Back to Pompeii, the city that found its way to be seen again

English:

Back to Pompeii, the city that found its way to be seen again.

When we think of Pompeii, the modern city that has grown up around those ruins covered by the lava of the Vesuvius volcano in the year 79 does not come to mind. Instead, we directly think about that city which, despite being buried for centuries, managed to find a way to resurface from those ashes and present itself again to the world. Majestic, magnanimous and imposing, this is how the ruins of Pompeii are presented to all those visitors who dare to walk on those stones which one day were its streets.

If you ever go on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, regardless of the harbour from which it departs, bear in mind the possibility of visiting Pompeii if the ship is moored in the harbour of Salerno. The harbour itself is a fairly commercial place and there is not much to see, so the best option is taking a taxi and spending the day in the ruins of Pompeii. And that was exactly what my students and I decided to do: we took some taxis that would leave us right in front of them, entered, and marvelled, once again, at their beauty.

Taormina: strolling the streets of one of Sicily's most beautiful cities

English:

Taormina: strolling the streets of one of Sicily's most beautiful cities.

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog!

This week I'm coming back with a new post about the cruise I went on with my students back in 2015 and whose first stop was Valletta, in Malta. 

The post you are going to read today is about Taormina, on the Italian island of Sicily. Our stop was actually in Messina, but we decided to book several cabs and go to Taormina.

Taormina is like a balcony leading to the sea and facing Mount Etna - hence its consideration as one of the most important touristic areas in Sicily from the 19th century. Of course, Taormina has a lot to offer in terms of cultural visits, but, since we didn't spent too many hours there, we left so many things unseen. In fact, we only had time to savour its magical streets, devour a gelato and enjoy its magnificent panoramic view of the sea, with Mount Etna in the background. Needless to say, we would have enjoyed a visit to its famous theatre as well as its well-known Arab castle, but we like to think that there will be a next time.

My first cruise around the Mediterranean Sea: a great experience that allows you to visit a different city every day.

English:

My first cruise around the Mediterranean Sea: 

a great experience that allows you to visit a different city every day.

I had never gone on a cruise - not once in my life. We had discussed the idea several times at home, but we never got to do it. However, in June 2013, and after having been contemplating several ideas for the school trip, I went on one with the students who were then in ESO 4 (aged 15-16).

On June 20th, we left the port of Palma and set sail to Mahon, one of the ports of Menorca, considered (unofficially) to be the capital city of this small Mediterranean island. I had already been to Menorca before, but it had been years since I had last been there and I enjoyed it so much. There, everyone did what they fancied: some went shopping, others strolled around the market, others rented bicycles and went for a ride, and others just sat in a bar on the waterfront and watched the beautiful views they had.