On Friday 29th April we sailed across the Bay of Salerno to the City of Salerno where we would meet Ed and Lydia. The forecast was for NW2-3 so when we got a bit of breeze we put up a full main and genoa and turned the engine off. Within an hour we had a NW6 gusting 7, requiring a lot of reefing - my workout for the day. The wind died as we arrived at which point we were boarded by an athletic marinero who, with his friends had us tied up securely and with a warm welcome. We hired a tiny car and collected E&L from a late flight - a joy to have them with us. 

We spend a good day exploring the City of Salerno. It’s claim to fame is the waterfront which really is special: over a mile of tree-lined promenade where Salernorians gather in great numbers of enjoy their Sunday walk, ice creams, coffee’s and pastries with friends and family. We enjoyed joining in as a family as well exploring the old town and Cathedral with it’s stunning Crypt containing the relics of St Matthew. The promenade is bookended by a massive new development including a vast public square - all pretty good urban planning - good for the City of Salerno…a bold move.

On the Monday it was off to Pompeii by train - somewhere none of us had visited before. We spent 4 hours exploring, the first 2 with a guide. Pompeii is a vast excavation and the scale and completeness of the streets and houses give one a real sense of walking the streets of a Roman City. This scale combined with the preservation of detail is what made Pompeii so compelling. Pompeii was a commercial city first and foremost and walking the main streets of via d’Abbondanza and via Stabianna with its almost complete thermopolium (food stores) with marble counters that could have been used yesterday and complete frescos was remarkable. We ate our packed lunch in the Quadriportico theatre where one young german visitor sang (very well) from the stage. A great day which gave us glimpse of what it may have been like to be Roman - pretty good for the privileged - less so the rest!