22nd - 23rd October
Volcano Solfatara
We headed out of Pompei and back onto the Autostrade, going beyond Naples, and lots more urban sprawl, to a campsite on the side of a volcanic crater. We arrived at the Volcano Solfatara campsite in the mid afternoon and were soon frolicking about on the crater itself, having parked about twenty metres away from it. It is an extinct volcano, I should add, but it has a very interesting history and is part of an area known as the Phlegran fields. According to the site information, Volcano Solfatara was the mythical entrance to Hell for the Ancient Romans. The Devil apparently lived under the Bocca Grande
which is the largest fumerole in the crater and from this jets of sulphur vapour gushes forth at around 160 degrees centigrade. The rocks around the jets are all reddish-yellow from sulphur deposits. In the middle of the crater there is also a pool of bubbling mud which was used as a treatment for rheumatism, the sulphurous vapours were believed to be beneficial for respiratory illnesses and there was also a spa here in the 1800 for the natural mineral water. It was good fun to walk among the fumeroles and see the mud bubbling away. The Bocca Grande was quite impressive with steam constantly shooting out in no small quantity.The next morning we got up early to have another walk around the crater before heading off again. This time we were heading to Rome to meet up with Steve, Donna and Mike who had jetted out for a few days to see us. We were able to get into a campsite pretty easily and were soon heading into town on the tram system using our newly purchased travel cards which allowed us free use of the whole public transport system for a week, including the metro. This meant our stay was stress-free and we were able to scoot into town at will knowing the van was being safely looked after on the outskirts of the city.
23rd - 30th October
Rome
We spent the first night trying to find the hotel that Rachel's folks were staying in - which took a bit of finding - but soon Nailz was jumping around like a madman as he recognised them with his tail just a blur. We too were very relieved and excited and we had a really good time catching up with them.The following two days were jam packed seeing some of the sight of Rome, and although the Rachel's family had to fly back on the 26th, Rachel and I spent a further two days soaking up the city. You really could spend a lifetime wandering round and gazing at all that is on offer in the city, and that's without going to the museums and the seemingly millions of churches. Round ever corner there is something else to catch your eye, so I can only include some of the highlights here.
I'll start with the smallest country in the world and of course the home of the Catholic Church, Vatican City. The layout of St Peter's Square, or Piazza San Pietro, is a bit like a keyhole and is said to represent the arms of the Catholic Church being wrapped around the faithful who gather in front of St Peter's for mass. This was going on as we arrived as it was Sunday and we were able to see the Pope appear from his apartment window, which was quite far away. In fact it was hard to tell if it was the pope even using the electronic zoom on the camera. 
Rachel and I later went into St Peter's Basilica itself and I found the proportions of the place just staggering. Not only was it huge inside, but the design of the building was very powerful with huge, strong pillars in perfect proportions. The massive Papal altar was also quite intimidating.We also went to see the Vatican Museums and I could have spent another week in that alone. Room after room of
incredibly detailed sculptures, walls of maps, ancient artefacts (including mummified remains) from ancient Egypt as well as possibly the two highlights of the whole of Rome for me, which were the Sistine Chapel and the Rafael Rooms. I'd seen pictures of the works in both of these but to see them, the scale, the detail and the colour in person was incredible. I just don't have the skill with words to do them justice. I could have sat and watched them all day for a year.Most impressive of the ancient monuments, for me, was the Pantheon, or "Temple of All Gods". From the outside it does
not look hugely impressive, but once you step inside it's very, very cool. The dome, which is not obvious from the outside, that is the largest masonry vault ever built and it was constructed by pouring a mix of concrete and pumice over a wooden support structure. In the centre of 
the enormous dome there is an Oculus which lets in light and rain and also distributes the structural forces created by such a massive amount of concrete. It was a really impressive room to stand in, and again the pictures don't do it justice.On top of the sights we also spent a good deal of time eating out in the Trattorias of Rome and that too, unsurprisingly for me, was another highlight. Also it was really great to see Steve, Donna and Mike again and share Rome with them (cheers very, very much for flying out). Although I didn't throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, I would definitely come back.
30th October
Assisi
Leaving Rome we headed north on the Via Flaminia, towards the mountain town of Assisi in the Umbria region of Italy and arrived late in the afternoon after a long drive. We were high up on the side of a hill with tremendous views of the valley below and the mountains opposite so we stopped for the night and enjoyed a stroll round the area.The next day we stopped at a campsite very close to Assisi as it worked out better value to do that than park for the day. After walking the short 1km into town we spent the day having a wonderful stroll around the town where St Francis (and St Clare) was born. We had a look in the wonderful Basilica di San Francesco with it's colourfully frescoed interior. The town itself was incredibly pretty and featured some amazing views of the surrounding countryside.
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