Pompeii is Awesome!!!

So good to hear! We toured with Gaetano in 2011 in December and had a magnificent experience! No one else compares. On a return visit with our adult son, we tried to cut our out-of-pocket by engaging a guide through an agency and she was terrible.

I agree about Pompeii being mind blowing.
I was staying with friends in Rome and they had set up a tour that took us on a bus from central Rome to Pompeii, included group tour, then a great meal in the area before we had a double decker bus tour through Naples and then a bus ride back to Rome.
The whole trip was fantastic. The bus ride was really comfortable, and relatively short, the group tour was great and really informative, the lunch was beyond what I would have ever expected, and the quick tour of Naples was nice, and educational.
I had no idea that the trip could be done in one day from Rome, but it was easy. We even hit a traffic jam on the way back to Rome because of a fatal car accident, and it was still light out when we got back to Rome.
This was in late April 3 years ago.
I don't know the name of the tour bus company, if someone asks I will contact my friend in Rome to see if he remembers the name. But I would never have thought it could be so great!
Pompeii is a must see while in Italy!

We are on the 14 day BOE October 5th, but have 2 extra days before our tour. I’m thinking this sounds wonderful for our 2nd day! Please share the name of the bus/tour.
Thanks

I'm interested to hear your experience in the Cinque Terre. There have been so many negative reports. Many of us would like to know from a recent visitor.

I was in Pompeii about two weeks ago and had the same reaction. I wonder if we were there the same day. What a fascinating site. The forum, the bakery and homes of merchants were all compelling to see.

I strongly recommend a book entitled Pompeii by British writer Robert Harris. Though it's a novel, the work teaches more about Pompeii the city than any dry nonfiction work would in part because it is so eloquent. Readers also learn a lot about volcanoes and ancient Roman engineering. I read the book throughout my visit to Italy, and it definitely enhanced my visit.

Thanks Craig for the book recommendation. I just put it on hold at the library. We are looking forward to going next May!

@Craig thank you for the book recommendation. We visited Pompeii in 2014 on a group tour. Wished I had read the book then. I will look forward to reading it soon. The history is mind blowing. When I think of all the volcanoes we’ve visited I can’t even fathom the devastation.

Replying to Chani's post re the Cinque Terre:

I am not sure what "negative" things you heard about that part of Italy but we thought it was wonderful. We loved the hiking and visiting the small villages. The villages, coast and surrounding areas are spectacular. I am not sure what other folks are looking for when they visit and perhaps it is just an issue of expectations. There is not a lot of your "standard type" European sightseeing (museums, churches, historical sites, etc.), the trip is more about enjoying the natural beauty and a relaxed schedule. We stayed in an AirBNB rental which perhaps is not appealing to others (not tons of available standard type hotel accommodations). It was pretty warm and humid especially for the hiking but we knew that when we booked for late August. Like most of Italy/Europe during the tourist season, it does get pretty crowded during the day in the villages and on the trails but the most of that clears out so Vernazza (where we stayed), was quite pleasant in the evenings and early mornings. Lastly, it is also a bit hard to get to but in our view was well worth the effort. All in all, there are trade-offs but on balance we loved the Cinque Terre every bit as much as we liked Rome, Florence or the Amalfi Coast. It's just a different type of experience. We were there for 4 nights and 3 full days and it was perfect for us.