Florence, Pisa, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii, Italy
Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei.
It, along with Herculaneum (its sister city), was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days on 24 August 79 AD.[1]
The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with 2,571,725 visitors in 2007[2], and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sorrento is a small city in Campania, Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination. The town can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the bay of Naples, as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints in the city allow sight of Naples itself (visible across the bay), Vesuvius and the island of Capri.
Vesuvius overlooking Sorrento and the Bay of Naples.The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is the narrow road that threads around the high cliffs above the Mediterranean.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento’s sea cliffs are impressive and its luxury hotels have attracted famous personalities, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, an alcoholic digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
Capri (Italian pronunciation Cápri, usual English pronunciation Caprí) is an Italian island off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples. It has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic.
Features of the island are the Marina Piccola (Small Harbor), the Belvedere of Tragara, which is a high panoramic promenade lined with villas, the limestone masses called Sea Stacks that stand out of the sea (the Faraglioni), Anacapri, the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), and the ruins of the Imperial Roman villas.
Capri is in the region of Campania, Province of Naples. The City of Capri is the main centre of population on Capri. It has two adjoining harbours, Marina Piccola and Marina Grande (the main port of the island). The separate commune of Anacapri is located high on the hills to the west.
The etymology of the name Capri can be traced back to the Greeks, the first recorded colonists to populate the island. This means that “Capri” was probably not derived from the Latin “Capreae” (goats), but rather the Greek “Kapros” (wild boar).
The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply The Tower of Pisa (La Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is situated behind the Cathedral and it is the third structure by time in Pisa’s Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square).
Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The tower presently leans to the southwest.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the highest side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft) and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes. The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. The tower leans at an angle of 3.97 degrees[1]. This means that the top of the tower is 3.9 meters from where it would stand if the tower were perfectly vertical.
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the Arno River on the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. The city is known worldwide for its famous bell tower.
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Sorrento, Italy
The Amalfi Coast on the southern part of the Sorrento Peninsula is one of the prettiest areas in Italy. The Amalfi Drive, hugging the coast of the Campania region along the Gulf of Salerno, has been called Italy’s most romantic road. This narrow, winding cliff-hanging byway, in places carved right out of the side of the mountain, is a challenge to navigate. However, those traversing the Amalfi Drive are rewarded with spectacular views of small coves and of boats bobbing in the azure sea far below. Amalfi and Positano are the two most popular spots along the Amalfi Coast.
Amalfi, 61 km (38 miles) east of Sorrento and with a population of only 5,500, is the largest town on this coast. Dramatically situated at the mouth of a ravine under towering 1,315-meter (4,312-foot) Mt. Cerreto, the burg is sandwiched between tall cliffs and a rocky coastline broken occasionally by coves with sandy beaches.
Amalfi’s rich history is not evident from what tourists see today. Incredibly, this small town was once the capital of the seafaring Republic of Amalfi, one of the great maritime powers. From the ninth to the eleventh century Amalfi rivaled Venice and Genoa for influence in the Mediterranean.
The first mention of Amalfi dates from the sixth century, and a circular maritime trade with the East developed soon thereafter. Grain, slaves, salt and timber were traded to Egypt and Syria for gold dinars. These coins were then paid to the Byzantines for silk which was in turn sold back in Europe. Independent from the seventh century until 1075, Amalfi reached the height of its power in about 1000 when it boasted a population of 70,000. Not only was the ship compass introduced to Europe in 1302 by Flavio Gioia, an Amalfi native, but Amalfi’s maritime code was used in the Mediterranean until 1570.
Positano, a picturesque seaport of 3,900 lying 17 km (11 miles) west of Amalfi, was part of the maritime Republic of Amalfi in the tenth century. However, Positano’s apogee came much later. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ships from Positano carried silk, spices and wood to the Middle East. The subsequent decline of Positano’s prosperity coincided with the rise of steamships in the mid-nineteenth century. As much as three-quarters of the town’s population of 8,000 immigrated to the United States, with the majority going to New York. Interestingly, one of the tough tasks that faced later mayors of Positano was finding enough burial plots for those very emigrees, many of whom wanted to be buried back in their birthplace.
Positano, little more than a sleepy fishing village in the early twentieth century, was discovered after World War II when American troops, stationed in nearby Salerno, began taking holidays there. In the 1950s writers such as John Steinbeck and Tennessee Williams and painters such as Paul Klee were drawn to Positano. In the 1960s Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones composed the lyrics to their song Midnight Rambler while on holiday in Positano. The rest, as they say, is history. Today tourism is the major industry, and the town is simply besieged by Europeans and North Americans during the summer. Positano is now among Europe’s most chic destinations.
Sorrento, on the Gulf of Naples, is the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. With a population of 17,000, Sorrento lies at the western end of the Amalfi Drive. It can be reached easily by train, bus, ferry or hydrofoil from Naples, only 50 km (30 miles) away, or by ferry or hydrofoil from the Isle of Capri. Local coastal ferries operate along the Amalfi Coast between Sorrento in the west and Salerno in the east. In summer there are also ferry and hydrofoil services between Amalfi, Positano and Capri and between Amalfi, Positano and Naples.
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TV Italy-Luxury Travel Italy Amalfi Coast Sorrento Peninsula
TV Italy:Travel Amalfi Coast, Italy-Travel Video. Italy Video. TV Italy Amalfi in south Italy in the region of Campania, TV Italy stretches from the boot to Lazio, the region of Rome, and to the East Puglia, travel TV Italy to the Adriatic coast of East Italy. Visit Naples, Sorrento Peninsula, Capri, Positano and Amalfi Coast, breath-taking views of the Bay of Naples Ancient Rome playground and Pompeii famous for its ash-covered Ancient Roman city. Do not miss Amalfi Coast, TV Italy brought to you by the Italian Broadcasting Company TV Italy.
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The Most Beautiful Drive In The World (Amalfi Coast)
Our drive down the Amalfi Coast between Sorrento and Amalfi, Italy. The Most Beautiful Drive In The World!
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Italy travel: Amalfi Coast Sorrento first views
Italy travel: Amalfi Coast. Our first beautiful views of Sorrento, Italy. Most of our Perillo Tours Familia does the ‘camera salute’ again, like in Venice. A much nicer hotel room at the Hotel La Pace, and a nice zoom lens view back on to the road we just traveled on our drive to Sorrento from Naples. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com).
Italy travel tours with Perillo Tours, www.PerilloTours.com Real People having Real Fun!
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Hotel Caporal, Minori – Amalfi Coast – www.hotelcaporal.com
E’ una moderna e confortevole struttura ricettiva a pochi metri dal mare, nei pressi di una villa romana del I secolo, in una delle località più belle del mondo. L’hotel è a Minori, al centro della costa d’Amalfi, a pochi chilometri da Ravello, da Amalfi, da Positano. Qui, con la brezza marina, si respira, la storia dell’antica Repubblica d’Amalfi.
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Tour of the Amalfi coast
Few pictures of the Amalfi coast by Angelo private driver. Very well know as the Amalfi drive we will drive through the villages of Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, Atrani and Ravello. You can buy ceramic, clothes, have nice lunch or just enjoy the this wonderfull area. My website: www.angelodriver.com
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Drive to Positano – Amalfi coast
Our driver loved Southern Rock music. This clip was shot while listening to Sweet Home Alabama. We were on the way to Positano for dinner. We were staying in Sorrento.
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Italy travel: Amalfi Coast Sorrento introduction
Italy travel: Amalfi Coast introduction to Sorrento. At the time this video was obtained, our Perillo Tours Familia thought these hillside towns looked amazing. Little did we know that there were much more amazing sites to com! “If you get nervous about our cliffside drive, do like our driver Lorenzo does, just close your eyes!” LOL! All footage is from the bus, so it’s not National Geographic quality, but you get the feel for the place. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com).
Italy travel tours with Perillo Tours, www.PerilloTours.com Real People having Real Fun!
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Sorrento – Positano, Amalfi drive, July 2008