Herculaneum and Sorrento Private Day Tour from Rome

HERCULANEUM The archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata (just a stone's throw from Naples) make up one of Italy’s 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The ruins of the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, but they still offer an unparalleled window into the quotidian life of classical antiquity. The cities, both of Oscan origin, were dominated by several different populations; after the Social War (91-88 B.C.), Pompeii was elevated to the rank of colony, with the name Cornelia Venera Pompeiana, while Herculaneum was demoted to municipium. In 62 A.D. Pompei was partially destroyed by an earthquake, and as its reconstruction was still ongoing, on August 24, 79 A.D. the eruption of Vesuvius covered the city and its suburban villas with a thick layer of stones, ashes and lapilli (thick, glassy lava). Herculaneum, on the other hand, disappeared beneath a flood of volcanic mud. Since the discovery of the two buried cities in the 18th Century, scholars have excavated countless ruins that bear witness to the cities' architectural importance.

SORRENTO An expanse of land that juts out towards Capri and the rest of the Mediterranean, it lies just south of the Bay of Naples. It is a sequence of cliffs and overhangs dominating the coastline - with a few small bays along the way – blessed with a view of the enchanting deep blue. This, the Sorrentine Coast, is passable only for its sloping terraces cultivated with oranges, vines, olives and, most of all, lemons, all the way to the sea. Tourists lucky enough to pass through in springtime will be pleasantly overwhelmed with their perfume, while visitors year-round can enjoy the divine consequences of the sour citrus once picked: after all, life gave this Coast lemons, and the people made Limoncello! Among the important and fruitful traditions handed down through Sorrentine generations, one stands out over the rest: the recipe for Limoncello, world-famous liqueur made from an infusion of lemon peels and alcohol. Sorrento and Limoncello are practically one and the same, and should always be considered a pair - a caveat visitors to Italy should heed when invited to purchase this delectable souvenir anywhere outside Campania. Now quite common and produced in other lemon-rich parts of Italy, genuine Limoncello is nonetheless obtained from the lemons of Sorrento and its peninsula (many also consider Capri’s groves a valid resource as well). Why? Because the lemons here are quite large and emit a singular, intoxicating perfume; they are an organically-grown variety, i.e. sans chemicals or fertilizer of any kind. Limoncello's gradation should be between 30 and 35°, while its color rests somewhere between yellow and a pale green, depending on how ripe the lemons are. It is served very cold, often after a meal. Interested in tasting more of this zone? Try the provolone del Monaco P.D.O., the mozzarella di bufala P.D.O. from Campania, and so many other typical local specialties.