Pompeii, Vesuvius, Amalfi or our Italy Wedding adventure 
Three sunny days in Italy, during one of which we were busy shooting a beautiful wedding in Pompeii. During these days, we covered 820 km, visited the beach of the Tyrrhenian Sea, stopped en route in Naples, where it was scary even to go out of the car, visited small mountain towns Siano and Bracigliano, where young Italians are having fun till 2 am, music is playing in the whole city, and the older people are sitting in bars with their legs on the tables. We shoot love story in a small town on the coast of the Amalfi Sea, where the couple treated us to a delicious Italian dinner, and climbed up the Vesuvio volcano. We recommend you to continue reading this article, while listening to Radio Subasio http://www.radiosubasio.it/ascolta/, which we listened to on our way in the car.
So we flew from Warsaw (Modlin), where we left our car in the parking lot for 45 zl per 5 days, wherefrom you are transported straight to the airport for free. Modlin Airport is small and cheap airlines such as Ryanair or Wizzair ae flying from it. Tickets cost us 700 zl for two people there and back. Trip to Warsaw – full tank, about 800 UAH there and back.
and this is a zoomed in map of Pompeii surroundings, where we spent most of the time
We arrived late at night and it turned out that the hotel, which is located 500 meters from the airport, is actually at the distance of 5 km, because the entrance to the airport is located on the opposite side of Ciampino city. The last bus left at 11 pm and taxi asked 30 euros (( So we had to walk round the whole airport. We stopped in the Laura hotel, where the reception works 24 hours, which is up to the point in the cities near airports. There was nothing special about the room – bed, bath and balcony, and free internet was encouraging. Breakfast for 3 euros. (It’s so almost everywhere in Italy – delicious croissant and cappuccino or espresso in the morning)
Nothing interesting in Ciompino – a little flee market, basilica, trees with olives)) shops, cafes … Apartments starting from 110 thousand euro, according to the advertising stand, which we came across on the way.
We rented a car from SIXT in the morning for 112 Euro for three days. Plus, they reserve 1000 euros on the card in case of an accident or a fine.
On the way to Pompeii we swerved off the road closer to the sea and stopped in Marina di Andrea. Clean and warm water, beaches along the entire length of the coast, where houses stand directly on the seaside, almost all slip roads to the sea were private, with a few exceptions. People are very few, although it was very warm – Italians are accustomed to heat and it’s not a season in September)
By the way, we were with cameramen Taras and Kolia) from beautiful day production http://beautifulday.com.ua and together shoot the wedding. Thanks for the company.
We drove to Pompeii on the road close to the sea on purpose, and thus we admired beautiful scenery and saved on the autobahn. Autobahn in average costs 1 Euro per 10 km, thus we saved about 30 Euros. We marked with red color a part of the road with beautiful landscapes.
Lemons on the trees, interesting houses, steep serpentines, mountains and sea) Gaeta city in the photo.
Everything was great until on the way to Pompeii we got in a big traffic jam and had to make a turn to Naples. And there’s absolutely different Italy … It seems like you appear in Asia. Traffic rules don’t exist, all the cars are damaged and scored, immortals drive the scooters, piles of garbage, dirt and strange people. You drive and think that you wish no one took all the devices out of the car, or a crank on the scooter did not hit your rented car, while you don’t speak a word in Italian) We marked with red this part of the road in Naples and around it.
We were totally shocked with this guy – a pile of garbage in the car, a large cross on the windscreen, damaged car, with no rear window, and it seems that he doesn’t care at all, he is like from afterlife)
A pile of garbage, black people are selling right on the road. One of them threw pocket tissues in our window, wanted us to buy them. At the crossing, where there are T-shirts in the picture, a prostitute was standing in the evening..
Italians in Naples don’t mind the carriageway at all, they simply cross it where they want, or 10 meters before zebra crossing and don’t pay attention to you – this is a driver’s problem if he/she would be lucky to notice the pedestrian …
Finally, we got to Siano, where a young couple who had the wedding met us. They were getting ready for the wedding in Siano. So we discussed the wedding plan and went to have a sleep in the nearby mountain town Bracigliano in La Canniccia Hotel. We couldn’t fall asleep for a long time – some family was singing in the neighboring house and loud music was playing in the downtown until 2 am.
Here’s a view from the hotel window) We got up in the morning, ate croissant with cappuccino and went to shoot the wedding.
The wedding ceremony took place in a beautiful basilica in the center of Pompeii. Here you can see all wedding pictures)
After the church, we straightaway went to a 5-star complex in Pompeii.
In the restaurant, the food is served not at once, but every dish one by one. Only water, cola and wine on the tables. Here’s the first dish – mixed seafood consisting of shrimps, octopus, some shellfish and something else) well, we are nor certain about it, unusual food for us.
then there was pasta, risotto with casserole, cheese and ham, steak with potato and eggplant and three desserts, yum-yum.
Musicians were the masters of the wedding as well, who did not organize any contests and toasts, sang several songs, and then – music from the laptop) They put their keyboard and laptop on the piano, so we also occupied it with our equipment.
After the first dance, all let their hair down, ate desserts and walked outside. It got dark, candles and lights were lit on tables near the pool, and there already was a huge cake. After symbolic cutting of the cake, the young couple sat down at another wedding table near the waterfall, and the guests sat at the tables under the palm trees by the pool. At the cocktail party tables, there were a lot of different sweets and candies. It was very nice). In the end of the wedding, the young couple gave presents to guests as they return envelopes). By the way, it’s a good tradition, since it’s a mutual exchange between the two parties – guests take different candies, and in the end of the wedding no one is hungry, you can have a good talk, greet with each other and say goodbye.
The third night we slept in Apollo hotel in Pompeii, had croissant and cappuccino again for our breakfast. The hotel is in the downtown, right next to the basilica, where we shoot the wedding.
Then we decided to climb up the Vesuvio volcano. There are three ways to the volcano: the first one – from the side of Pompey, which was closed on the halfway and coaches with big wheels were standing. The trip on such bus is 22 euros per person. We decided to drive around the volcano from the side of Naples. And again chaos and garbage on the road.
From this side you can drive up to the volcano as close as possible. Entrance fee here is 10 euros and 20 minutes to go on foot to the top. You can see in the picture a parking lot in the bottom and the valley in the direction of Naples, wherefrom lava was flowing during the second eruption.
And that’s where you can see a multimillion Naples)
The volcano is sleeping; it’s slightly steaming in one spot. (in the picture rightwards there’s a little smoke)
This is a view from the opposite side, somewhere on the left – Pompeii, the city was demolished at the beginning of our era by gas wave that was moving at the speed of 450 miles per hour and the temperature of 600 degrees. About 2 thousand people died, who froze in various postures.
A bit of selfie)
Then we went to a resort town on the coast of the Amalfi Sea to take pictures of Love Story. Along the way, there are very beautiful landscapes and narrow serpentines. We marked with red this segment of the road on the second map. The picture shows the port in Salerno.
A small break on the way, as we have told before, there is lots of garbage in southern Italy; someone threw out TV by the road.
Italians in the coastal towns learned to build houses in cliffs; it is so cramped in some places that you have to go out of the house right away on a narrow path. They did such terraces with soil, where they grow something.
Amalfi is a small town with numerous cafes and basilica in the downtown, all people dine out, have fun. After shooting Love Story, we were treated to a delicious dinner.
Seafood plate with tomatoes in sauce, rib steak and pasta with red wine. Italian cuisine is very delicious and cooked from good products and fresh seafood. And Italians are very emotional and explosive people)) So see you, Italy!
With love, RH.
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