From Rome, we took a train to Naples. We had a bit of trouble at the Termini train station because the confirmation page for the tickets we bought online didn’t have serial numbers (or whatever they called the numbers they were looking for). They said the purchase was legitimate, but they needed the numbers so they can print our tickets. But when we asked where we could get those numbers, the people behind the information counter couldn’t give us a definite answer. And it didn’t help that they only spoke limited English. The language barrier reared its ugly head again.

So we missed our train. Great. But they said we can take the later trains once we figured out a solution to our ticket problem. That’s good news, but the guy we were talking to couldn’t give any suggestions on how to solve it! It wasn’t until an hour later when another train employee came that we were able to sort things out. Apparently it was all a case of miscommunication. She was able to give us our train tickets after a few minutes. Mental note: next time buy tickets at the train station. Not only would it be cheaper, you can also be sure that those tickets won’t cause you any problems. If you’re afraid you’ll run out of seats, buy those tickets a day or two before the date of your planned departure.

So we were able to leave Rome two hours later. The train ride to Naples took about four hours. It was almost lunch time, so we decided to eat lunch first. Compared to Rome, Naples seems a bit more disorganized. Some people think Rome is dirty. If you think Rome is dirty, then I suggest you skip Naples. In some parts it’s more crowded and chaotic than Rome. Food is way cheaper though! Up to 50% cheaper! And if you love Pizza, Pizza in Naples tastes better than the ones in Rome! Well pizza originated in Naples, so of course you’d get to taste the best pizza in this city!

After lunch we walked around a bit. We managed to see a few interesting buildings like the Castel Nuovo, but Naples wasn’t our main destination for the day. We headed back to the train station and bought tickets to Pompeii. Trains run on the Circumvesuviana line, and costs about 2 euros each way. It’s a local train with a lot of stops, so it was quite a long ride— it took about an hour to get to Pompeii Scavi, but it felt longer since the train was packed and we were standing the whole time.

Pompeii is vast. You’d need a whole day to see everything. We did manage to see most of the ruins, but we were in such a hectic pace that we couldn’t  fully appreciate the structures in front of us. Considering the history of the place, it should be explored in a leisurely pace. Also, after seeing the Roman ruins in Ephesus where everything was remarkably well preserved, i was a bit underwhelmed by Pompeii even though the area is a lot bigger. It’s still worth a visit, but for people who don’t have much time in Italy, it’s a place that can be skipped. Better ancient structures can be seen elsewhere in the country.But if you really want to set foot in the place where Mt. Vesuvius unleashed its wrath, the long trip from Rome to Pompeii is worth it.