represent il tricolore italiano or the flag of Italy, the chef named it
Pizza Margherita in honor of the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. We know just the
spot for an authentic Neapolitan pizza lunch (cost of lunch not included in your program). This
will be a bit of a late lunch (by American standards), but we think you’ll love the pizza!

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