We left Bella Roma behind for a few days to visit Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast and the ancient ruins of Paestum.
We hired Raffaele Monetti to take us on a day trip along the Amalfi Coast, down to Paestum. This area had been a city founded by the Greeks in the sixth century B.C. When the Romans invaded and captured the city in the third century B.C., they destroyed most of the buildings, but due to religious superstitions, the Romans were fearful of destroying the temples; therefore, the shells of 3 large Greek temples are still standing.
As I walked along an ancient road, I imagined myself dressed in the fashion of a Greek woman, carrying a basket of fruit and bread to my home in this city. I wondered how many feet had walked on this road, what did women of two thousand years ago think about as they walked on these stones?
I am always amazed at the knowledge of archeologists who uncover ancient ruins and know what they are seeing. How can they tell one pile of rocks from another? I am also impressed with the workmanship of the architects, engineers and builders of these temples, that they were able to draw up the plans and construct these huge edifices with only the tools available to them two thousand years ago.
We saw the ruins of an ancient tomb, one that is a mystery even to the experts, as to the purpose of this tomb. When the archeologists opened the tomb, there was no body in it. Also, another mystery is the placement of the tomb, as usually graves and tombs were placed outside the city walls.
We finally had to leave the ruins behind; my active imagination needed a rest, and it was getting late. Raffaele drove these two tired tourists back to Sorrento. It had been a full day of interesting sights and history lessons. We knew that food, drink and a good night’s rest awaited us in Sorrento.
Ciao for now,
Dolly
By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels
]]>