We debated whether or not to even come to Naples. We definitely wanted to visit Pompeii, but perhaps that was better handled as a sidetrip from Rome? In the end, we spent five days in and around Naples, and we're ever so glad we did. The city is grittier than our other stops, which sometimes seem almost to exist mainly for the benefit of tourists. There are plenty of sights to see in Naples, but it feels lived-in. It's a city that built right on top of ancient Roman structures, integrating them into the walls and foundations of buildings even

Just a regular port town in ancient times, but a wonder for the modern world, Pompeii is immediately captivating, and especially photogenic on a crisp, clear day. The Theatre We spent the first couple of hours in a guided tour given by an archeologist, which gave good sense of the history of the town and excavations. It also ensured that Susan and the boys didn't have to suffer through my pontificating attempts to dredge up facts from 25 (!!) years ago when I was here for a Latin class trip (benefits of a classical education, etc., etc.) Temple of Isis It turns out

In Rome, there is an ancient ruin or a renaissance monument around every corner. In only four days, we were barely going to see even a fraction of what the city has to offer. But, blessed by glorious weather, over the course of four days and 45 km on foot (yes, the kids too), we were able to hit most of the major sites, along with a whole host of other delightful spots. Ponte Palatino, spanning the River Tiber Piazza di S. Egidio Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere Scenes from Trastevere, where we rested our heads each night. The Fiumi Fountain in the

Waking up to being yet another year older, it might as well be on a(nother) glorious sunny day in Rome. It was the boys' suggestion that we go to the top of the "wedding cake" monument to Italian unification to get what we'd be assured was the best view of the city. And so up we went, aggressive pricing be damned! The views were certainly excellent, if somewhat hard to capture on photograph given the extremely bright sunshine. The view of Rome to the north of the monument, including St Peter's Dome to the left Then it was down to loop

After some debate, we decided to focus our visit to Vatican City on St. Peter's Basilica, and skip the Vatican Museum. It's not possible to go see the Sistine Chapel without trekking through several kilometres of art museum that would not hold much interest for small boys, and Sam and I had been on a previous trip. Meanwhile, they do love to climb to a high point, so a visit St. Peter's and a visit to the top of its dome seemed a safer bet. We woke up at the crack of dawn in an attempt to avoid the crowds.