Don’t let my glamorous look fool you HAHAHA! Wait until you see my “matching” turquoise sneakers that I changed into upon arrival to Pompeii!

Hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right? 

Those ancient streets are rugged!

So this is my Pompeii outfit. Well, it kinda worked for three places, actually.

I love a long, simple, casual dress because when the weather is a little cold and cloudy, it keeps me warmer than a short one. Layering with a sweater is always a great idea. And for that occasional peak-a-boo ray of sunshine, a big brimmed hat does just the trick to keep your face smooth and cancer free! Plus, I was looking for a somewhat stylish look as we exited Rome and made our way to Positano. I wanted to greet our wedding guests looking a little “glammed” up and like I put some effort into my appearance, LOL!

I felt my outfit was pretty enough to depart Rome, practical enough to walk around Pompeii, and beach babe-villa ready enough to meet our wedding party at the villa in Positano! Phew- I actually put a lot of thought into my packing and thank God I didn’t forget anything!!!

We left the hotel in Rome after breakfast and took a car service to Positano with plans to stop in Pompeii on our way.

Expensive? Inefficient?

Actually, quite the contrary. Taxi’s, trains and more taxi’s would have taken WAY LONGER and been quite an expensive hassle. We hired Positano Car Service to take us on the nearly three hour journey from Rome to Pompeii. It was quick and easy… and we got to take bathroom stops when we wanted to, even better! Our guide met us at the entrance to Pompeii and our driver stayed with our bags.

Now I call that PLANNING!!! (yay me, I hope Anton is reading this :))

Pompeii is definitely NOT how I envisioned it and I mean this in the best of ways! The volcano Mt. Vesuvius is actually very actively “dormant” and quite beautiful to see. I thought Pompeii would be right next to the volcano and away from Naples but it’s actually quite the opposite. Pompeii is just off the freeway exit and probably a few miles from the Napoli center. Mt. Vesuvius looks to be quite a few miles away in the opposite direction.

Two hours later I felt like I knew everything I ever wanted to know about Pompeii. As you know after reading my Roman Holiday blog, I love private guides! We asked all the questions we wanted to and skipped the lines. 🙂

The city was and still is extraordinary! The ruins are much more intact than I imagined. The pottery, dishes, buildings and houses, the mosaic floors and wall art- such beautiful sights to see. I can hardly believe this town was founded by the Greeks shortly before the Romans conquered it over 2000 years ago. If you want the lowdown, check out more Pompeiian history here.

Pompeii’s wealth shines through its ruins. Remnants of a huge gimnasium, steam and sauna rooms, showers, brothels with menus (yes just like a McDonald’s menu you could choose your “service” by pointing to the wall hahaha) and gigantic homes with several courtyards for summer and winter. I mean seriously, these guys were definitely leading the good life.

If you’re a history fan like me, you definitely need to plan a trip here!

Pompeii is also a very cute little tourist town where you can grab the most insanely fresh and delicious lemon granita while you enjoy one of the largest, most delicious garden or caprese salads ever! Our lunch was to die for… check out this quaint cafe if you’re ever visiting.

(Hint: you cannot miss it, it’s the first cafe as you exit the ruins lol.)

Grabbing our lemon granitas to go, we took off for our final destination: Positano. Of course I naturally changed out of my sneakers and back into my somewhat decent, flat flip flops LOL. Thank you Tory Burch for making me both stylish and practical!

OH- and my dress was a lucky find at Diane’s Beachwear! They have some uber cute beach dresses, swimsuits, sweaters and more at very reasonable prices.

Well, I’m off to bed for now. I’m super excited to introduce you to Positano next!

xx Shanna