Pompei

Our train from Rome termini is a relatively easy journey, apart from our luggage which seems to have got heavier. I try not to feel guilty about the extra coats and boots, and ceramics I bought in Rome.

Our Pompei hotel is very near the stazione. We can see the signpost from the entrance, and we wheel our luggage across the very busy intersection to access the hotel. It's a simple 3-star with very friendly and accommodating staff. There are tiled marble floors and its sparkingly clean but theres no lift. Jim again lugs the suitcases upstairs.

Our room is tiny after the space of our Rome apartment. We head out into the town of Pompei, which is neat and uniformly Victorian, having mostly been built in the last 150 years or so. We look in vain for a central piazza; we've got used to having our evening walk and glass of wine in the local square. We eventually decide on a cafe near the church and belltower and the service is fantastic. From our seat overlooking the church we are served a variety of bar snacks with our wine, including a warm ricotta tart. The service is old-fashioned, with bow-tied waiters and the bill is very low. We've got used to Rome prices!

The next day, we have breakfast in the hotel and walk the 10 minutes or so to the Pompei excavations entrance. Its an overcast day and there are very few people visiting the ruins. We decided on an audio guide to accompany us through, and this proves variable. We're bemused by the advertising that accompanies some of the commentary, including current local businesses such as sports stores and furniture restorers!

We are captivated by the villas of ancient Pompei, and the colour and life of the frescoes. I love the central atriums, the peristyles, that have again been planted with hedges, fruit trees and standard shrubs as they were long ago. We particularly admire the Villa of Venus, with the frescoes showing the goddess herself, accompanied by attendant cupids; and the cheeky, curly-tailed statue of the sprite in the House of the Faun. We walk kilometres to seek out the villas, shopfronts and public buildings of the ancient city of Pompei. It's raining softly but persistently and we have a hurried picnic lunch in one of the villas under the cover of the atrium.

It takes us 6 hours to explore Pompei, and we're footsore, damp and tired as we head back to our hotel. After a hot shower and change of clothes, we decide to eat close to hotel if possible. A quick right turn takes us to the Enoteca da Peppino and the food is absolutely marvellous. We have a warm antipasto of frittata, polpettine and grilled peppers. The white wine is a southern Greco di Tufo. We both have mains and I also have a blood orange tart. The bill is 36 euros - what fantastic value.

We walk home through smoky streets. Yesterday we attempted to find out what was creating the smoke but only got a reply of "umido" - either smog or wood fires. Even so, its noticeable and surprising. By the morning of our departure it's cleared but were still uncertain of its origin.