We have recently returned from a holiday to Rome and Sorrento, which provided us with a burgeoning amount of photographic material that took several days to process. Part of the reason we chose these locations to holiday was because of the large amount of sightseeing available and that we get restless sitting around relaxing on beaches. As we had never visited either destination before, our list of ‘must sees’ went on and on…so much so that when drawing up a final itinerary it became clear that there were more activities than could be conformably shoehorned into our allotted time. 

Our itinerary consisted of;

• Colosseum/Palatine Hill/Forum
• Vatican City & Museum
• Pantheon/Spanish Steps/Trevi Fountain
• Via Appia
• Centro Storico area of Rome
• Il Vittoria
• Sorrento
• Capri
• Pompeii
• Herculaneum
• Path of the Gods walk
• Vesuvius walk
• Positano
• Naples
• Amalfi
• Paestrum

Due to time constraints the last three on the list were dropped.

On reflection it is interesting to note that some of the sights high on our agenda, whilst good, did not live up to our expectations. Whether this was through hype or my own imagination I am not sure. Take the Colosseum for example; nothing quite prepares you for the sheer size of the site…nor the queues of tourists waiting to get inside. We took stacks of pictures of its exterior whilst queuing for tickets as it took around two hours to finally gain admission. I was expecting to be able to get to some of upper tiers of seats but access was restricted to the middle terraces. I was also disappointed that the lower levels which once housed wild animals and gladiators were out of bounds. Don’t get me wrong, there were some good photographic opportunities but I feel they were hobbled by not having access to these areas.

Similar long queues to enter the Vatican Museums greeted us, but we had booked our tickets online so bypassed these. However, once inside, the volume of people in the narrow corridors meant that it was difficult to stop and admire many works of art. Everyone was forced on in a pedestrian tidal surge. Selfie sticks abounded causing much frustration to those of us who wanted to capture images of the ornate ceiling and walls. The Sistine Chapel is stunningly beautiful but so full of people it completely loses its atmosphere. Bear in mind that photography is also forbidden in here so if you do intend taking pictures, sneaky ways of doing so have to be devised.

There are around 7 kilometres of corridors and museums in the Vatican, but after about one kilometre we called it a day as the crowds made it an uncomfortable and a tedious experience. 

Armed with hindsight we would not have wasted time and money here – it could have been better spent visiting other sights. The time we saved not exploring the rest of the museums was well spent in a peaceful walk along the banks of the Tiber, which provided a bunch of great photo opportunities. If it is highly decorated churches that you wish to view or photograph, there are many spectacular examples to be found in the city that are quiet and cost no more than a discretionary contribution placed in the collection boxes. 

Similarly, unless there was any pressing reason to do so, I would not bother viewing the interior of the Colosseum – its size when viewed externally is nothing short of awesome and great views of it are available from Palatine Hill, once the site of ancient Roman Palaces, and now an evocative and peaceful area of ruins. Spectacular views aside, it is a great place to escape the city’s bustle for a few hours.

Pompeii was another site that did not quite live up to expectations. This place has been on my sightseeing list for the best part of 50 years, since I first read about it as a boy. The thought of a city overwhelmed and preserved by a volcanic eruption captured my imagination from a very early age. So, after a quick commute on the graffiti riddled Circumvesuviana train here we were, bemused by the narcissistic tendencies of the selfie stick brigade whilst queuing for tickets. Tour bus after tour bus arrived swamping us in a multi nation mass of people. 

Pompeii is a very large site – much larger than we had originally envisaged. I had estimated around three hours looking at the best parts, and then on to Vesuvius. How wrong I was…by mid-afternoon we were still wondering the ruins and had discovered that most of the larger parties did not get much further than the forum and one of the main streets - great news for us! So we headed to the far end of the city where it was much quieter, equally as interesting and great for photography. And it was at the far end of town that we found the more poignant exhibits - crumbling mausoleums outside the city walls and the casts of unlucky citizens who failed to escape Vesuvius’ wrath. The fact that peace prevailed here felt appropriate and allowed us to reflect on nature’s egregious power.

Reviewing the images back home, we were surprised to find that we had managed to capture many scenes with very few people intruding…indeed it would be easy to believe we had the site to ourselves on some. 

So why did it not live up to expectations? Crowds aside, many areas were cordoned off to the public, limiting exploration. There is also no a lot of information available at the many points of interest…you need to pick up a map and guide book (FOC) from the information point near the ticket booth (which the people in the ticket booth do not point out to you). So if you miss this and continue to the ruins, you may be in for a long walk back when you are finally made aware of the FOC guide book.

Strangely, the centre of the amphitheatre contains a large wooded pyramid, housing some of the carbonised remains of fruit, bread etc. that have been preserved by the 79AD eruption. The finds are very interesting, but why not house them in one of the many empty houses? Or maybe put them in the corridors that run around the amphitheatre (which were also closed to the public). The large pyramid really spoils the views and ambience of the amphitheatre and left us all questioning its existence.

Herculaneum, which we also visited, offers a far better experience. Not only are the buildings equally as impressive (more so in some cases due to the preserved charred wooden doors, lintels and window shutters), but it is far smaller and missed by the masses. And on the more macabre side, the remains of the poor people stranded in the harbour warehouses and subsequently asphyxiated during the eruption are very poignant…more so that the plaster casts of those found huddled against the walls of Pompeii. 

We will be producing a collection of images taken at both of these sites.

Vesuvius, we felt, also let us down a little. OK, so the summit was smothered in cloud when we visited, but 10 euros to walk along part of the crater rim? We have been to a few volcanoes and never had to pay an admission fee – even the spectacular and restless Etna was free. And to really spoil the atmosphere, three souvenir tat shops cling perilously to the rim. By all means have them in the car park but not up there…please.

I am sure that the views across the Bay of Naples are stunning on a clear day, but unless you (like us) like to ‘bag’ volcanic peaks, I would save the admission fee and time and put it towards a pizza and nice glass of red wine.

High points of our visit were cycling the Via Appia out of Rome, into the countryside. It is a beautiful area of ruined mausoleums, villas, catacombs and umbrella pines stretching for several miles. It makes for stunning photography as well as being a really good day out.

We walked more than 100 miles during our stay, but the most outstanding of them was those walked along Sentiero degli dei (Path of the Gods). It is a spectacular walk through the coastal mountains, providing excellent photo opportunities at almost every point. It assumes a reasonable level of fitness as the ascent/descent consists of many steps, depending on which route is taken. We started our walk from Praiano village and were greeted with around 1000 steps that eventually led to the picturesque San Domenico church containing 15th Century frescoes. From here the walk gets easier (but hot). We made our descent from the hamlet of Nocelle, into Positano, via a knee shattering 1700 steps. We will be adding a more detailed account to the ‘Photowalks’ section of PhotoArk shortly.

Capri also makes for spectacular sightseeing. Forgo the temptation of motorised transport from the port up to the town and take the steps; You will be rewarded with fine views and good photography at almost every turn (witness Ethan’s superb and highly amusing picture of the lizard in the Capri Collection). Similarly from Capri town to the higher village of Anacapri, we opted to walk to take advantage of the photography and views. If chairlifts are your thing, it is possible to take on the island’s highest point (Monte Solaro) from here…again stunning photography awaits. 

Combining the vibrancy of Rome with the sightseeing possible in the Bay of Naples gave us an endless source of photographic possibilities. Those sites that disappointed were balanced by those that did not. Those parts of our itinerary we had to drop will always be there for another day and a good excuse to return.