A day along the Amalfi Coast

/ Greg / 1 Comment

One day isn’t really enough time to experience all the Amalfi Coast has to offer.  In the spirit of “one day is better than no days” my wife and I got aboard a very early morning bus leaving Sorrento for the ninety minute ride to Amalfi.  It was great to leave the driving to someone else on the narrow and twisted roads, allowing us to just stare out the windows at the pristine beaches, cliffside towns and jagged rocky hills falling down to the sea.

The drive went by in a flash, and we climbed out of the bus on the waterfront in Amalfi.   Of the towns along the Amalfi Coast, Amalfi is considered the least picturesque, which is a little unfair.  I mean, this isn’t exactly the kind of place that hurts your eyes…

Amalfi

Continue reading →

Touring Capri

/ Greg / 1 Comment

After a spectacular cruise around the Isle of Capri, we had the rest of the day to explore the island on foot.  We took a bus from Marina Grande up to the town of Anacapri, about a ten minute ride away along cliff-hugging winding roads.   The bus let us off in a public square beside Mount Solaro where we made our way over to the chair lift station and headed up the mountain.   The ride up the side of Mount Solaro was a peaceful fifteen minute trip.  The air was perfectly still and quiet and there were numerous interesting gardens and houses beneath you…

Chairlift up Mount Solaro

… and the sweeping vista of where the western end of the Isle of Capri met the Tyrrhenian Sea off to your right:

Western end of the Isle of Capril and the Tyrrhenian Sea

Continue reading →

A cruise around Capri

/ Greg / 3 Comments

Of all of the places we were to visit on our fall trip to Italy, the Isle of Capri was the one I was most excited to see.   We planned this as a day trip from our base in Sorrento and booked ferry tickets for an early morning trip over and the last boat back.   We got our full day on the island started with a cruise around Capri, leaving from Marina Grande.   This main arrival/departure point for the island was beautifully bathed in the muted light of an early morning just before the sun came up over the island’s rocky cliffs:

Arriving in Capri, Marina Grande

Continue reading →

On top of Mount Vesuvius

/ Greg / 1 Comment

Shortly after wrapping up our visit at the ruins of Pompeii, we hopped in a military-style vehicle for an incredibly bumpy ride up the side of Mount Vesuvius.  Bumpy really doesn’t describe the trip… concussion-inducing might be a better descriptor.   I’d complain a bit more, but sitting in front of us was a woman from the UK and her dog as well as a two year old.  We expected the dog to get carsick, but he was a real trooper and the two year old slept through the entire ride, so no complaining from me.  On the left below was our transportation.  On the right, the incredible dog who beat everyone to the top of the mountain once we got out of the vehicle:

Once freed from our spartan chariot, we started our climb the rest of the way up Mount Vesuvius toward its peak.  It is a fairly leisurely walk to the summit, throughout which you’re afforded million dollar views out over the Bay of Naples and the towns that line the water.   As we neared the top we stopped for a few minutes to look out over the water toward Sorrento and Capri:

Looking out over the Bay of Naples

Continue reading →

The ruins at Pompeii

/ Greg / 2 Comments

Traveling in the fall has many perks, among which is the ability to see some incredible sights without the crowds.  Fresh from a great first night’s sleep in Sorrento, we took an early thirty minute Circumvesuviana train ride to Pompeii arriving there just as the ruins opened for the day.   With literally no one else around we stood looking out across the forum with Mount Vesuvius looming about 8km away in the background.  Standing here, it was hard not to imagine the power of the eruption of the volcano that buried Pompeii.

Foro. Forum at Pompeii

Continue reading →

24 hours in Naples: San Martino

/ Greg / Leave a comment

There was one last “must do” on our Naples list – a perfect outing on our only morning in the city.  A short walk from our B&B, we took a funicular up San Martino hill to explore a neighbourhood that feels a lot different than the historical centre.   It’s a neighbourhood a lot less congested and much less hectic than down in the centre of Naples.   This big draw for us to scale San Martino was its view over the city.  How’s this for a way to start your morning?

Looking out to Mount Vesuvius

Not only a spectacular view of the city, but that is Mount Vesuvius over on the right.  Even the morning haze on another scorcher of a day couldn’t diminish the experience of standing here looking out over the city.

Continue reading →

24 hours in Naples: Wandering the streets

/ Greg / 1 Comment

Let me be perfectly honest.  I had low expectations for Naples.   Plenty of people I spoke to with extensive travel experience didn’t speak highly of the place, warned me about rampant pickpocketing and described the city as a congested and dirty place not worthy of more than a passing visit (if a stop at all).  I should know better than to listen to others, but these were people who’ve seen a lot more of the world than I have.   Because of the archaeological museum (and the pizza!), we were always going to stop here, but our time in the city was much more enjoyable than I expected.  Truth be told, I really, really liked Naples.

With only twenty four hours, a good part of our visit was spent wandering the historic centre of the city.   If we weren’t in the museum or I wasn’t eating pizza, we were doing some urban exploring.  Here are some of the sights we took in on a long day in Naples.

Between our centrally located hotel (Monteoliveto B&B, can’t recommend it enough!) and the archaeological museum, we first walked past Piazza Dante and Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II.  This public square usually had a group of kids playing soccer each time we walked past:

Piazza Dante and Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II

Continue reading →