Unearthing Pompeii and Ercolano

Archaeology holds all the keys to understanding who we are and where we come from.

Sarah Parcak

When people think of Naples, they often think of Pompeii first (or pizza). Most forget about Ercolano, or Herculaneum in English. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, both cities were tragically buried. Archaeologists were able to unearth these lost cities, giving us a chance to walk the streets and see how these people lived. It is the archaeologist Sarah Parcak that said, “Archaeology holds all the keys to understanding who we are and where we come from.” 

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Ischia: An Enchanting Island

There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.

Gilbert K. Chesterton

We had a couple friends visiting us in February and wanted to show them the islands around Naples. They had already been to Capri, so we decided on Ischia, an enchanting island made of volcanic rock with beaches, hot springs, a charming town, and a beautiful castle on top of a rocky islet. It was Gilbert K. Chesterton that said, “There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.” This castle looked like something you would see in your dreams. We were amazed they were able to build it into the volcanic rock so many years ago.

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It All Started With the Greeks: Self-Guided Walking Tour of Naples

History never really says goodbye. History says, ‘See you later.

Eduardo Galeano

The history of Naples (or Neapolis) all started with the Greeks, and it’s still alive and well today. To quote Eduardo Galeano, “History never really says goodbye. History says, ‘See you later.’” Naples is an amazing example of that! It still shows signs of Greek and Roman infrastructure, not only in the museums, but also right underneath the roads you walk on and the churches you can visit today. 

Thank you Fred for showing us around Naples and helping us appreciate it even more. This is the tour that he took us on — we recommend you take it too while you are here.

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Naples: A Beautiful Woman with Dirty Feet

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

Augustine of Hippo

As we made our way to our new home in Naples, Italy, I was reminded of one of my favorite travel quotes. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” by Augustine of Hippo. In college, Adam and I talked about all of our future goals and wishes. One goal was to travel and live abroad in Europe. We decided after many years together that it was finally time to pursue that goal which we first dreamed about 7 years ago. No more reading books or wishing to travel and live abroad. Adam got the amazing opportunity to work in Naples, Italy and we knew we had to jump on it. It was time for us to fill the pages of our story entitled “Living Abroad and Exploring Europe Together.”

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