Flying from Birmingham to Rome

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Monarch Airlines is a budget option and it did show in the age of the interiors but it left on time, the flight was short so one can’t complain.

At Rome airport we caught the Leonardo Da Vinci train for 14 Euros each to Roma Termini (Rome Central terminal) This is a regular option and much cheaper than a taxi and avoids the terror of travelling in Rome’s chaotic traffic.

By the way 2 small Panini (rolls) with salami and two cappuccinos cost 17.50 Euro Outrageous since we saw Panini in stores for less than 1 Euro ! Bring your own lunch to Roma Termini.

I’d reserved First Class seats on the train to Salerno. (TrenItalia has an easy website to use for doing this) This gave us a guarantee of space for large suitcases and booking ahead we got a good discount for the 2 hour trip. The seats were comfortable, like in a plane, we were served free drinks on our private table and the WiFi is also free.

Each of us dragging a large and small suitcase over cobbled pavements and streets through Salerno was a loud experience and at 2pm all the locals are on a siesta The roads are really just a jumble of small alleyways created maybe 200 years ago – or more. So getting lost was inevitable but eventually we found Il Vicola delle Neve B&B.



Climbing up to the 4^th floor on steep steps was akin to Mt Everest ! But at the top our room had a charming balcony with dining setting which overlooking the small plaza below. Soon the streets burst into life as the Italians went about day to day life. This was exactly what I had wanted to experience. And I looked forward to our next 4 days

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