In March 2000, we stayed at a monastery in Castellmare di Stabia that was convenient to the Circumvesuvio rail line. We learned of it in the Beds and Blessings book by Walsh and Walsh, and handled all the arrangements by fax.

This was an excellent location for day trips to historical sites in the Campagnia region, including Capri, Herculaneum (Ercolano), Naples, Paestum, Pompeii, Positano, and Sorrento.

Capri involved a variety of public transportation, a ride on the Circumvesuvio railroad to Sorrento, a bus to the marina, and a ferryboat to Capri. On the first day-trip to Capri, we took the finicula (inclined railway); on the second day-trip, we rode a scenic, winding bus route. Both were beautiful. We toured the historical and scenic sites from Tiberius' Villa Jovis to Anacapri and the Blue Grotto. It's easy to understand how Capri has been a popular resort since Roman times.

Herculaneum (Ercolano) was buried in the pyroclastic flow during the same eruption that buried Pompeii in ash. The excavations are a short walk from the Ercolano Station on the Circumvesuvia Rail Line. We made several visits while we were staying at Castellmare di Stabia and we have returned while on other trips that take us nearby.

Paestum's excavations are within walking distance of the train. This was a Greek colony that was resettled by the Romans. The Roman ruins eroded over time, leaving the magnificent Greek temples.

Positano is a short bus ride down the Amalfi coast from Sorrento. It was quite picturesque despite the weather on the day we visited.

Sorrento is a picturesque city in its own right, whose marina is a gateway to the beautiful Isle of Capri. This is a good place to shop for Lemoncello and inlaid wood music boxes.

We visited Pompeii several times while we stayed at Castellmare di Stabia. During the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., Pompeii was buried in ash. Because of this disaster, today's archeologists have uncovered many well-preserved homes, shops and other buildings. This gives us a good idea of what the day-to-day life was for the citizens of Pompeii nearly two thousand years ago. We have returned to Pompeii to see the "new" excavations while on other trips that take us nearby.

These photos were taken with a Canon Rebel EOS.