Vieste Boat Tour

The Gargano peninsula is often referred to as the spur of the boot of Italy. It's a beautiful area that has a few small towns, but is mostly just rugged coastline. We found a tour boat online out of Vieste and booked a trip. On the trip there we decided to take the short way from Manfredonia through the Gargano forest. While it was a beautiful drive, it was very windy and took a lot longer than we had expected. We rushed there and as soon as we pulled in to the town Britta decided to let us know that she gets carsick by throwing up everywhere. Luckily we had her swimsuit to change her in to. We made it there, but then quickly realized that they don't take credit card and we were a little low on funds. We've quickly learned that most of southern Italy doesn't take credit cards. We tried to explain ourselves to the tour operators (a husband and wife with their teenage son), and through broken English we were told their son would drive Jordan in to town to an ATM to get some cash. Away they went while I corralled the kids on a busy dock. They got just in time for us to pay and get on the boat. 

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We think these were fishing rigs.They were all over.

Vieste

When we booked the trip we just thought that we'd go along the coastline and see some caves. We didn't realize that we were actually going to go in to one of the caves. 

Entering one of the caves. 

We need to get some kayaks and come back.

The Coops just chillin'. 

They dropped us off on this beach for about 30 minutes. It was so amazing we decided to come back a couple of more times 

Pompeii

They still do plays here. 

 Pompeii was an experience for sure. It was very impressive.

One of the wall paintings in one of the houses. 

Town Forum

One of the casts of the bodies. 

I believe this was in one of the bathhouses.

One of the many mosaic floors. All the floors were very impressive.

House of the Fawn.

Another mosaic floor.  This was I believe was in an entry way to a home.  It was different because it was of a dog.  I guess very rare to see that.

This was a place that prepared and served food.  The round holes were where they put pots with food in them.  I think that underneath they kept them heated as well.  There were also little slots for coins on the top of the counter. We decided to put the kids to work while we were there to help pay for the trip.

Inside of the coliseum that held around 20,000 people. 

Herculaneum

While we were near Naples and Mount Vesuvius we decided to check out the small town of Herculaneum which was also destroyed by the eruption of 79 AD like Pompeii.This town is a little more preserved than Pompeii but only about 25% excavated.

Here you can kind of see the modern city now days above Herculaneum in the back ground.  That is a road up there where you see the dark line and houses that people live in above that.  The town of Herculaneum is still under those homes.

I am not sure the significance of this statue but that is another mosaic floor next to it.

 This was in the bakers shop.  I believe this was a grain grinder.  Where you see the square I believe was once a handle and that is house you would turn the top.  So you would pour in the grain and then turn the handle and it would grind in between the two pieces.

One of the many fountains.

 Inside of of the houses.  Unlike Pompeii some of these houses still had their roofs intact.  These are real paintings on the walls.

This was also in another house.  This probably would have been an atrium.  With the fountain being that hole in the floor.  That is a mosaic not a painting.

                      Another mosaic floor in a bath house.

 Every house had some sort of fountain in the entry way.  Some covered with roofs in a room others were more in a courtyard.

Where the excavations ended.  But you can see a pillar in there.  Lots still to be excavated.

A view from the top of the town.  You can see how it sits lower than the rest of town.  So the modern day city above.  Right below where the kids are was once the sea port.