Naples

The island of Capri in Naples wins hands down as the prettiest site we saw on the cruise. Capri is a popular honeymoon destination. Yes, there's probably more things to do in Venice, but in terms of sheer beauty and my kind of romanticism, Capri is my top choice. No more talking. Just look.

Also nearby is the city of Pompeii, or what's left of it from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. After several years of excavation, they're still excavating. There's still tons of stuff buried underground.

The roads were kind of interesting. They were grooves in the ground just like today. But nobody walked in them. There were big rocks in a row that served as stepping stones for a person to get from one side of the road to the other. They were necessary because the roads were usually filled with running water, sometimes sewage water. But the roads were still used by carriages.

The most interesting part was the plaster human models. When the lava consumed a person, the person would eventually decay and leave a cavity. Archaeologists would fill the cavity with plaster material. When it hardened, you got a model of the human as it died. You could even make out clothing and sandals. This one was pretty amazing. It looks like this person didn't even have time to feel pain.