After breakfast of Chocolate Croissants we have a tour of Naples. It is a very busy city, with numerous motor bikes and scooters. We head off down narrow lane ways, dodging bikes. Naples is a city of 4.2 million people. Our first stop is a cloistered monastery which now does work for the poor and runs a nursery. Then on to underground ruins which have only recently been excavated over the last 10 years. It was explained that the current city has been built around and in parts includes the old one. Archaeologists are just discovering the extent of the old city. We walk through the markets and a street where everyone buys there Christmas decorations. Ann buys an angel to sit on the top of our tree. We visit another Basilica that looks very ordinary on the outside but magnificent on the inside. The exterior was stark but covered in small pyramids, very unique. We have lunch and walk to the train station where we take a train to Pompeii. Pompeii is amazing, we can't get over the size of the place. While we are there, a thunderstorm occurs with rain and lightning and lots of thunder. With the sound and flash of lightning it is not hard to imagine Mt Vesuvius erupting in the background.
We shelter in one of the Villas and are given a perfect demonstration of how the drainage system worked. On leaving Pompeii, we board a coach for our drive to the Agerola High Plain where we will stay overnight before commencing our walking tour. Naples is flooded and streets are underwater. Eventually it gets sorted out and we head off up the mountains. It is a narrow and windy road with beautiful sights back down to the valley below. Just miss having a head on with a milk tanker! The Hotel Rosorgimento is lovely, rooms great and fantastic scenery. One couple has been left behind and Francessco's bags have also been left! We are welcomed with an Italian champagne and have a lovely dinner, spaghetti, clams and salmon. It is a family run hotel with home cooking - delicious. Tomorrow we start walking.
Lots of thunder during the night and we wake to rain and overcast skies. Have a beautiful breakfast of croissants. Weather eventually clears and we start our walk by farms and homes. We pick fresh tomatoes and figs along the way. Magnificent views as we make our way down. Taste wild fennel and arouga (rocket).We walk through a village and continue down via the walk of the crazy bats towards Furore and a fjord. Stunning scenery . The fjord is very small with high cliffs and a road bridge spanning the fjord. We are told there is a diving competition from the road bridge. We now head up the road and get a bus towards Positano. Before Positano we stop for lunch and head down more steep steps towards the beach where there are two restaurants. The "beach" is all pebbles. we have a lovely six course lunch with spectacular views over the water. the plan was to take a boat from here to Positano, but no boat coming so we walk back up and wait 70 minutes for a bus. The bus passes us by as it is packed! Our guide decides to we should walk into Positano and try to get on the bus there where it will be less packed. Lovely walk around the coast line but are legs are starting to feel it! We eventually get there are squeeze onto a bus at 6 pm to head back to Amalfi. The road is barely wide enough for two buses to pass each other, let alone the sharp corners where cars have to stop let the bus squeeze past. Get back to Amalfi at 7 and fortunately a bus to Agerola is waiting. We jump on and it is packed. Just before starting off the drive blesses himself with a sign of the cross. We have another exciting ride up the narrow windy roads in the rain. We arrive safe and sound at 8 pm, have a great meal, and I think Ross grandstands by making a grovelling speech to all the ladies. It was a big day and our legs are going to feel it tomorrow.
