A Long Journey – part 3

Our public transport issues certainly went downhill after we arrived at Naples (Napoli Centrale). Getting off our lovely train we went to find the notorious Circumvesuviana Train which runs from Naples to Sorrento. Notorious because it has massive issues with pickpockets – there are signs everywhere and constant announcements to take care!!! The train took a bit of finding (out on the station via a corridor to the left end, out of the door, hard right, down a “mechanical staircase” (escalator – but that’s how the helpful lady at the tourist office described it). We were encouraged to take a car instead by several men outside the station but we pressed on, bought our tickets (3,90 euro each) and joined the throng of travellers on that station. The trains were the most clapped out, graffiti covered, noisy rattly things I have seen in a long time – when one finally arrived everyone packed on board and I was lucky to snag a seat where I could hunker down and keep a firm grip on my luggage (because of course we were hauling our big backpacks too!). The trip to Sorrento takes between 1 and 1 ½ hours – we were lucky – we were on the “fast” train. Naples really is a horrible looking place – we spent at least 40 minutes traveling through some really rundown suburbs, some of which looked almost like a refugee camp! A group of gypsys got on the train, the children (gaunt and sad looking) played music and begged while a couple of older men cased the train looking to see what they could pickpocket or otherwise hustle. Finally, having circled around the Bay of Naples and climbed up into the hills, we entered a long long tunnel.. emerging from the other side it was almost like a whole new world. ……Read more