Finally word from James:

James called this morning around 9:30AM our time and said they were on a 3 hour bus to Brindisi.
He said Pompeii was amazing and one of his favorite sites so far as it wasn't as tour-led and so you were free to roam a bit. That's one of the same reason's he liked Florence, was the "free-time".
In Florence he went down a side street and bought a fedora hat for a $1 and thought that was fun find, as there were expensive Gucci bags & such everywhere else.
He also loved going to Capri(!), "it was awesome", and their hotel in Sorrento was much better.
He says the food is pretty much pizza and spaghetti everywhere. Also said the kids in the other group are nice and a lot of fun.
It was great to hear his voice. He's having a great time! Sarah