Mediterranean Iconic Shores Ocean Cruise

Day 25: Sunday, November 23, 2025 - Naples, Italy

The day's statistics:
-  Weather: Cool, warmer, cool again, overcast, upper 40s
-  Steps: Linda: 12,674; Steve: 13,249

Today's excursion was called "Pompeii & Pizza" - and was our second longest excursion of the trip.
We departed at 8:45. Our guide was Nicholas, and our driver was Antonio.
The group started off with a bus ride, beginning in the port with some ruins, then some other sites.







Our first sightings of the cloud-shrouded, snow-covered Mount Vesuvius.




And further on, somewhat along the coast.





The bus parked in the lot across the street with a few other buses. We debussed, crossed the street, past a park, and walked along the sidewalk a little to a small community.

We arrived in front of a cluster of small businesses including a few restaurants, and a shop. The shop had a public restroom available downstairs that we took advantage of before we headed off to the ruins. The doors in the restrooms were adorned with characters from the time Pompeii was populated (the men's room had males on the doors...).


We had about ten minutes for everyone's technical break, then we headed to the gates. Nicholas had our tickets and our group passed right through with no waiting. The line can be hours long during peak season - just another reason why we prefer to travel during the off-season.
After passing through the gate, we first paused to make sure everyone was with us, followed by a little history lesson about the city. Then we walked along the sidewalk - far more than we were expecting - to the entranceway into the city itself. There was quite a bit of the site still being excavated.





The group entered the city and first encountered a recreation field, and a theater (the white stones were for the privledged).











Next was a market street with a number of stalls / stores lining the street. There was evidence of an oven - likely from a bakery - and a shop that had three street-facing heating / cooking stations implying that this could be one of the first ever fast-food restaurants.









Fron this vantage point, we saw one of the entry gates. The road from the entry gate passed right by this "mall" and the ruts from the carriages is evident in the stone street. The street also has raised stones in it too. Those are original and intentional - and are intended to be used to cross the street [in the day] because the street was, shall we say, "unclean". Remember, there was no plumbing back then - draw your own conclusions...


There were more shops and residences in the city.







We had a rather lengthy slope to climb. Far lengthier than we would have ever imagined.







The group turned right off the main street and headed to a bathhouse.







In addition to a water bath, there was also a section that was more of a hot house - a room with a raised floor that had warm / hot water underneath it.






Across the plaza from the bathhouse was a small building with a room.



While excavation was taking place a number of years ago, while digging in one spot, a small section had caved in. Upon investigation, it was eventually determined that there was a vacant cavity. Further still, it was eventually determined that the cavity had been previously occupied by a body - that vaporized and only left the pocket. When these cavities starting being found elsewhere, it was decided to inject plaster into the space, and thus produce a replica of the prior occupant, and the position of such. This was the first one they made, and it was preserved in this case. It seems to be a woman that was sheilding her face at the time of her passing.



The group returned to the main street and continued on.



It was pointed out that there are penises carved into the stone on some of the walls. This isn't an act of vandalism or the like, but rather was the ancient "GPS" directing people (OK, men...) to the brothels. The carving is just below the "XIII" in the sign below. I guess GPS, back then, stood for "Genitals Pleasure Store".

Our route took us to one. The proof that it was a brothel is that there are images on the wall for "patrons" to pont out what position they want. Then they would go to one of the small rooms for their activity.






We continued our slow climb up the roadway.
Along the way we passed an aquaduct-fed basin, and some other ruins.





Eventaully we came across another aquaduct-fed basin. However, this one (it wasn't mentioned as a feature of the one above) had a removeable rock at the lower end bottom of the basin in order to let all the water out - to help try to "clean" the street a little.
Also, there is a brownish mark and a small indent near the faucet head - this is from users, over many, many years - putting their hand there to get water from teh basin.


We continued on - and we were almost at the apex.




Already we surprised by how large the city was. And then we got to the main / central plaza...
Holy crap. The plaza is HUGE. Somehow Linda got a shot with no one in it. These were some highlights - including the markets in the corner.







Rather than just take a picture of everything, I started doing this pan thing to compensate for that.

By the time our group was done, the plaza was really big - but a whole bunch of people showed up and or were already there, and there were quite a few people taking selfies too. But not a quick smile-click, but rather pose, then pose, then pose again, pose one more time, one last time for good luck, and one more just to be sure. Come on people...
"The lens is on the left, smile." <click>

While the plaza was the highlight - however much a natural disaster can have a highlight - we weren't quite done in the city yet.
We continued on - though admittedly heading in the direction of the exit at this point - passing by a section of the roadway that had little white rocks among the stones so the roadway is easier to see in the moonlight, and a section of wall that used different sized stones in a random pattern for strength.







We finally left the large outdoor space. And entered the museum.
The museum mostly contained artifacts captured during the excavation. But there were also more casts of victims of the eruption that included a man, a dog, and an entire family of four.



















Our path led us out of the museum, and I captured some of the on-going excavation.

The group returned to the area where we gathered before entering the ruins, and we were given fifteen minutes of free time for shopping, grabbing a snack or beverage, and or to use the facilities.
We generally bode our time in the shop that was selling what turned out to be Murano glass.


After walking back to the parking lot, we boarded the bus, and headed back toward the ship - and our lunch destination that happened to be back in the city.

As today's excursion was called "Pompeii & Pizza" and we already took care of the "Pompeii portion - our next item on the schedule must be pizza!
And it was. Specifically Toto' Sapore.


Not long after seating around the tables, we were given a Margherita pizza making demo. In less than a minute, the chef flattened the dough; formed the pie; put sauce, cheese, and basil on it (a Margarita pizza has these three ingredients representing the three colors of the Italian flag, initially made in 1889 in honor of Queen Margherita); and was done. At the end I stood to try to get a shot of the completed pie, but there was a bowl in the way.

We were given water and soft drinks, and wine was available for a cost.
Each traveler was served an entire small pie, but we decided to share ours. Then two others at our table also did that too. The pizza was really good, and fresh. (And yes, the pizza was as big as it looks.)


Then we got dessert too - tiramisu. Yummy.

And we also had some lemonade.

After the meal - which was lunch - we continued on as our excursion and adventure wasn't over yet.

The next stop was near Piazza San Francesco di Paola. But in order to get there, we had a bit of a ride along the waterfront.















While pictures were taken crossing the plaza they will follow. We got to the fountain called Fontana del Carciofo on the other side of Piazza San Francesco di Paola, on the far side of museum, and Nicholas told us that we could walk back to the ship, or wait and take the bus back - though it would be back at the drop off point, and in about a half hour. We could use this time to get a beverage or snack, shop, and or sightsee.





We chose to slow walk back to the bus pick-up spot, and take some more pictures along the way, completing the set of statues in from of the museum Museo Enrico Caruso, and getting a couple shots of the Basilica Reale San Francesco di Paola.
It looked like a stage for a concert and or the holidays was being set up, obscuring the view of the Basilica a little.















As we waited, the sun was setting, and the temperature was dropping. And it was getting cooler - much cooler. Break out the hand and gloves cooler. Seriously.
The ship was right over there, so a walk there might not have been too bad.

From this overlook sort of area, we got a selfie too, with a carnival in the background.




We didn't have too long to wait, and eventually the group that was returning and Nicolas showed up. We boarded and headed out for the final leg of our excursion.

A bit after 4:00 we were back on the ship.
We stopped by the Living Room for some hot coffee - the point being that it was hot.
There was a bit more than an hour before dinner, so we relaxed in the cabin for a little and listened to some music, continuing the 60's channel. Lo and behold, this song happened to come up.

The Restaurant, table 53, was our home for tonight's dinner.

Linda had the Destination Menu of Caprese Salad, Spaghetti alle Vongole (not pictured), and Zuppa Inglese.


I had Grilled Scallops, Ossobuco Milanese (not pictured), and Chocolate Lava Cake.


We took our wine to the atrium for a couple music selections.

After dinner, we returned to the cabin.
Tongiht there was no trivia or a show, so we just watched a movie on demand called Wolfs with George Glooney and Brad Pitt. It was pretty good.

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