Year 5, Day 166 “Living the Dream”. Monday, 10/13/2025 – Day 7 of 30 day trip to Rome, Italy with a Mediterranean cruise and a transatlantic cruise back to Bayonne, NJ. Day 2 of 10 night Greece, Turkey, and Italy cruise on Odyssey of the Seas. Today we are in Naples, Italy 7:30am – 5:30pm. Naples is a southern Italian city It faces the Mediterranean Sea and is near Mount Vesuvius. Its name in Italian is Napoli which came from its Greek name Neapolis, meaning new city. The city of Naples has a population of over 908,000 people. Happy Columbus Day! Columbus Day commemorates Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer who led a Spanish exploration that landed in the Americas in 1492. Italians do recognize that Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. But in Italy, it’s called Giornata nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo and it is not a national holiday.
Got out of the shower and grabbed a provided robe. I think this is ready for the garbage or a good seamstress maybe.
We are up in the Windjammer at 6:30am. The buffet opened at 6:30am and it was packed. It is going to be a glorious day here in Italy.
We had to meet at the theatre to meet up with our tour group. We reserved and prepaid for the Ruins of Pompeii Royal Caribbean Excursion a while ago for $169.98.
We boarded the bus and our first stop was APA Torre del Greco (since 1848). This was just a jewelry store that is famous for its cameos. A cameo is a precious material obtained from layered shells or stones, characterized by a contrast of colors. Rome, Italy is the city with the most churches in the world, with over 930 churches. Naples follows as second with over 500 churches As we are driving you can see Mount Vesuvius.
The most famous production areas for Limoncello is concentrated around the Gulf of Naples, including Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Capri.
Steve enjoyed looking at the road construction we passed. There was even a Dynapac roller being used for road construction. Dynapac rollers are manufactured in multiple countries, including Sweden, Germany, the United States, Brazil, and China. There is a factory in Stanhope, NJ where family members were employed making these rollers.
We drove about 14 miles. We arrived at the 150 acre Pompeii Archaeological Park. We walked around with the tour guide for a few hours. It was a hot sunny day. We are at the site of what was once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city. Pompeii was buried under 13 to 20 feet of ash and pumice. This occurred after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The ash preserved the city like a time capsule for nearly 2,000 years. As we walk around we are walking on that ash. The ash preserved the city so well that archaeologists even discovered 8 loaves of bread. Pompeii is thought of as a Roman city, but there is evidence that it was settled by the Greeks. The city had Roman aqueducts above it. These aqueducts brought fresh water from distant sources. They supplied running water to public baths, fountains, and private homes. We walked on basalt blocks with small white stones of marble or limestone between. This aided nighttime travel. Pompeii has often been referred to as “Sin City” due to the discovery of numerous erotic artifacts. The estimate is that there was 25 brothels. The population was 20,000 when Mount Vesuvius erupted.
Here’s an interesting thing my maternal grandparents came from this area. Yes, I am one of those short Italians.
We are back on the ship by 2pm and had a great lunch. In our cabin was a plate of little treats.
We spent a little time talking to a couple in the Crown Lounge. They are going to Cape Town after this cruise on The Voyager of the Seas. One last thing ladies, be sure and practice your squats. No toilet seats here.
Night time dreaming.
Cruise Compass Day 2 of 10 – Odyssey of the Seas in Naples, Italy
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
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