I’m going to be completely honest about this: had my mom not joined me for my final week in Europe, I most likely would not have gone to Pompeii. I would’ve spent more time in Cinque Terre or perhaps gone back up to Lake Como to see what it’s like in the spring. However, I am very grateful to my mom for joining me, because seeing Pompeii and Herculaneum was an amazing experience.
We took the train down from Sesto Fiorentino, where I stayed for the majority of my time in Italy, changing trains in Florence and Naples. It took quite a while to get to Pompeii, but once we got settled into our hotel there we knew that it had been worth the long train ride.
We stayed in Hotel del Sole, which is directly across the street from the archeological site of Pompeii. I gotta say, this hotel is a good choice for people visiting the ruins of Pompeii, which are well worth visiting.
Sadly, I left my phone in the room when we went over to the ruins, so I was unable to take any photos there. I can say that it was an amazing experience, though, and that not being able to take photos actually enhanced the experience. It forced me to really focus on what I was seeing and feeling while I was in there. Also, since my mom is a huge archeology geek, having her there was almost like having my own personal guide.
Herculaneum was even more impressive. Despite being smaller than Pompeii, Herculaneum is the more impressive archeological site (at least in my opinion). Being further from Vesuvius, Herculaneum didn’t get nearly as obliterated as Pompeii. Thankfully, I had my phone with me so I could snap pictures of, well…basically everything. I was pretty overwhelmed by what I saw there.
We spent almost twice as much time at Herculaneum as we did at Pompeii. For anyone thinking of visiting Pompeii, I make this recommendation: go to Herculaneum, too. Or, if your time is limited, go to Herculaneum instead of Pompeii. It’s smaller, better preserved, and much less crowded. Also, there are fewer pushy street vendors and more restaurant options.