Blogs from Campania, Italy, Europe - page 108

After a two hour train trip from Rome, we were pleasantly surprised to find a hotel with Air conditioning AND a bathroom. Now don't get me wrong the heat of Rome was the perfect excuse for the gelato and all but the fact that we had air conditioning just made my day. Anyway guess I forgot to mention that we have taken up the European custom of a siesta in the afternoon? Well, this is the best ever with AC. Back to Naples, it was quite a treat after the hustle of Rome to find Naples practically asleep. Since we made it in on a Sunday, we were able to just walk and enjoy the sights. We got some great shots of Mt. Vesuvius and the Castel Nuovo. Needing to get a late lunch we stopped ... read more

Getting up at 6am isn't fun. To find that the bus which leaves at "7am sharp" is goign to be late is even less fun. This was a god send for a couple of guys though. They had one hell of a night partying, and a few looked like they had a night worth missing the bus for.... Luck was on our side, and traffic along the very narrow Amalfi Coast wasn't bad. When they built this road, they were obviously not thinking of the massive tour-buses that would exist a century or so later. I understand now why Busabout uses local drivers instead of their own - you'd have to be crazy AND fearless to drive a bus through a couple of the turns. Anyone with a fear of heights? Don't sit near a ... read more

I'm really glad I made the snap decision to take an excursion south. The tour is basing out of a campsite in Sorrento (Camping Santa Fortuna). Wisened by my experience in Venice, I opted for the best accomodation option available. The result was a dorm-style cabin with 4 beds in my room, a kitchen, private bathroom and fridge. It overlooks the swimming pool, and is overall quite nice for a campsite. Finally, I checked: there is hot water! The only downside will be mosquitoes, but those are inevitable anyways. I actually consider the place quite a steal (especially at 16 euro a night). We visited Pompeii on the way over. It was interesting, and impressive how well some of the city has been preserved. I was especially impressed to see the quality of Roman roads in ... read more

Capri is truly a romantic island just a short cruise from the Sorrento peninsula. Once again, the pictures below tell the story better than anything. This was the most crowded port we visited and we were told it was actually pretty early in the season and not bad at all. The scenery and the tour up the mountains in a convertible taxi and then the chairlift were really pretty spectacular. The shopping was crowded and we only had the patience to buy a couple of things, a linen shirt for me and some perfume from the perfumery where Liz Taylor used to buy her perfume before she had her own line (per Suzy Gershman, of course). Enjoy the pictures.... read more

Hi Everyone, Hope all is well! Today we sailed into Naples, Italy. We arrived at 7:00a. and we had a private van with a driver and a guide. First stop was Pompeii and here is a brief description from Mom: An ancient Roman town that was buried along with it's 2,000 residents in 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and buried the town in ash and pumice and lava. Our guide explained all of this to me today as we walked through the town. I loved hearing about the history and I saw what I called "the zombies" which are acually preserved casts of actual victims of the eruption. It made me very sad to see them because you can see how frightened they were by looking at the expressions on their faces. They all looked ... read more