Episode III - It's getting hot here!!

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Well, since the last episode we have travelled from Rome to the Amalfi Coast and now we are in Florence. Before we got to Amalfi, we stopped off at Mt Vesuvio (the volcano). The walk to the top from the car park is quite a long way, but well worth the effort. This is some hole in the ground and you can see small pockets of sulphur gases escaping. It was raining when we started our walk and hot when we finished. The carpark is designed to cope with 5 tourist coaches and when we were trying to leave there were 20 of them trying to get in and having to push, pull, squeeze and blow horns in an effort to fix the problem.
When we arrived in Amalfi after the most unbelievable drive along the coast (scary is the word) we were thrilled with the accomodation at Punta Cuvita and the hospitality of Roberto and his family. The photo attached will give you an idea of the view from our apartments balcony. We had a day to spare after Amalfi and we immediately decided to stay there another day because it was just fantastic after the hustle of the big cities.
We went to Naples on one day and couldn't wait to get out. Compared to all the cities we have visited on this trip Naples is the worst and only one we haven't liked. It is a dirty smelly place covered in Graffiti and being a 30+ day didn't help. If Mt Vesuvio were to erupt and clear this place up it would do a lot of people a favour. We took a train from Naples to Sorrento and a bus from Sorrento to Amalfi. This bus ride cost 2.40 euro (about $AUD3.80) and was more exciting than any ride we went on at Disneyland. There were people on the bus who were ready to throw up due to the windy roads, built for one car and a scooter, trying to cope with a bus and a car on the edge of a cliff. Some corners required a 3 point turn. The business to be in in Italy is side mirror replacement on cars. We thought that the car we have was average size, but we have been assured it is large by Italian standards and now we understand why.
We took a cruise to the Isle of Capri and went past the island formerly owned by Rudolph Nereyev, and a villa owned by Sophia Loren as well as locations used by the rich and famous for their summer retreats.
We are now in Florence and have visited the Punta Vechio (the Golden bridge) and the statue of David (please note his hands are out of proportion to the rest of him but then again Michelangelo was only 29 when he sculpted it.) We have seen his tomb and it really does not do him justice. We wanted to see Galileo's tomb but it is under restoration and covered.
We keep seeing the hawkers on all the street corners with their watches, handbags, sunnies, etc and their lookouts watching for the police. They move their gear so quickly it's like a game of cat and mouse.
Tomorrow we leave for Pisa and then on to Nice via Monaco.
Thanks to the people who have sent us emails it's great to hear from you all back home.
Vanessa - Well done to Mel! and Tell Rachel to get a move on.
See you all next time.
Annemarie and Martin
PS Elizabeth give Mickey a hug from Tania and us!

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Photos

Mt Vesuvio
Heap big hole in ground

Entry to Vatican City
Note: no one legged people permitted to enter!!

Amalfi Apartment
The view from our balcony.

Isle of Capri
This part of the world is famous for it's lemons - you can see why!

Local traffic
Now I know why so many Formula one drivers come from Italy