This was our last day to explore Italy. After another delicious breakfast, we boarded the bus and enjoyed the amazing coastline as we left the Amalfi Coast.

We arrived in Pompeii early in the morning and entered when the location opened to meet our local guide. The day was surprisingly warm and sunny, which we welcomed after a handful of frigid days we had experienced on the trip. Our guide took us around the archaeological site for about two hours, explaining a detailed history of the city’s past as we explored the ruins, and learned how modern the city was for its time before the eruption.

The scale of the city was larger than I realized and boasted things like bath houses, fast food stalls, and two theatres.

It was amazing to see how well-preserved the houses, clay artifacts, frescos, mosaics, and plumbing systems are to this day.

Just outside the complex are rows of souvenir shops with a restaurant on the corner, where we grabbed lunch before heading out of town. After an hour and a half, we made a stop in Cassino to see a large abbey. It was located at the top of another large hill which made for amazing views. In a large open courtyard, we saw a film crew filming a local movie. We were able to walk around the edge, enjoy the view from the windows, and continue up the stairs into the church when they took a filming break.

We never got tired of seeing the intricate marble work and carvings in the churches throughout the country.

Back on the bus, we traveled another 45 minutes to Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the Pope. We viewed the front of the estate from the bus, with its manicured lawn. It appeared larger than life and very imposing. Our bus driver then had to drive us around to the other side of the town to get a view of the back of the estate. Here we were able to disembark and walk up to see the views on foot. Originally built up by Italian elite for summer residences or vacation houses, this town is situated at the edge of Lake Albano, a volcanic crater lake. In the 1960’s this lake was actually used for Olympic rowing competitions. Not a bad place to paddle around!

We traveled an hour back to Rome to end our whirlwind tour. It was wonderful to see so many cities, meet so many amazing people, learn so much history, take so many photos, and try so many different foods. Our family had a fantastic time during our two weeks of adventure and we made memories that will last a lifetime…and cause belly laughs reminiscing about!