Italy

Settling into the B&B was easy. Such a great place situated within an old building, there were at least four different B&B plus private homes so a good mix. 10 cents to use the lift to the third floor was cheap with all the luggage but after that we walked up and down.

Wandering round Naples was both exciting and potentially dangerous (from the crazy traffic, not the mafia) but we soon got used to mopeds weaving round us and by a miracle not hitting us or anyone else!

People were charming and helpful even when language was a barrier, smiles and arm waving usually got us heading in the right direction.

During our four day stay we walked by the sea into the town, had a tasty fish supper by a castle and went to the Cathedral which was somewhat disappointing.
There was a group of soldiers standing outside complete with guns and a rifle? But this seems to be common at all Cathedrals and sadly a sign of our distrust of each other.

Amusingly there were two small quad bikes with three little boys ( around 8 years) using the road by and round the cathedral as a race track. They seemed to find it really funny racing past the soldiers who took no notice at all and somehow they didn’t get hit by any other traffic.

Naples is noisy, a slight under statement, crowded, busy and with so much to see we really only scratched the surface.

We got the underground train to Garibaldi station then a rickety old train to Pompeii, someone was on our side because the day was cooler and a little misty. We had a walk from the station to the company we had booked through for the mini bus to Vesuvius.

After a cup of tea ( very English) the mini bus arrived and off we went, a bit of a mad drive down the motorway and then a hair raising drive winding up the mountain. The views were unbelievable. About one and a half metres from the top the mini bus let us off and a very young man assures us it’s an easy steady walk. I would not like to hear him describe a difficult walk.

We set off at a steady pace and it wasn’t too bad although a few times I needed to stop for a breather. The fact that you are given roughly half an hour to walk up then about the same at the top and half an hour back down does add a little pressure.

Anyway we did it and took photos of the crater and views from the top. Malcolm walked to the other side but I stayed put and sat still before the walk down.

After a lunch of pizza, what else, back in Pompeii we entered the ruins of what was once a large city. It really was quite awe inspiring to think of the people who had lost their lives. It made me very aware of the precariousness of life.

It is by its nature a sad place, how much would they have known they lived on a volcano or even what that meant. Yet there is today a growing population all around the mountain. Just shows we humans are either great optimists or incredibly foolish.

It was an exhausting day and we were glad to get back and fall asleep.

The following day was more leisurely, wandering round the old town eating lunch of the Italian version of tapas and just taking in the sights and sounds of this passionate city.

Our final day saw us on a tour of the Bourbon Tunnel. An under ground tunnel dug out in 1853 for King Ferdinand 11.

I actually hate being under ground but gathered together my courage and was so glad that I did. What a fantastic experience.

It was originally used as a military route to connect the palace to the army barracks. But there are caves from the 16th century and it was used as bomb shelters during WW2.
After the war the police used it to house impounded cars and motorbikes. All still there rusting away.Read more