With two weeks in Rome, we had enough time to make a one-hour train trip south to Naples with the ultimate destination being Herculaneum. In keeping with our “let’s see something different” visit to the capital city, we decided that instead of going to the world-famous site of Pompeii, another excavated city in the same area would be better. It takes about 20 minutes on a commuter train to get to Herculaneum and with a suggested visit time of two hours, we were going to have the chance to see a bit of Napoli before returning to Rome later that afternoon.

Continue reading “Herculaneum and Naples”

Here are some fun facts about Rome: 250 museums, 400 major monuments, 900 churches, 2000 fountains, and the entire historic center of 14,000 square kilometers (5,400 acres) is a UNESCO World Heritage site. And the biggest secret: while those churches aren’t technically classified as museums, dozens of them house masterpieces by Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Bernini that you can view entirely for free. Although we were first-time visitors to the Eternal City, it already felt familiar, so we were hoping to explore some of the places that don’t immediately come to mind when you think of Rome. Last time on the blog we talked about the ancient center and now we’ll look at some Renaissance and Baroque areas before crossing the Tiber river.

Continue reading “All trains lead to Rome (part 2)”