Poetic Justice

I was going to post directions and info to the Oplontis/Villa Poppea and
the 'Villa of the Papyri' on another thread. But I decided to tag them
on my Rome to Pompeii directions which I have posted before but have
since added to and repost them for anyone who is interested. Regards,
Walter
<<<A Rome to Pompeii daytrip takes ~3hrs using the fast trains
(ES-EuroStar or IC-InterCity) *to Naples*. Â Â
  NOTE: A local commuter train (Circumvesuviana or CV) takes you
*from
Naples* to Pompeii, Herculaneum or Sorrento, it's website & timetable
directions are listed below. It is a completely seperate company, so
railpasses are not valid on it nor can you buy tickets in Rome for it.
  You can find the timetables & fares for the Rome-Naples leg at
www.trenitalia.com It has an English link and is fairly easy to use when
it's working. When you have brought-up your timetable and choose your
train, you can get the Fare by clicking-on the
"Red-square/White-triangle" icon. Â Â Buying your Rome-Naples tickets
is easy. You can do it the old-fashioned way by waiting in a long line
at Termini (Rome's main train station), tickets sellers speak English
usually. Or you can buy them thru a Travel Agency in Rome or in Termini
for a small fee. Also thru the American Express Office near the Spanish
Steps. Â Â But the easiest way is from the 'Ticket Vending Machines'
located thru-out Termini. They accept CC or cash and have an English
option and are *very easy* to use, they walk you right thru the process.
  Like anywhere else on public transport weekend travel can be a
busy time, if possible plan this daytrip on Mon-Thur. Â Â Â Â You
can go to either the Naples Centrale Train Station or the Piazza
Garibaldi Train Station (which is just an underground metro stop rather
than a full-fledged train station) and just follow the signs to the
Circumvesuviana (CV) train. Â Â The Garibaldi & Centrale Train Station
are really the same station, with Garibaldi located 2 levels underground
and in front of the Centrale station.

 If you arrive at CENTRALE: In front of Track 13 near the front doors
is a wide staircase/escalator which goes down one level. At the bottom
of the stairs bear left, you'll enter a hallway with the CV ticket
windows on the left (Metro ticket windows on the right).

If you arrive at GARIBALDI: You will go up 1 level and just before you
get to the the bottom of that staircase/escalator mentioned above you'll
turn right instead.

  After you purchase your CV tickets (tickets can also be purchased
at newstands/tabacchi) continue down that (short) hallway and then on
the left is a wide hallway with sometimes moving walkways to the CV
ticket turnstiles.
  There on the wall in front of you is the Departure Board that will
post the *next* 8 arriving trains, you'll want the *Sorrento* train.
There are 4 tracks, you'll *probably* want Track (Binario) 3 (I've
stayed in Naples 4x and it has always left from BIN 3). Â Â Half-way
down *each* platform is another Departure Board and it will list the
next arriving train's destination & time. It will flash a red 'In
Partenza' just before it arrives and during boarding. The train's
destination for you will be "Sorrento", this train runs ~every
half-hour. Â Â The train stops at Ercolano (Herculaneum) in 17min and
Pompeii in 36min and Sorrento in 66min.
Also between the CV ticket turnstiles and the platforms is a small
tourist info office.
If you are staying in the area a few days look into the ArteCard and
the Archeobus Tours (best way to get to Boscoreale or Stabia) or if you
have any transportation questions to Sorrento and beyond (Thanks J or
site questions.

The stop you want is "Pompeii Scavi-Villa dei Misteri" or "Ercolano" for
Herculaneum. Be aware that there are a few "Direttissimo" (fast CV
trains) which skip alot of the smaller stops and will hit Ercolano,
Pompeii and Sorrento in less time. Â Exit the Pompeii Scavi Station
turn right and walk 50m (I would buy water & snacks from the stalls
along there if need be, there's also a restaurant) to the entrance which
is set back alittle on the left. Â [This is based on info that I have
read from other posters, I've never used these guides. There are
licensed guides with ID's outside the entrance that charge 35-40euro
hour per tour, *not* per person, same price as for 1 person or for a
small group of 5 max.] Â Â The entrance is a small outdoor complex of
bldgs containing the ticket windows, ATM, gift & *guidebook* shop and an
info booth. You might want to check at the info booth and see if they
have any special sites open, there will be limited entry requiring a
free ticket for a certain time (in '02 & '04 there were 3 limited access
sites opened). Â Â In the middle of this outdoor complex is a small
round bldg that rents the audioguide tours. A CC or any type of photo ID
is required for security. Â Â It was my 4th visit to Pompeii and I'm a
bit of a history buff, I thought the audioguide was very good. But you
might want to have a guidebook with decent map though. I've read a few
posts where people couldn't find some of the audioguide sites and I
believe I might have had to check my other map also for 1 or 2 sites.
Also at the ticket turnstiles (not the ticket sales window) there is a
secured "Luggage Storage" room on the right. After you enter the site
you come across the Forum, look to the left at the far end, that is the
Temple of Jupiter and behind that temple is a building with a
restaurant, snack bar, giftshop, and w.c. Â Â Â If you wish [I
highly recommend it] to visit the Villa dei Misteri in the NW corner of
Pompeii, do so at the end of your visit (you *cannot* re-enter the site
afterwards). You must exit here and walk back (500m) to the same CV
station (also at this exit there are restaurants). Â Â

  HERCULANEUM: To visit Herculaneum (Ercolano CV station is halfway
between Naples and Pompeii on the *same* CV train line-The stop will say
"Ercolano" (NOT 'Ercolano Miglio d'oro') also some signs will read
'Ercolano-Scavi' on the platform), exit the station (only one-way out)
into the *small* parking lot and the *only* street there (45deg to your
right), takes you *right* to the Herculaneum entrance after a 5 min
downhill walk towards the Bay of Naples. Impossible to get lost or miss
you can see the entrance at the end of the street from just outside the
parking lot [audioguides available inside the site, not at the ticket
booth and sometimes tourguides are outside the entrance. I also noticed
an unmanned 'Left Luggage' room directly across from the ticket window,
the door was open so I assume they allow luggage storage]. Â Â Â Â

  TO VISIT THE NAPLES MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE
www.cib.na.cnr.it/mann/museum/mann.html closed Tuesdays <<<Across from
the CV ticket windows (mentioned above in the Naples train station) buy
a metro day pass or 2 tickets, to the left of the booth is the turnstile
and directly in front of that is Track 4, go down to track 4 hop on the
train and get off at the 1st stop (Piazza Cavour). When you exit the
metro turn right on the *busy* street in front and walk (uphill) ~150m,
you'll see a large 3 story building with pinkish bricks on the same side
of the street, thats the museum. Â Â Also outside this metro stop (P.
Cavour) is the bus stop for the 110 bus to Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte.

CIRCUMVESUVIANA TIMETABLES: Go to www.circumvesuviana.com Click-on
"Orari" (There is an English version link but it doesn't work properly
at this time but give it a try anyway. Â Â Now click-on "Orario
Ferrovia (Interattivo)". Under "Citta di Partenza" pull-down "NAPOLI
Collegamento FS". Under "Citta di Arrivo" pull-down "Pompeii Scavi Villa
Dei Mi" or "Ercolano Scavi" for Herculaneum. Â Â Set the time (Dalle)
and click-on "Prosegui" (Find, Procede, Search). But remember these
trains run basically every 30min, so you either make it or wait a
half-hour.

  A WARNING: In the Naples Train Station 'BE VERY RUDE' do not
accept help from *Anyone* even if they look (blue smock) or act like a
train station employee. They will sometimes strongly intimidate you for
money for something as simple as pointing to a ticket booth, etc. Or let
anyone help you with your bags or find your train car and seat, those
men are not train employees.
  Don't even acknowledge anyone when approached or even that you
understand English, so no "No, Thank You's" . Â Â And of course
watch your bags and wallet in the station but also on the
Circumvesuviana Platform and trains.
ALSO while waiting for your train in the Naples Centrale Station, in
front of ~track 18 there is a glassed-in sitting room (quiet & secure)
for ticketed passengers *only*.

OPLONTIS-VILLA POPPEA: Is a beautiful and intact Roman Villa Between
Pompeii & Herculaneum. Â Â If you buy the combo 'Pompeii and
Ercolano/Herculaneum' ticket for 18e this site is also included (along
with Boscoreale and Stabia). This large intact suburban villa shouldn't
be missed if you have time, it's only ~200m from the 'TORRE ANNUNZIATA'
Circumvesuviana Station (brown signs on the platform will also say
'OPLONTI VILLA DI POPPEA') and very easy to find. It can be seen in an
hour if you're in a rush. Â Â It's the Circumvesuviana Station just
before Pompeii Scavi if you're coming from Naples or just after if
coming from Sorrento. It's on the Naples-Sorrento Line
(Herculaneum/Ercolano & Pompeii) and also the 'Naples-Sarno via
Poggiomarino' Line (which goes to Herculaneum/Ercolano but not Pompeii).
  The wall paintings are fantastic as is the general overall site.
Exit the Torre Annunziata Circumvesuvana Station and turn Left (the only
choice is either left
or right). In ~70m the street ends in a "T", turn Right, in 40m cross
the intersection and in ~90m the site and entrance will be on the Left
(can't miss it). Â Between that intersection and the site also on the
left will be a Tourist Info Office (a blue sign/banner outside will say
'Oplonti.....something', again can't miss it, the man that runs this is
very nice & helpful) you might want to pick-up a guidebook there as
there are none at the site nor audioguides. The guidebook will say
'OPLONTIS The Villa Poppea' which can also be bought at other sites
(Pompeii, Herculaneum, tourist shops, 5.20e). Â Â It's believed that
this villa belonged to the glamorous Poppea who was Nero's mistress who
later became his 2nd wife. Â Â In 65AD he kicked the pregnant Poppea
in the stomach and she died. By this point Nero had aleady killed his
mother and 1st wife! I've read that Poppea might have had a role (Nero's
ear) in their deaths also. Â Â There are 2 clues to this being
Poppea's Villa. 1st an amphora was found in the villa's latrine with the
inscription 'Secundo Poppaeae' meaning 'To Second (slave or freedman) of
Poppea'. Â Â Also this villa like Pompeii, Herculaneum and surrounding
area was badly damaged in the 62AD earthquake and was being repaired.
But for some reason work had stopped and was unfinished before the 79AD
eruption. No one was living or working in the house when Vesuvius
erupted. Was the restoration halted after Poppea was murdered in 65AD?
Nero only had 4 yrs left in his reign and was consumed in building his
Domus Aurea (Golden House) in Rome. After Nero's suicide there was a
brief civil war and then Vespasian became Emperor thus ending the
'Julio-Claudian' Line, so the villa if Nero's property was probably
confiscated? There has to be a logical reason restoration work stopped
and this beautiful piece of real estate was abandoned for years? Besides
the beautiful wall paintings, atriums, fountains, huge outdoor swimming
pool etc. There is one small area that is rather unique. Â Â Go to
http://historichouses.simshost.com/page49.htm at the bottom of the page
click-on 'home plan, and notes', then click-on the villa's floor plan.
  See above the "8" and across the corridor in a room there is what
looks like an upside-down U or |_|. That room is the w.c./toilet, see
the short hallway going to the right then to another short hallway going
up & down. The bottom of that hallway exits into that long left-right
hallway between the number 5 and 8 and the top of that short up/down
hall exits outside even though it looks like it is still inside the
villa. That is where you might want to visit. Your visit will start in
the upper left corner entrance and you will work your way thru the
villa. When you get to the *large* outdoor swimming pool #7 on the
rightside of the plan, you will see that long left/right hallway with
stone benchs along the wall. Walk down it and just before it ends and
after the benches there will be a couple of steps on the right that
enters that short up/down hallway mentioned above. Â Â Go into it and
turn left and visit the w.c. The stone basin on the right is where the
'sponges on a stick' were kept in water. And if you didn't know , Roman
toilets had a bench seat with a hole cutout in it where they sat but
also a U-shaped cutout in the front connected to the hole they sat on.
The sponge-stick was their toilet paper and inserted in the front, they
were rinsed/cleaned in a small water channel at their feet. This water
channel was feed with water from the overflow of the stone sponge-stick
basin. In public w.c.'s the sponge-sticks were kept in a basin of brine
(salt & water).
  The seats are gone, probably wooden, in the public w.c. they would
be marble usually.
  But what is really unique is a men's urinal in this w.c. behind a
wall. This is something I have never seen or heard of before. Plus it
must be further proof that this villa was owned and commanded over by a
woman .
  Ok go back out to the short up/down hall and turn left. On the
left wall is an inscription covered in plexiglass. Â Â This graffiti
is in Greek written by Beryllos who was probably a slave and hoped not
to be forgotten. It reads "Mnesthei Beryllos" translated "Be Beryllos
remembered".
  The villa was empty though but perhaps he was fleeing and sought
refuge in the villa. And that would be the safest place in the villa,
narrow hall with small rooms nearby all with strong walls=strong roof.
Roofs collapsed in Pompeii due to the weight of the pumice stones and
ash killing many people.
  Also he would have been only a couple of meters from the open
doorway to the outside if the ceiling started to go. And able to watch
the Hell their Gods had unleashed upon them. Â Â No bodies were found
at the villa so perhaps he (and his group?, master, mistress, family?)
decided to take their chances in trying to flee again. Who knows, maybe
he made it!

BUS TO MT. VESUVIUS: This is the same Circumvesuviana station as in the
Herculaneum directions above.
  I've never taken this bus, I have a phobia about mountain roads
esp with someone else driving.
  Exit the Ercolano Station into the small parking lot and walk over
towards the right corner of the lot.
You will see a small white sign 'riservato bus-BUS VESUVIO' and a yellow
outlined parking space for it.
I believe it leaves every couple of hours of so and you *do* buy the
tickets from the bus driver.
The only street out of the parking lot leads straight downhill to the
Herculaneum entrance (~400m).
50m down that street is a round-about intersection and 20m after that on
the right is the tourist info office (green sign/gold letters 'UFFICIO
TURISTICO'.
They will have the schedule printed-out on their desk. Plan from there,
wait for the bus or visit Herculaneum and catch it later. Â Â Or if
you are pressed for time the taxi drivers outside the station are always
pitching this trip as tourists walk by. I assume negotiate and agree on
a price. Â Â Also I've heard that the taxi drivers sometimes claim
that this bus doesn't run anymore to tourists waiting for the bus.

'VILLA OF THE PAPYRI' TOUR
Anyone visiting Herculaneum on a weekend *only* might be interested in
this special free off-site tour of the 'Villa of the Papyri'. Â Â For
info about the Villa and the papyrus scrolls do a google search on
"Villa of the Papyri" and 'Villa dei Papiri'. It's on Saturday & Sundays
hourly from 0900-1200, 4 tours with 25 people and must be booked online
or so it seems.
Go to
http://www.arethusa.net/w2d3/v3/view...o&struttura=VP
(in Italian) Â Â At the bottom of the page it will show a future date
which I believe shows that they are fully booked up until that date. Ok
now pick your Sat or Sun date after that date if possible. If you get a
pop-up (I'm not sure what they are actually called) in Italian just
click-on "OK" and continue. The next page will show the times and how
many openings there are for each tour.
  Choose your time & # of persons (a limit of 3 possibly) and
click-on
the "+" sign. Â Â
  On the next page choose the number of tickets (only 1, 2 or 3 are
the available choices). Now on the right click-on "Clicca qui...".
Fill-in the info on the next page, in Italian but easy to follow
nome/name, via/address, CAP/zip-postal code, citta/city, provincia/state
or county, pull-down your country and then telephone, fax & *EMAIL*.
 Â
  Click-on the Conferma (Confirm) button and you should get an email
response within seconds with your confirmation. Â Â I took this tour
on Saturday March 13, '04. Honestly it is a bit disappointing, as you
see very little of the site but you do get into the site. Â Â So if
you plan to be in Herculaneum on a weekend, book it. It only takes a
half-hour and it's entrance gate is only a stone's throw from inside the
Herculaneum site.
You basically walk down into a long deep pit and then up a ramp. You see
a single room on the Villa's 2nd floor and then up a ramp to view some
rooms on the 3rd floor. Nothing special, some partial walls with floor
mosaics although 1 is rather unique. You then walk back to the bottom of
the pit and over to a small intact therme/bath. Which is nice because it
actually has water in it , it's ground water seeping in. The site has
pumps and large hoses pumping out the groundwater continuously. Then you
walk over to another small group of outdoor rooms (mosaic floors) and a
horse (skeleton) killed by the pyroclastic surge. They want you there
20mins before the tour. So just enter Herculaneum with everyone else
thru the front entrance/ticket booth (of course you must buy a ticket
and walk down the long ramp. At the bottom is a small but long bldg with
a circular audioguide rental booth in front. You meet at the left end of
this bldg, in the middle of the bldg is a bookstore and a snackbar at
right end.
The Villa entrance is only ~40m from the meeting point. The tour is in
Italian only and it is nice that the Italian gov't allows free access to
this site. But what you see is very limited and all outdoors.

Alan Harrison

"Poetic Justice" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

You
can go to either the Naples Centrale Train Station or the Piazza
Garibaldi Train Station (which is just an underground metro stop rather
than a full-fledged train station

Otherwise excellent and accurate information, but these few words could be a
bit misleading.

Piazza Garibaldi does serve as a metro station for the line operated to
Pozzuoli by FS. However, it is also seved by long-distance trains,
especially those travelling between Rome and cities south of Naples, such as
Salerno and Reggio di Calabria. This avoids the need for trains to reverse
at Napoli Centrale, which is a terminal station.

Alan Harrison

Tile

well done
very few people know about Oplontis..
and even fewer about Ercolano.-
Do not try to go to Ercolano by car.

I have been there twice.. but could not park my car anywhere..
and had to give up my visit..
"Poetic Justice" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]...
I was going to post directions and info to the Oplontis/Villa Poppea and
the 'Villa of the Papyri' on another thread. But I decided to tag them
on my Rome to Pompeii directions which I have posted before but have
since added to and repost them for anyone who is interested. Regards,
Walter
<<<A Rome to Pompeii daytrip takes ~3hrs using the fast trains
(ES-EuroStar or IC-InterCity) *to Naples*.
NOTE: A local commuter train (Circumvesuviana or CV) takes you
*from
Naples* to Pompeii, Herculaneum or Sorrento, it's website & timetable
directions are listed below. It is a completely seperate company, so
railpasses are not valid on it nor can you buy tickets in Rome for it.
You can find the timetables & fares for the Rome-Naples leg at
www.trenitalia.com It has an English link and is fairly easy to use when
it's working. When you have brought-up your timetable and choose your
train, you can get the Fare by clicking-on the
"Red-square/White-triangle" icon. Buying your Rome-Naples tickets
is easy. You can do it the old-fashioned way by waiting in a long line
at Termini (Rome's main train station), tickets sellers speak English
usually. Or you can buy them thru a Travel Agency in Rome or in Termini
for a small fee. Also thru the American Express Office near the Spanish
Steps. But the easiest way is from the 'Ticket Vending Machines'
located thru-out Termini. They accept CC or cash and have an English
option and are *very easy* to use, they walk you right thru the process.
Like anywhere else on public transport weekend travel can be a
busy time, if possible plan this daytrip on Mon-Thur. You
can go to either the Naples Centrale Train Station or the Piazza
Garibaldi Train Station (which is just an underground metro stop rather
than a full-fledged train station) and just follow the signs to the
Circumvesuviana (CV) train. The Garibaldi & Centrale Train Station
are really the same station, with Garibaldi located 2 levels underground
and in front of the Centrale station.

If you arrive at CENTRALE: In front of Track 13 near the front doors
is a wide staircase/escalator which goes down one level. At the bottom
of the stairs bear left, you'll enter a hallway with the CV ticket
windows on the left (Metro ticket windows on the right).

If you arrive at GARIBALDI: You will go up 1 level and just before you
get to the the bottom of that staircase/escalator mentioned above you'll
turn right instead.

After you purchase your CV tickets (tickets can also be purchased
at newstands/tabacchi) continue down that (short) hallway and then on
the left is a wide hallway with sometimes moving walkways to the CV
ticket turnstiles.
There on the wall in front of you is the Departure Board that will
post the *next* 8 arriving trains, you'll want the *Sorrento* train.
There are 4 tracks, you'll *probably* want Track (Binario) 3 (I've
stayed in Naples 4x and it has always left from BIN 3). Half-way
down *each* platform is another Departure Board and it will list the
next arriving train's destination & time. It will flash a red 'In
Partenza' just before it arrives and during boarding. The train's
destination for you will be "Sorrento", this train runs ~every
half-hour. The train stops at Ercolano (Herculaneum) in 17min and
Pompeii in 36min and Sorrento in 66min.
Also between the CV ticket turnstiles and the platforms is a small
tourist info office.
If you are staying in the area a few days look into the ArteCard and
the Archeobus Tours (best way to get to Boscoreale or Stabia) or if you
have any transportation questions to Sorrento and beyond (Thanks J or
site questions.

The stop you want is "Pompeii Scavi-Villa dei Misteri" or "Ercolano" for
Herculaneum. Be aware that there are a few "Direttissimo" (fast CV
trains) which skip alot of the smaller stops and will hit Ercolano,
Pompeii and Sorrento in less time. Exit the Pompeii Scavi Station
turn right and walk 50m (I would buy water & snacks from the stalls
along there if need be, there's also a restaurant) to the entrance which
is set back alittle on the left. [This is based on info that I have
read from other posters, I've never used these guides. There are
licensed guides with ID's outside the entrance that charge 35-40euro
hour per tour, *not* per person, same price as for 1 person or for a
small group of 5 max.] The entrance is a small outdoor complex of
bldgs containing the ticket windows, ATM, gift & *guidebook* shop and an
info booth. You might want to check at the info booth and see if they
have any special sites open, there will be limited entry requiring a
free ticket for a certain time (in '02 & '04 there were 3 limited access
sites opened). In the middle of this outdoor complex is a small
round bldg that rents the audioguide tours. A CC or any type of photo ID
is required for security. It was my 4th visit to Pompeii and I'm a
bit of a history buff, I thought the audioguide was very good. But you
might want to have a guidebook with decent map though. I've read a few
posts where people couldn't find some of the audioguide sites and I
believe I might have had to check my other map also for 1 or 2 sites.
Also at the ticket turnstiles (not the ticket sales window) there is a
secured "Luggage Storage" room on the right. After you enter the site
you come across the Forum, look to the left at the far end, that is the
Temple of Jupiter and behind that temple is a building with a
restaurant, snack bar, giftshop, and w.c. If you wish [I
highly recommend it] to visit the Villa dei Misteri in the NW corner of
Pompeii, do so at the end of your visit (you *cannot* re-enter the site
afterwards). You must exit here and walk back (500m) to the same CV
station (also at this exit there are restaurants).

HERCULANEUM: To visit Herculaneum (Ercolano CV station is halfway
between Naples and Pompeii on the *same* CV train line-The stop will say
"Ercolano" (NOT 'Ercolano Miglio d'oro') also some signs will read
'Ercolano-Scavi' on the platform), exit the station (only one-way out)
into the *small* parking lot and the *only* street there (45deg to your
right), takes you *right* to the Herculaneum entrance after a 5 min
downhill walk towards the Bay of Naples. Impossible to get lost or miss
you can see the entrance at the end of the street from just outside the
parking lot [audioguides available inside the site, not at the ticket
booth and sometimes tourguides are outside the entrance. I also noticed
an unmanned 'Left Luggage' room directly across from the ticket window,
the door was open so I assume they allow luggage storage].

TO VISIT THE NAPLES MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE
www.cib.na.cnr.it/mann/museum/mann.html closed Tuesdays <<<Across from
the CV ticket windows (mentioned above in the Naples train station) buy
a metro day pass or 2 tickets, to the left of the booth is the turnstile
and directly in front of that is Track 4, go down to track 4 hop on the
train and get off at the 1st stop (Piazza Cavour). When you exit the
metro turn right on the *busy* street in front and walk (uphill) ~150m,
you'll see a large 3 story building with pinkish bricks on the same side
of the street, thats the museum. Also outside this metro stop (P.
Cavour) is the bus stop for the 110 bus to Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte.

CIRCUMVESUVIANA TIMETABLES: Go to www.circumvesuviana.com Click-on
"Orari" (There is an English version link but it doesn't work properly
at this time but give it a try anyway. Now click-on "Orario
Ferrovia (Interattivo)". Under "Citta di Partenza" pull-down "NAPOLI
Collegamento FS". Under "Citta di Arrivo" pull-down "Pompeii Scavi Villa
Dei Mi" or "Ercolano Scavi" for Herculaneum. Set the time (Dalle)
and click-on "Prosegui" (Find, Procede, Search). But remember these
trains run basically every 30min, so you either make it or wait a
half-hour.

A WARNING: In the Naples Train Station 'BE VERY RUDE' do not
accept help from *Anyone* even if they look (blue smock) or act like a
train station employee. They will sometimes strongly intimidate you for
money for something as simple as pointing to a ticket booth, etc. Or let
anyone help you with your bags or find your train car and seat, those
men are not train employees.
Don't even acknowledge anyone when approached or even that you
understand English, so no "No, Thank You's" . And of course
watch your bags and wallet in the station but also on the
Circumvesuviana Platform and trains.
ALSO while waiting for your train in the Naples Centrale Station, in
front of ~track 18 there is a glassed-in sitting room (quiet & secure)
for ticketed passengers *only*.

OPLONTIS-VILLA POPPEA: Is a beautiful and intact Roman Villa Between
Pompeii & Herculaneum. If you buy the combo 'Pompeii and
Ercolano/Herculaneum' ticket for 18e this site is also included (along
with Boscoreale and Stabia). This large intact suburban villa shouldn't
be missed if you have time, it's only ~200m from the 'TORRE ANNUNZIATA'
Circumvesuviana Station (brown signs on the platform will also say
'OPLONTI VILLA DI POPPEA') and very easy to find. It can be seen in an
hour if you're in a rush. It's the Circumvesuviana Station just
before Pompeii Scavi if you're coming from Naples or just after if
coming from Sorrento. It's on the Naples-Sorrento Line
(Herculaneum/Ercolano & Pompeii) and also the 'Naples-Sarno via
Poggiomarino' Line (which goes to Herculaneum/Ercolano but not Pompeii).
The wall paintings are fantastic as is the general overall site.
Exit the Torre Annunziata Circumvesuvana Station and turn Left (the only
choice is either left
or right). In ~70m the street ends in a "T", turn Right, in 40m cross
the intersection and in ~90m the site and entrance will be on the Left
(can't miss it). Between that intersection and the site also on the
left will be a Tourist Info Office (a blue sign/banner outside will say
'Oplonti.....something', again can't miss it, the man that runs this is
very nice & helpful) you might want to pick-up a guidebook there as
there are none at the site nor audioguides. The guidebook will say
'OPLONTIS The Villa Poppea' which can also be bought at other sites
(Pompeii, Herculaneum, tourist shops, 5.20e). It's believed that
this villa belonged to the glamorous Poppea who was Nero's mistress who
later became his 2nd wife. In 65AD he kicked the pregnant Poppea
in the stomach and she died. By this point Nero had aleady killed his
mother and 1st wife! I've read that Poppea might have had a role (Nero's
ear) in their deaths also. There are 2 clues to this being
Poppea's Villa. 1st an amphora was found in the villa's latrine with the
inscription 'Secundo Poppaeae' meaning 'To Second (slave or freedman) of
Poppea'. Also this villa like Pompeii, Herculaneum and surrounding
area was badly damaged in the 62AD earthquake and was being repaired.
But for some reason work had stopped and was unfinished before the 79AD
eruption. No one was living or working in the house when Vesuvius
erupted. Was the restoration halted after Poppea was murdered in 65AD?
Nero only had 4 yrs left in his reign and was consumed in building his
Domus Aurea (Golden House) in Rome. After Nero's suicide there was a
brief civil war and then Vespasian became Emperor thus ending the
'Julio-Claudian' Line, so the villa if Nero's property was probably
confiscated? There has to be a logical reason restoration work stopped
and this beautiful piece of real estate was abandoned for years? Besides
the beautiful wall paintings, atriums, fountains, huge outdoor swimming
pool etc. There is one small area that is rather unique. Go to
http://historichouses.simshost.com/page49.htm at the bottom of the page
click-on 'home plan, and notes', then click-on the villa's floor plan.
See above the "8" and across the corridor in a room there is what
looks like an upside-down U or |_|. That room is the w.c./toilet, see
the short hallway going to the right then to another short hallway going
up & down. The bottom of that hallway exits into that long left-right
hallway between the number 5 and 8 and the top of that short up/down
hall exits outside even though it looks like it is still inside the
villa. That is where you might want to visit. Your visit will start in
the upper left corner entrance and you will work your way thru the
villa. When you get to the *large* outdoor swimming pool #7 on the
rightside of the plan, you will see that long left/right hallway with
stone benchs along the wall. Walk down it and just before it ends and
after the benches there will be a couple of steps on the right that
enters that short up/down hallway mentioned above. Go into it and
turn left and visit the w.c. The stone basin on the right is where the
'sponges on a stick' were kept in water. And if you didn't know , Roman
toilets had a bench seat with a hole cutout in it where they sat but
also a U-shaped cutout in the front connected to the hole they sat on.
The sponge-stick was their toilet paper and inserted in the front, they
were rinsed/cleaned in a small water channel at their feet. This water
channel was feed with water from the overflow of the stone sponge-stick
basin. In public w.c.'s the sponge-sticks were kept in a basin of brine
(salt & water).
The seats are gone, probably wooden, in the public w.c. they would
be marble usually.
But what is really unique is a men's urinal in this w.c. behind a
wall. This is something I have never seen or heard of before. Plus it
must be further proof that this villa was owned and commanded over by a
woman .
Ok go back out to the short up/down hall and turn left. On the
left wall is an inscription covered in plexiglass. This graffiti
is in Greek written by Beryllos who was probably a slave and hoped not
to be forgotten. It reads "Mnesthei Beryllos" translated "Be Beryllos
remembered".
The villa was empty though but perhaps he was fleeing and sought
refuge in the villa. And that would be the safest place in the villa,
narrow hall with small rooms nearby all with strong walls=strong roof.
Roofs collapsed in Pompeii due to the weight of the pumice stones and
ash killing many people.
Also he would have been only a couple of meters from the open
doorway to the outside if the ceiling started to go. And able to watch
the Hell their Gods had unleashed upon them. No bodies were found
at the villa so perhaps he (and his group?, master, mistress, family?)
decided to take their chances in trying to flee again. Who knows, maybe
he made it!

BUS TO MT. VESUVIUS: This is the same Circumvesuviana station as in the
Herculaneum directions above.
I've never taken this bus, I have a phobia about mountain roads
esp with someone else driving.
Exit the Ercolano Station into the small parking lot and walk over
towards the right corner of the lot.
You will see a small white sign 'riservato bus-BUS VESUVIO' and a yellow
outlined parking space for it.
I believe it leaves every couple of hours of so and you *do* buy the
tickets from the bus driver.
The only street out of the parking lot leads straight downhill to the
Herculaneum entrance (~400m).
50m down that street is a round-about intersection and 20m after that on
the right is the tourist info office (green sign/gold letters 'UFFICIO
TURISTICO'.
They will have the schedule printed-out on their desk. Plan from there,
wait for the bus or visit Herculaneum and catch it later. Or if
you are pressed for time the taxi drivers outside the station are always
pitching this trip as tourists walk by. I assume negotiate and agree on
a price. Also I've heard that the taxi drivers sometimes claim
that this bus doesn't run anymore to tourists waiting for the bus.

'VILLA OF THE PAPYRI' TOUR
Anyone visiting Herculaneum on a weekend *only* might be interested in
this special free off-site tour of the 'Villa of the Papyri'. For
info about the Villa and the papyrus scrolls do a google search on
"Villa of the Papyri" and 'Villa dei Papiri'. It's on Saturday & Sundays
hourly from 0900-1200, 4 tours with 25 people and must be booked online
or so it seems.
Go to
http://www.arethusa.net/w2d3/v3/view...o&struttura=VP
(in Italian) At the bottom of the page it will show a future date
which I believe shows that they are fully booked up until that date. Ok
now pick your Sat or Sun date after that date if possible. If you get a
pop-up (I'm not sure what they are actually called) in Italian just
click-on "OK" and continue. The next page will show the times and how
many openings there are for each tour.
Choose your time & # of persons (a limit of 3 possibly) and
click-on
the "+" sign.
On the next page choose the number of tickets (only 1, 2 or 3 are
the available choices). Now on the right click-on "Clicca qui...".
Fill-in the info on the next page, in Italian but easy to follow
nome/name, via/address, CAP/zip-postal code, citta/city, provincia/state
or county, pull-down your country and then telephone, fax & *EMAIL*.

Click-on the Conferma (Confirm) button and you should get an email
response within seconds with your confirmation. I took this tour
on Saturday March 13, '04. Honestly it is a bit disappointing, as you
see very little of the site but you do get into the site. So if
you plan to be in Herculaneum on a weekend, book it. It only takes a
half-hour and it's entrance gate is only a stone's throw from inside the
Herculaneum site.
You basically walk down into a long deep pit and then up a ramp. You see
a single room on the Villa's 2nd floor and then up a ramp to view some
rooms on the 3rd floor. Nothing special, some partial walls with floor
mosaics although 1 is rather unique. You then walk back to the bottom of
the pit and over to a small intact therme/bath. Which is nice because it
actually has water in it , it's ground water seeping in. The site has
pumps and large hoses pumping out the groundwater continuously. Then you
walk over to another small group of outdoor rooms (mosaic floors) and a
horse (skeleton) killed by the pyroclastic surge. They want you there
20mins before the tour. So just enter Herculaneum with everyone else
thru the front entrance/ticket booth (of course you must buy a ticket
and walk down the long ramp. At the bottom is a small but long bldg with
a circular audioguide rental booth in front. You meet at the left end of
this bldg, in the middle of the bldg is a bookstore and a snackbar at
right end.
The Villa entrance is only ~40m from the meeting point. The tour is in
Italian only and it is nice that the Italian gov't allows free access to
this site. But what you see is very limited and all outdoors.

Poetic Justice

Poetic Justice wrote:
    >You can go to either the Naples Centrale
    >Train Station or the Piazza Garibaldi Train
    >Station (which is just an underground
    >metro stop rather than a full-fledged train
    >station

Alan Harrison wrote:
    >Otherwise excellent and accurate
    >information, but these few words could be
    >a bit misleading.

Thanks. But how would you describe this station to a 1st time visitor?
It's small, underground and has no services. It is a metro station with
2 metro tracks and an FS station with 2 train tracks.
Say Mr & Mrs Tourist have been to the major train stations (Venice,
Florence, Rome) but are arriving for the 1st time at Piazza Galdibaldi.
Suddenly on the outskirts of Naples they find themselves underground
and whissing past metro stations.
Then the train finally stops and they look out the window, what do they
see? It certainly doesn't look like a train station but it does look
exactly like an underground metro station. That is the reason I
describe it as such, to *avoid* confusion.
But in the future I think I'll describe it as an 'underground
Metro-like station'.

    >Piazza Garibaldi does serve as a metro
    >station for the line operated to Pozzuoli by
    >FS. However, it is also seved by
    >long-distance trains, especially those
    >travelling between Rome and cities south
    >of Naples, such as Salerno and Reggio di
    >Calabria. This avoids the need for trains
    >to reverse at Napoli Centrale, which is a
    >terminal station.

Yes that is true but as long as Mr & Mrs Tourist get off at Garibaldi it
doesn't matter to them where the train goes afterwards or that Centrale
is a deadend. Regards, Walter



..And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...