Week 4 Update

Bish's Precis:
- Rome - crazy drivers, buffalo mozzarella and the benefit of inside knowledge
- Pompeii - it's massive and full of stuff that was buried and isnt any more
- Sorrento - more than just a suburb for the nouveau riche in Perth
- Dubrovnik - gorgeous old town, more on that to come


Before I start I have a massive thankyou to Alessandra and Alessandro (or as I like to say, bella and her fella) for showing me around Roma. You guys were great! Baci!


I can't believe I'm over halfway through already. Infact today marks one month on the road.

In the last week I haven done pretty much everything there was to do in Rome, including surviving there after Italy lost to the Dutch in Euro 2008. Specifically I have...
- stuck my hand in the Mouth of Truth (that's not a euphemism)
- visited Circo Massimo, the Spanish Steps, Campo de Fiori, Tiberina
- checked out Roman ruins on Palatine
- seen Michaelangelo's Moses at the church of St Peter in Chains
- seen more ruins at Ostia Antica (that will be the subject of a separate email/blog entry)
- checked out Mousolini's grand vision in Eur
- been for an excellent and MASSIVE dinner in the hills around Roma, which is a bit of a summer tradition for locals
- checked out the excellent Chisea di Santa Maria della Concezione near Barbarini, which has a crypt ornately decorated in human bones. You should see what they can do with a pelvis.


The last four were thanks to the local knowledge of bella. Without her I never would've found or got to them!


Also while in Roma I fell in love. With Buffalo Mozzarella cheese.


Then on to Sorrento for a couple of nights. Its a town full of old tourists, but from what I've heard is way better than my other option, Naples. Normally a dodgy place (but there are no tourists so its supposed to be authentic if you can stand it), its in the midst of an 8 month garbage strike. Its piling up on the streets.


Sorrento is very touristy, but it's also very easy to see why. Its a very beautiful city, and has the island of Capri nearby. I might head back there, after the grandkids have grown up. Didn't get to Capri or the blue grotto while I was there.


I went to Sorrento mainly to get to Pompeii, the Roman city buried by lava and ash when Vesuvio erupted in 79AD. The one thing that blew me away about the place was its sheer size. It covers 60 hectares. Some of the things theyve managed to recover are pretty amazing too. It's a solid half-day at least there. My favourite bits were the Villa della Misteri, the Teatros and the stadium. Some of the houses were pretty ornate too.


Yesterday I spent the day travelling to Bari, and after some difficulties in Bari itself hopped on an overnight ferry top get where I am now: Dubronik. I'm exploring the old town, and looking forward to having a swim and maybe jump off some cliffs!


I'll keep you posted on how I go. And watch out for the story on Ostia Antica.


Next travels are to Athens, maybe Thessaloniki, and Istanbul. Keep the suggestions coming!


Anyways, enough about me. How are you doing?