It was backpacks on and a warm walk through the teeming streets of Napoli. We navigated without fail to the Central Station, the modern train hub of Napoli. From here, the fast trains head north to Rome and onwards, carrying tourists to the Big Three, Roma, Venice and Florence. Not nearly as many folks make it to southern Italy and those that do often make it no further than Naples, Sorrento or the island of Capri. Today we were heading further south, first via train to Salerno and then, via public bus, back north along the Amalfi coast to the little town of Minori.
We drew the fancy train, air-conditioned, fold down trays, the works. It was a thirty minute ride to Salerno, heading just north of Vesuvius, the volcano that made Pottery Barn figurines out of the Roman inhabitants of Pompeii. The ride was super plush and comfortable, the train was on time, and the toll was 14 Euro each one way.
Salerno is a laid back town on the south side of the mountainous peninsula that makes up the southern sweep of the Neapolitan bay. We had some quality cafe' time while waiting for our local bus. Adding to the spice of people watching was a large wedding party complete with wonderfully ornate costumes. It was a sort of Victorian Goth meets steam-affair, with top hats, cutaway coats and antique railroading goggles. Quite a treat to watch while sipping an espresso at the comfortable street side tables. Then it was time to board our local for the jaunt up the Amalfi coast.
The view from the inside of the bus. I will post images of the coast in the next entry. The only casualty of the ride was the guy sitting behind us. The poor tourist got slammed in the head when someone else's bag fell from the overhead rack. I think it really rang his bell.
An hour of hair-pin turns negotiated by a full size bus and we were deposited in the tiny town of Minori on the rocky shores of the Mediterranean. All travel days should be this easy.
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