We hardly had a chance to get acquainted, but I think I’m in love…with Sorrento, Italy. The city plays hard to get, perched high atop the cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea, accessible only by winding, steep roads, and ancient carved out switchback stone stairways. But the reward at the top is worth it. I saw just enough of this lovely place to make me want to return to it’s inviting architecture, lazy cafes, lovely flower-adorned balconies, masterful wood inlay crafts, and enticing views. And, just next to Sorrento is her little celebrity sister, the Isle of Capri.

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento winked at me as we passed through on our way to the famous archaeological site of Pompeii, 18 miles away, beneath the shadow of the rumbling volcanic Mount Vesuvius. At 1:00 p.m. on August 24, 79 AD, the eruption of the volcano began and the population of decadently prosperous Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum were caught utterly unprepared. Within three days, the cities were devastated, buried under 25 feet of volcanic ash and mud, killing thousands of people. In the 18th century, it was rediscovered and since then, excavations have gone on nearly uninterrupted until the present, providing an unprecedented archaeological record of the everyday life of an ancient civilization, startlingly preserved in sudden death.

The walled city is contained within 67 acres, much of it amazingly recovered and intact. Though not all the walls are standing, one’s mind can easily imagine the missing parts and visualize the city alive again. I could almost hear the street vendors and shopkeepers selling their wares, chambermaids tossing buckets of dirty laundry water, paupers and beggars soliciting, aristocrats dining in their lavish villas, carts and chariots rolling over the narrow, uneven stone streets, and tiers of viewers in the circular amphitheater delighting in the latest theatricals.

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The remains of 2,000 men, women, children, and even animals were found at Pompeii. The ash that asphyxiated them hardened around the bodies, which, after decomposed to skeletal remains, left a hollow mold behind, which archaeologists have filled with plaster, revealing the grim and desperate details of the death pose of the victims. Several of these casts could be seen among the rows of unearthed artifacts on display at Pompeii, as a chilling reminder of the catastrophe.

Cast Body of Man, Pompeii, Italy

Cast Body of Dog, Pompeii, Italy

It was a cloudy day with light rain, which gave dramatic effect to our visit of this eerie grave. The site was dotted with monumental contemporary sculptures of historic implication that added to the solemnity. And, though there were many tourists wandering about, there was a prevailing hushed reverence among them, with the foggy outline of Mount Vesuvius looming over the city as an ever-present reminder of it’s great power.

Today, Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano on the European mainland. Its last eruption was in 1944 and its last major eruption was in 1631. Another eruption is expected in the near future, which could be devastating for the 700,000 people who have settled in “New Pompeii” and the “death zones” around Vesuvius, but through measuring seismic activity, scientists expect to predict an approaching eruption months in advance. They also know that the activity of Vesuvius is recurrent, and that the longer the intervals between one eruption and another, the greater the eventual explosion will be.

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

Back in Sorrento, I did not get to see this city in her best light, nor have time to explore all of her secrets, and it was cloudy and rainy off and on, like a temperamental lover. But, as the raindrops fell, I like to think it was tears shed for my farewell, until we can meet again.