A chilled final day in Napoli (although we still ended up walking over twenty thousand steps!) began with a metro ride after breakfast from the magnificent Toledo station …
to Mergellina, the seaside suburb of Napoli to its west, on line 6, which is served by the dinkiest underground trains I’ve ever seen – only two carriages long!
As we walked from the station to the sea front we first encountered this colourful graffiti (I must admit, I do like a bit of Italian typography – and that’s a phrase I never imagined myself typing!)
I have since learned that the Vecchi Lions are an “Ultras” group of supporters who follow (of course!) Napoli.
And then we stumbled across a lovely plant shop displaying its wares on the streets – lovely to see my favourites, geraniums and lobelia, in full flower, along with a wall of petunias and other annuals that we won’t be seeing flowering in England for another month or more.
To be fair, the seafront – the beach and the sea – are not the prettiest I’ve ever seen, but it was a pleasant amble, and I did enjoy the Napoli themed beach huts – the football team is the city, and the city is the football team!
We walked back towards the city centre with Vesuvius looking down upon us from a distance. Since landing in Capri a few days ago, it has been a permanent fixture on the skyline wherever we have gone; I don’t think I would ever tire of looking at its magnificence.
And for our “last supper” on this Italian viaggio, it had to be pizza!
Today we took a 50 minute ferry ride to the island of Ischia.
Napoli looked good, bathed in sunlight as we sailed past.
Ischia itself is a pretty island, positioning itself to be like Capri, but not as expensive. It had a very chilled vibe – an amazing contrast to the hustle, bustle and noise we had left behind in nearby Napoli – and it certainly was more affordable than its more famous, luxurious cousin, but whilst pretty, it didn’t have the same stunning beauty of Capri.
Nevertheless, we had a happy day on the island.
About 3km from the port is a castle on a hill at the end of a causeway, so we ambled our way towards it, stopping to take in the views, do a little window shopping, and drink the inevitable coffees (and, to my delight, I got a high-five from the cafe owner when paying, in recognition of my attempt – which must have been understandable – to talk to him in Italiano)
“Lift kaput” said the lady as we paid our 15 euros (each) to enter the castle, so it was more upward stairs as we climbed to the top to take in the views back over the island.
On leaving the castle, we found a bakery, bought some lunch and found a quiet spot to sit and eat in the sun.
Of course, I couldn’t resist the water and before long I was “enjoying” my first swim of the year, even if the water was molto, molto freddo!
On our return to the mainland, we decided to find the “big” mural of Maradona and the shrine beneath him. It is amazing how one man can be so deified.
However, as someone who still remembers la mano de Dios, I was not worshipping!
This morning we moved from Sorrento to Napoli, via the circumvesuviana train – think 1980’s London tube rolling stock, a 1 hr 15 minute multi-stop journey to the centre of a Napoli, and a step into a whole new world. Napoli is big, bustling, chaotic and fun. It is the most densely populated city in Europe, it is tourist friendly yet maintains its authenticity. Oh, and it can be breathtakingly beautiful as well as grubby and grimy all at the same time.
Lunch was some street food of Pizza frita (nice) and a “croquette” (very, very nice) and after a drink to wash that down we headed up above the city using the funicular to take us from Piazzetta Montesanto to the Vomero hilltop district, were we took in some stupendous views of the city beneath us and Vesuvius in the distance
before walking our way back down through the Spanish district
After the eye-watering expense of Capri, Naples is much more affordable and we treated ourselves to this delicious punnet of strawberries for 1.50 euros
Images of Maradona abound, he really does have god-like status in this city. Here are some of my favourites
Another figure who appears (almost) as often as Maradona is the masked clown like character Pulcinella, who was created in the 1500’s. Traditionally a servant figure, he is considered the voice of the people and an immortal spirit of Naples. I did like this image of him socking it to Ronald McDonald which, I think, embodies the spirit of the city.
Sorrento was not what I thought it would be – I had expected another tourist town, pretty, but a little artificial, with prices to match, but I was pleasantly surprised by Sorrento. It was bigger than I had anticipated and seemed to manage to combine (and absorb) its influx of tourists with locals going about their genuine business, which was not entirely tourist centric.
After a good (and well priced) breakfast of coffee and cakes in a cafe near the train station – populated with locals, always a good sign – we decided to walk down to the Marina Picolo
have an amble around, before taking the elevator back up to the main town. Alas, our plans were scuppered – the elevator was out of action and so were left to once again climb a load of steps and walk uphill, although somehow this did not seem too much of a chore, despite a reasonable ascent. (I suspect every climb will seem small after our mammoth scaling of Ana Capri!)
Back “up top” we wandered the streets, had some lunch and found ourselves back at the sunset spot well before sunset, and just chilled, taking in the view – my eye seems inextricably drawn to Vesuvius whenever it can be seen.
Earlier in the day, Becky had received a recommendation from an Insta friend that we should maybe try the Ristorante ‘o Parrucchiano La Favorita, so we did, and we weren’t disappointed.
Somewhat unassuming from the front, it had the most wonderful lemon grove gardens at the rear. The restaurant itself was pretty, the waiters fun and attentive, and the food good
and after our meal we walked in the fragrant garden, dripping with lemons and planted with colour, best described by Becky as “magical.”
Up, not quite with the larks, but promptly so that we could make the most of our second, and final, day on Capri. First stop, a baggage drop shop on the harbour front to deposit our two rucksacks (4 euros each for the day) and then straight to the funicular – with no queues – for a short whizz up to Capri.
Capri, as an island, is beautiful, but you pay the price in your pocket. We hunted around in Capri town and eventually found a cafe for breakfast were a coffee was a mere 5 euros!
We then just wandered the narrow streets, marvelling at both the beautiful view but also the super thin electric porter trucks.
We ambled on westwards, out of the town, following a path/road and soaking in scenic view after scenic view, only deciding to sop and retrace our steps when the path took a significant downward turn – after our ascents of yesterday, we had no stomach for any more hill climbs, and if you go down, you must, at some point, come back up.
We found a cafe with palatable prices and a stunning view
Rested and refreshed, we continued back into Capri town, were we stumbled upon the Giardini Augusto
and for 2.50 euros each we were treated to wonderful planting (its early April here, the temperature and flowers make it feel like late May back in the UK)
and some stunning views of the Capri coastline.
On an island where money rules, you think of a price, double it and then double it again, these gardens were an absolute bargain. Not big or expansive, but for a little loose change the views were spectacular – not as good as from the top of the cable car, but in the same league.
We then headed back down to the Marina Grande, sat on the beach and soaked up a mixture of sun and shade (plus the odd paddle) for a couple of hours
before catching the ferry for the 30 minute hop to Sorrento.
I loved Capri – despite the obvious price gouging – it was beautiful and you could step far enough away from the crowds to gain a little serenity too. If you are reading this because you are thinking of going to Capri I would suggest you go, and if you do go, you must, must, must go up the cable car/chair lift at Ana Capri, and I would highly recommend the Giardini Augusto. Other than that, just wander and enjoy.
^^^ Our new “home” in Sorrento for the next two nights.
I’m not a religious or very spiritual man, perhaps the one thing I believe in was Belinda Carlise when she sang “True heaven is a place on earth” and today was one of those days that confirmed that belief.
We were up early to catch the 8.30 ferry from Salerno to Capri and some two hours later, having taken in Minori, Amalfi and Positano, Capri hoved into view.
The one “bucket list” item that I wanted to do on this trip was to take the famed chair lift, so having dropped our bags in our new apartment, we headed back into the harbour with the intention of heading to AnaCapri and the chairlift.
Like most places on our trip so far, the harbour was super busy with fellow tourists all trying to head inland and so a combination of long queues for the busses, some mis-remembered memories from 10 years ago, and a cavalier attitude and lack of research prior to travelling saw us decide to walk up to Ana Capri. Even though when we neared the top we were treated to some stunning views, and (again as we levelled out at the top) I gained some perverse satisfaction from the climb, it was a mistake to walk the in excess of 900 steps, rising over 1,000 feet from our sea level start.
But exhausted, hot and sweaty we did make to the top (for now!), had a drink to recoup, wandered around the small town, and then had some lunch before heading to the cable car station for the ride to the real summit. The queue was not long, the cost was 15 euros each for a return, and the journey time about 10 minutes each way. The journey was serene and scenic – in no way frightening or adrenaline inducing – but as we neared the top cloud begin to swirl in and, as we stepped off the chairlift the promised wonderful view was obscured by the cloud we were in.
Disappointed, we circled the summit; on one side the sky was clear, affording views across to Vesuvius and Napoli, but the other side remained cloaked in grey obscurity.
With no return ferry to catch, or other commitment calling us, we waited, and began to see the odd glimpse of the sea below as the cloud, temporarily, thinned. And we waited some more, and then a little longer, and eventually our patience was rewarded as the cloud shifted, revealing the island in its true beauty.
It was stunningly beautiful, with panoramic views back towards the Amalfi coast and Salerno, cloud skitting across the hills behind Sorrento, Naploli stretching out across the water to the north and Vesuvius rising majestically into the sky, ringed by a layer of cloud lower down, but it’s crown dominating the vista. It was beautiful, and Belinda is right: true heaven is a place on earth and I was in it.
Eventually we tore ourselves away, took the chair lift down and then a very crowded small bus back to the Marina Grande were I treated my aching feet to a refreshing paddle in crystal clear waters.
The only downside to the day was the prices on the harbour front. Deciding we deserved some refreshment, we sat at a cafe and ordered a couple of beers – one small, on medium, Birra Moretti – a nice beer, but nothing fancy – and were shocked that the bill came to 20.50 euros! After finding the cheapest place to buy a couple of pizzas (plastic cutlery and paper plates!) we had a stroll back along the beachfront in the dusky light. With most ferries having left, taking with them there passengers, a calm descended over the harbour front and we marvelled again at the magnificent views.
Having spent our first few days of the trip exploring the Amalfi coast, we decided to have a bit of an interlude and head south to the seaside town of Agropoli, the start of the Cilentan coast and a town, we were told, frequent by the Italian tourist, but not many foreign tourists. A cheap 40 minute journey by train, we looked forward to a pleasant trip south, making the mental note to get a seat on the right hand side of the train to secure the best views of the coast. What we hadn’t reckoned on was it being Easter Monday, a bank holiday in Italy like the UK and, just like in the UK, on a warm, pleasant bank holiday everyone wants to head to the coast. The train was rammed – standing room only on the delayed (by 10 minutes) service from Napoli Centrali.
On arrival, we found a pleasant town that mixed the old and the new and we probably were the only inglese in town. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the coffee was strong.
We ambled along, looked down at the shimmering sea and spotted the most Italian bench …
We bought a big slice of traditional Easter pie, and a smaller slice of traditional Easter cake and took ourselves to the town beach to eat and chill. The food was probably better than the beach – a little crowded, the sand a grey/brownish colour, not the best, but not the worst place to sit and eat your lunch either,
before taking an early passeggiata along the promenade, which was decorated with flowers. One of the (many) pleasures of travelling to Italy at this time of year as it provides a short cut to summer. It’s like May in the UK, vibrant with flowers and fresh green on the trees and shrubs.
After our stroll along the sea front, we headed back to the station to catch a much less busy (but still delayed by 15 minutes) train back to Salerno.
We rose to blue skies and peeling bells – it being Easter Sunday – and in following the bells to find where they were coming from, we stumbled upon a zone of street art a stone’s throw from where we were staying. We then went hunting for breakfast, many places were shut with it being Easter Sunday, but we discovered a lovely cafe where barely a word of English was spoken and we feasted on coffee, croissant and a local Pasqua (Easter) cake.
Then it was onto the Amalfi bus, but only for a short ride today to the neighbouring town of Vietri sul mare. It was a very arty (but not pretentious) town and first stop for us was a “garden” with colourful ceramics snaking their way throughout.
The town itself was pretty, and busy with Italians emerging from Easter morning services. It was lovely to wander the streets, take in the sights, listen to the lingo and stop for the occasional coffee.
We then stocked up on local pizza and sandwiches before heading down to the beach where we spent a chilled few hours, eating said lunch, paddling, reading, soaking up the sun (the bottom of my legs may have got a little sunburnt!) and just having the best of times.
Amazingly, the hike back up the hill into town didn’t seem as long as the way down and after the first gelato of the holiday, we hopped back on the bus back to Salerno. Later that evening, we went out to eat in Trattoria aRoma – the food was fine, but it deserves a mention for the comedy/drama we were treated to as the hapless waiting staff struggled to match dish with table. Our food came out (about) the right time, and the right dishes, but not all dinners were so lucky. An amusing and entertaining end to a fantastic day.
After a couple of days of grey skies and brisk wind, we woke today to sunshine and blue sky, and everything looks better against a backdrop of blue. We’d got up early to catch the 0840 am ferry to Amalfi – a 35 minute journey
Straight off the boat and into a cafe for coffee and cakes for breakfast in the ever warming sun – delicious – before heading into the town to see the basilica and amble up the pretty, narrow street, taking in the ambience of the the town.
We then wondered along the road to the neighbouring town of Artrani, and this was a real gem. Chilled, beautiful, and largely devoid of tourists, we had a good explore,
and discovered that Escher had lived here in his twenties, and you could see how the town, and the staircases in particular, had inspired his work.
We then sat basking in the sunshine, looking out to sea. I could resist its pull no longer, hitched up my trousers and headed for a paddle. The sea was cold, but oh so refreshing on my poor feet.
We walked the 10 minutes back to Amalfi to get some fried vegatables for lunch (delicious)
but by now Amalfi had become a seething throng of humanity – overcrowded and any charm hidden beneath the swarms of tourists (of which, I admit, we were part) so we decided to escape, first by getting a bus up to Ravello, but the longer we waited for the bus, the more people joined us in the queue and it became obvious we would be swapping one over crowded tourist trap for another, so we cut our losses and headed back to Salerno and joined the townsfolk sat at the beach, enjoying relative calm, each others company and a couple of beers.
That evening we headed back out to eat, town was much busier, it being Saturday night – and Easter Saturday at that – we settled on an Osteria in the old town, the food was delicious, this starter of cheese and bacon wrapped in cabbage leaves being a particular treat.
We woke to more grey skies and wet cobbled streets – it had been raining heavily but had stopped by the time we ventured out from our abode. After breakfast we ambled through the streets of Salerno and I was beginning to warm to it (although the weather was still refusing to warm me!) but we had already determined to head out of time and begin to explore the Amalfi coast. This had always been the plan, Salerno was meant as a base to explore from, and we fought our way onto a very full bus heading for Amalfi, although we would be getting off just short of this town, in Minori.
The journey (about an hour) was picturesque and exciting as the driver skilfully negotiated the switchbacks and hairpin bends, I definitely wouldn’t want to be driving this road myself!
Although taking about 50 minutes, it never felt a chore, the journey itself was an adventure, before stepping off the excitement of the bus into the calm of the pretty seaside town of Minori.
We began to explore the town, sucking in the sea air, before rounding a corner to see some sort of procession gathering at the top of the hill.
It was a treat and a privilege to watch and listen to the Good Friday procession as hooded men and children escorted the cross through the town and to the Basilica where, after 40 minutes of processing and singing, they entered for a service, leaving us to continue to explore the town.
Having lunched well on pizza slices and other treats bought from a delicatessen and eaten on a bench looking out to see, we decided to walk back along the road for ten minutes or so to the neighbouring town of Maiori.
We ambled along the seafront, stopping to examine a range of sculptures
I particularly liked the pink spaceman, with a face of flowers …
Before sitting and chilling in a cafe, watching the world go by,and feeling the weather beginning to warm up.
We wandered some more, taking in the essence of Italy (for me, well dressed men and battered old vehicles)
… before getting the bus back to Salerno, now bathed in sunlight, and beginning to capture my heart.
