More Graffitii than Garbage - Report from S. Italy
Apr 20th, 2008, 02:27 PM
#21
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Sorry Sorrento and Almafi were so disappointing for you. I didn't spend much time in Almafi, but I did enjoy Sorrento. I was right in the historic center though, so perhaps that was why? Hope you are feeling better - such a shame to be sick when on vacation!
So the train ride to Siracusa was unremarkable, eh? Glad to hear it! You're braver than me, that's obvious! (doesn't take much!
) Did you find a dining car, and did you get off when crossing the straights?
Can't wait to hear how you liked Pompeii (I'm assuming you went a different day?)
Happy traveling with you!
Cyn
So the train ride to Siracusa was unremarkable, eh? Glad to hear it! You're braver than me, that's obvious! (doesn't take much!
) Did you find a dining car, and did you get off when crossing the straights? Can't wait to hear how you liked Pompeii (I'm assuming you went a different day?)
Happy traveling with you!
Cyn
Apr 22nd, 2008, 08:04 AM
#22
Original Poster
Hi cyn - I didn't look for a restaurant car - I watched the train pull into Naples station and didn't see anything that looked promising. I did get off the train on the ship - the doors were open and there were little boxes to help you get down. Since you couldn't see anything but the inside of the boat from my carriage I felt I really had to get off! Plus my carriage was set up airline style, not in compartments, so I really didn't worry about my luggage - too many eyes around.
Apr 24th, 2008, 07:55 AM
#23
Original Poster
Well, I'm currently on Sicily, loving Ortigia, but I'm still trying to catch you up. Here's Naples, part One (Part Two will occur after Sicily).
Naples
Good thing I checked my guidebook! The Archaeological Museum in Naples is closed on Tuesday, not Monday as I had expected. (Originally I was going to stay in Naples and visit then.) I had bought an Artecard, good for free transport and free or reduced admissions for three days, and had wanted to do the museum on Tuesday in case the forecast of rain proved accurate.
I had more trouble finding the metro train than I did the museum. After the hotel shuttle dropped me at Sorrento train station, I caught the Circumvesuviana train with no trouble, and a helpful local warned me to get off at Naples Piazza Garibaldi instead of staying on to the last stop. I found my way upstairs to the main station to check on the platform for my train to Sicily, and down again to the Metro, but unlike every other metro system I've used, including Beijing and Moscow, this system seemed to rely on ESP instead of signs.
Perhaps my expectations for the museum were too high, but I was less impressed than I expected. Yes, there are mosaics from Pompeii, several rooms of them. Yes, there are frescoes from the Temple of Isis. Yes, you can wonder at the Farnese Bull. But, much of the museum was closed, including the Farnese gem collection. And the "supplemental" objects from Pompeii, room after room, had no English labels and were not covered by the audio guide.
Although I enjoyed one special exhibition, showing how finds from Pompeii had been used in paintings, in general the museum had a dusty, musty, uncared-for air. It reminded me more the Cairo Museum than the British Museum. Plus the restaurant was closed. So, instead of spending most of the day in the museum I finished up in a few hours and headed out in search of a late lunch.
After finding Piaza Dante more bare and open than I imagined, and the recommended Pizzeria Re renamed, I walked back through the atmospheric Porta d'Alba (lots of second hand book shops) to the Pizzeria Belllini. For some reason I thought smoking had been banned in Italian restaurants. Not in Naples. Although I quite liked the pizza, I found the unaccustomed smoke a bit of a problem.
I set off on the Spaccanapoli walk from my guide book, encountering two absolutely must-sees along the way. I spend a long time in the cloister at Santa Chiara, a serene square with low walls covered in majolica tiles - a profusion of hills, castles, ships and people just going about their daily lives. The scenes cover seats and pillars too, and kept me happily occupied for much longer than I expected.
Further along I stopped off the admire the statues in Capella Sensevero - a quite remarkable "veiled" Christ, and Il Disinganno - a man entangled in a rope net - so good it seemed impossible.
About half way I rested up with a cup of coffee, I noted that Neapolitan churches look a lot like fortresses from the outside, and found the city more grey and dusty than exciting. Although I saw graffitti aplenty, some quite good, I saw no signs of the garbage problem until I headed through the back streets behind the Duomo on the way to the station.
The extremely crowded Circumvesuviana train got me back to Sorrento 10 minutes after the hourly hotel shuttle had left, so I ate at a restaurant near the station, the Mayflower, for which I had found a recommendation. Alas, I can't second the recommendation - some of my mussels weren't open, and the mushrooms in the chicken and mushroom dish were canned. Then the bill arrived before I asked for it - a sotto voce remark to that effect did get me the offer of limoncello.
On balance, a good day, although not quite what I had expected.
Naples
Good thing I checked my guidebook! The Archaeological Museum in Naples is closed on Tuesday, not Monday as I had expected. (Originally I was going to stay in Naples and visit then.) I had bought an Artecard, good for free transport and free or reduced admissions for three days, and had wanted to do the museum on Tuesday in case the forecast of rain proved accurate.
I had more trouble finding the metro train than I did the museum. After the hotel shuttle dropped me at Sorrento train station, I caught the Circumvesuviana train with no trouble, and a helpful local warned me to get off at Naples Piazza Garibaldi instead of staying on to the last stop. I found my way upstairs to the main station to check on the platform for my train to Sicily, and down again to the Metro, but unlike every other metro system I've used, including Beijing and Moscow, this system seemed to rely on ESP instead of signs.
Perhaps my expectations for the museum were too high, but I was less impressed than I expected. Yes, there are mosaics from Pompeii, several rooms of them. Yes, there are frescoes from the Temple of Isis. Yes, you can wonder at the Farnese Bull. But, much of the museum was closed, including the Farnese gem collection. And the "supplemental" objects from Pompeii, room after room, had no English labels and were not covered by the audio guide.
Although I enjoyed one special exhibition, showing how finds from Pompeii had been used in paintings, in general the museum had a dusty, musty, uncared-for air. It reminded me more the Cairo Museum than the British Museum. Plus the restaurant was closed. So, instead of spending most of the day in the museum I finished up in a few hours and headed out in search of a late lunch.
After finding Piaza Dante more bare and open than I imagined, and the recommended Pizzeria Re renamed, I walked back through the atmospheric Porta d'Alba (lots of second hand book shops) to the Pizzeria Belllini. For some reason I thought smoking had been banned in Italian restaurants. Not in Naples. Although I quite liked the pizza, I found the unaccustomed smoke a bit of a problem.
I set off on the Spaccanapoli walk from my guide book, encountering two absolutely must-sees along the way. I spend a long time in the cloister at Santa Chiara, a serene square with low walls covered in majolica tiles - a profusion of hills, castles, ships and people just going about their daily lives. The scenes cover seats and pillars too, and kept me happily occupied for much longer than I expected.
Further along I stopped off the admire the statues in Capella Sensevero - a quite remarkable "veiled" Christ, and Il Disinganno - a man entangled in a rope net - so good it seemed impossible.
About half way I rested up with a cup of coffee, I noted that Neapolitan churches look a lot like fortresses from the outside, and found the city more grey and dusty than exciting. Although I saw graffitti aplenty, some quite good, I saw no signs of the garbage problem until I headed through the back streets behind the Duomo on the way to the station.
The extremely crowded Circumvesuviana train got me back to Sorrento 10 minutes after the hourly hotel shuttle had left, so I ate at a restaurant near the station, the Mayflower, for which I had found a recommendation. Alas, I can't second the recommendation - some of my mussels weren't open, and the mushrooms in the chicken and mushroom dish were canned. Then the bill arrived before I asked for it - a sotto voce remark to that effect did get me the offer of limoncello.
On balance, a good day, although not quite what I had expected.
May 19th, 2008, 04:29 AM
#24
Original Poster
Well, obviously posting from the road in Sicily didn't work out! Internet access was non-existent or problematic for most of the trip. I'm home now, and I think I'll go ahead and finish the Sorrento part of the trip, plus my return to Naples, here, and post a separate report for Sicily. It may take a little while - my 19 year-old washing machine picked the day after my return to expire. Mid-load.
BTW, the title of this report is a bit out of date - the garbage is catching up to the graffitti. When I got back to Naples on the 11th of May, I soon realized that there was a lot more garbage around. My landlord said it started getting worse a couple of weeks earlier - about the time Berlusconi got elected and said he'd fix the problem, I think. Any connection, I wonder...
BTW, the title of this report is a bit out of date - the garbage is catching up to the graffitti. When I got back to Naples on the 11th of May, I soon realized that there was a lot more garbage around. My landlord said it started getting worse a couple of weeks earlier - about the time Berlusconi got elected and said he'd fix the problem, I think. Any connection, I wonder...
May 19th, 2008, 07:56 AM
#26
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Hello thursdaysd, I was talking to an Italian friend in Italy yesterday. His SO family lives in Naples. He said Bersculoni was suppose to be at a meeting today in Naples regarding the garbage problem. He didn't sound very convinced that much would be accomplished however. His SO family lives up in the hills so they are not dealing with it in their neighborhood.
May 19th, 2008, 09:35 AM
#27
Original Poster
Thanks eks - I'm looking forward to reading your reports. I did take a quick look, and I'm glad to hear that Amalfi was much better off the main street - isn't that so often the case!
LoveItaly - I certainly hope someone does something about the garbage, and soon. It wasn't such a problem back in April, but it's going to be a real horror as the weather heats up. It did seem to be better up in the Vomero region.
LoveItaly - I certainly hope someone does something about the garbage, and soon. It wasn't such a problem back in April, but it's going to be a real horror as the weather heats up. It did seem to be better up in the Vomero region.
May 21st, 2008, 08:58 PM
#28
Original Poster
OK, here's another installment of the southern Italy part of the trip. I'll get to Sicily eventually...
<b>Really Roman</b>
I heard that the day I went to Herculaneum actual hail fell, but I didn’t see that myself. I did see plenty of rain, starting almost as soon as I got off the Circumvesuviana train at Ercolano Scavi station. It was accompanied by enough wind to blow my light-weight umbrella inside out. The umbrella fortunately survived, and I took shelter under a balcony with some elderly local men, before making a run for a nearby bar, where I waited out the rain with an espresso.
The day alternated between sunshine and rain, but since the many of the ruins at Herculaneum retain their second stories, I could always find shelter when needed. In fact, it proved to be a very user-friendly site, not too crowded, with a good free brochure and plenty to see. Next to the views along the Amalfi Coast, it was easily the highlight of this part of my trip.
I started at the Visitor’s Center, standing across from the site, looking down at the store rooms and boat houses that once opened onto the beach. I felt a little uneasy, thinking of the 300 inhabitants who sought an illusory refuge there, their bodies discovered only in 1982. Looking up, I saw only clouds, although at other times Vesuvius’ dark cones had been an all-too present reminder that around the Bay of Naples people still live with an active volcano.
While I visited the “sacred area” above the warehouses, with its two temples, and an altar dedicated to one M. Nonius Balbus, a senator and local benefactor, and the huge palaestra, reserved for sports, for the most part I wandered in and out of villas and tavernas. I admired the pillars and frescoes in the villas, and checked out the jars sunk into the counters of the tavernas. I especially liked the women’s baths, with black and white mosaic floors and marble seats, and the Hall of the Augustals, the freed slaves, which had featured in the reading I had done before the trip. (I think we tend to forget how many inhabitants of Ancient Greece and Rome were slaves.)
Everywhere I looked in Herculaneum I found some reminder of the lives cut short in 79AD, but I didn’t find the site morbid. I could easily imagine the excitement of the archaeologists who first worked here.
Eventually I moved on to the Villa Oplontis, just down the road, or, in my case, the train tracks. This villa is thought to have belonged to the infamous Nero’s also infamous second wife, Poppaea Sabina, said to have been responsible for the beheading of his first wife. I had bought a sandwich on my way down from the Torre Annunziata station, and when the rain started up again I found a seat under cover and ate my lunch where Nero must often have passed.
As would become a theme on this trip, much of the villa was under renovation and off limits, but I could see enough to make me keenly aware of the luxury enjoyed by the Roman upper crust - not just the hot baths and flushing toilets, but a personal swimming pool and room after room full of frescoes and mosaics.
Next day I made an early start for Pompeii, armed with a six hour tour outline I had found online (tinyurl.com/65ess7), and lots of anticipation. The good news about Pompeii? It was a full-size working town, with a forum, temples, theaters (for plays) and an amphitheater (for games). The bad news about Pompeii? It was a full-size town, requiring a great deal more walking per interesting sight than Herculaneum. (Again, some parts were closed.)
The best part of the day, for me, came early, at the Villa of Mysteries, outside the city walls to the northeast, which I had almost to myself. I also liked the Botanical Gardens, which smelt wonderful.
As I walked the streets, taking care not to turn an ankle on the uneven surface, and taking advantage of the stepping stones set between the sidewalks at key intersections, I pondered the advantage of having slaves to do the shopping. I also noted with interest that penises were protective symbols here just as they still are in Bhutan.
By the time I finally finished dodging tour groups and reached the amphitheater, at the far end of the site, I had little energy left to imagine the gladiators and wild animals fighting and dying for the amusement of the crowds seated above me, especially as most of the seats were missing.
My advice is to see Pompeii first, and then Herculaneum. But if you only have time for one, see Herculaneum. In either place, Vesuvius will haunt you.
<b>Really Roman</b>
I heard that the day I went to Herculaneum actual hail fell, but I didn’t see that myself. I did see plenty of rain, starting almost as soon as I got off the Circumvesuviana train at Ercolano Scavi station. It was accompanied by enough wind to blow my light-weight umbrella inside out. The umbrella fortunately survived, and I took shelter under a balcony with some elderly local men, before making a run for a nearby bar, where I waited out the rain with an espresso.
The day alternated between sunshine and rain, but since the many of the ruins at Herculaneum retain their second stories, I could always find shelter when needed. In fact, it proved to be a very user-friendly site, not too crowded, with a good free brochure and plenty to see. Next to the views along the Amalfi Coast, it was easily the highlight of this part of my trip.
I started at the Visitor’s Center, standing across from the site, looking down at the store rooms and boat houses that once opened onto the beach. I felt a little uneasy, thinking of the 300 inhabitants who sought an illusory refuge there, their bodies discovered only in 1982. Looking up, I saw only clouds, although at other times Vesuvius’ dark cones had been an all-too present reminder that around the Bay of Naples people still live with an active volcano.
While I visited the “sacred area” above the warehouses, with its two temples, and an altar dedicated to one M. Nonius Balbus, a senator and local benefactor, and the huge palaestra, reserved for sports, for the most part I wandered in and out of villas and tavernas. I admired the pillars and frescoes in the villas, and checked out the jars sunk into the counters of the tavernas. I especially liked the women’s baths, with black and white mosaic floors and marble seats, and the Hall of the Augustals, the freed slaves, which had featured in the reading I had done before the trip. (I think we tend to forget how many inhabitants of Ancient Greece and Rome were slaves.)
Everywhere I looked in Herculaneum I found some reminder of the lives cut short in 79AD, but I didn’t find the site morbid. I could easily imagine the excitement of the archaeologists who first worked here.
Eventually I moved on to the Villa Oplontis, just down the road, or, in my case, the train tracks. This villa is thought to have belonged to the infamous Nero’s also infamous second wife, Poppaea Sabina, said to have been responsible for the beheading of his first wife. I had bought a sandwich on my way down from the Torre Annunziata station, and when the rain started up again I found a seat under cover and ate my lunch where Nero must often have passed.
As would become a theme on this trip, much of the villa was under renovation and off limits, but I could see enough to make me keenly aware of the luxury enjoyed by the Roman upper crust - not just the hot baths and flushing toilets, but a personal swimming pool and room after room full of frescoes and mosaics.
Next day I made an early start for Pompeii, armed with a six hour tour outline I had found online (tinyurl.com/65ess7), and lots of anticipation. The good news about Pompeii? It was a full-size working town, with a forum, temples, theaters (for plays) and an amphitheater (for games). The bad news about Pompeii? It was a full-size town, requiring a great deal more walking per interesting sight than Herculaneum. (Again, some parts were closed.)
The best part of the day, for me, came early, at the Villa of Mysteries, outside the city walls to the northeast, which I had almost to myself. I also liked the Botanical Gardens, which smelt wonderful.
As I walked the streets, taking care not to turn an ankle on the uneven surface, and taking advantage of the stepping stones set between the sidewalks at key intersections, I pondered the advantage of having slaves to do the shopping. I also noted with interest that penises were protective symbols here just as they still are in Bhutan.
By the time I finally finished dodging tour groups and reached the amphitheater, at the far end of the site, I had little energy left to imagine the gladiators and wild animals fighting and dying for the amusement of the crowds seated above me, especially as most of the seats were missing.
My advice is to see Pompeii first, and then Herculaneum. But if you only have time for one, see Herculaneum. In either place, Vesuvius will haunt you.
May 24th, 2008, 07:02 AM
#29
Original Poster
<b>Medicine, Mozzarella and More Coast</b>
I had planned to spend my last day in Sorrento at Paestum, admiring Greek temples, but I woke up feeling worse than the day before. The sore throat that kept me awake my first night on Capri had become first a cold, and now a hacking cough. Although it didn’t seem to be keeping me awake, I expected to have a roommate on the upcoming tour in Sicily who might react differently. I didn’t really feel up to the travel to Paestum, and I felt that group harmony would be improved if I cured the cough, so I asked at my hotel about finding an English-speaking doctor.
An International Clinic at Sorrento Hospital? That sounded promising, but I’m not sure that I found it. After the shuttle to town dropped me at the hospital, I wound up at what I think was the Emergency Room - it didn’t look like anywhere a well-heeled ex-pat would want to spend much time, but it did have a doctor who spoke English. After a bit of a wait and a cursory exam, I was sent off to pay 25 euros, as a “code white” patient, and then handed three prescriptions.
The Farmacia down the street filled the prescriptions - for an antibiotic, which I took as instructed, a steroid, which after a fruitless search on the ‘net I didn’t take, and paracetamol - and charged me all of 11 euros. I don’t know whether time or the antibiotic fixed the problem, but when it cleared up in a couple of days I thought the 36 euros well-spent (and muttered to myself about the costs of American medical care).
Dealing with the doctor took me to lunch-time, and I found a laid-back cafe called Bufalito (www.innbufalito.it/en_index.php ) down a side street. I loved this place! Crusty bread, salty ham and that morning’s mozzarella with a glass of good house wine impressed me enough I even tried dessert - a dense bitter chocolate and almond cake. If I ever revisit Sorrento I’ll certainly be back there for lunch.
The doctor had prescribed a couple of days rest, but since I would spend all the next day on the train to Siracusa, I thought a bus ride to Positano might also qualify. I had some trouble finding a place to buy a bus ticket, as the Tabacchi in the train station was closed, and missed the first bus. But this put me in the front seat on the next bus, with nothing between me and the view. Coming back, I had to stand, but I stood at the front of the bus on the step, with an even better view, although hanging on round the many corners could hardly be called restful.
Positano surprised me. I had thought it would just be Sorrento with stairs, but I found it charming. True, the hillside on which it is built is steep - but there are little buses to take you to the top. True, there are lots of tourist shops - but they seem more spread out, with actual houses in between, at least in the upper reaches. True, the beach is small, and made of grey sand and pebbles, but there are waterfront cafes, and I hadn’t come to swim.
I hadn’t brought my camera either. I just wandered around, admiring the Duomo, watching the crowd disembarking from a ferry, window shopping but not buying, enjoying the views. Now, I must admit, it was April 17th, and despite the standing-room only bus, and well-filled ferry, there really weren’t that many people around. I suspect that in June, never mind July or August, I might well hate the place.
I spent the evening back at Il Nido, eating alone with my iPod this time. The Australian hiker had gone north to meet up with his wife, and the Pennsylvanian couple who had invited me to join them the night before had also moved on. In general I found the food at the hotel edible although not particularly memorable, but eating there was undeniably convenient. I split the rest of the evening between the Internet (free in the hotel lobby), packing, and watching English-language TV. I expected (correctly) that it would be quite a while before I saw any more.
While I didn't much care for Sorrento, it was a good base for visiting places like Pompeii, which is why I chose it. But I just loved the Amalfi Coast, and now I've visited the tourist sites, if I go back, I'll stay on the coast. Probably not Positano, although I liked it, more likely Praiano or Amalfi. A week in an apartment, maybe...
I had planned to spend my last day in Sorrento at Paestum, admiring Greek temples, but I woke up feeling worse than the day before. The sore throat that kept me awake my first night on Capri had become first a cold, and now a hacking cough. Although it didn’t seem to be keeping me awake, I expected to have a roommate on the upcoming tour in Sicily who might react differently. I didn’t really feel up to the travel to Paestum, and I felt that group harmony would be improved if I cured the cough, so I asked at my hotel about finding an English-speaking doctor.
An International Clinic at Sorrento Hospital? That sounded promising, but I’m not sure that I found it. After the shuttle to town dropped me at the hospital, I wound up at what I think was the Emergency Room - it didn’t look like anywhere a well-heeled ex-pat would want to spend much time, but it did have a doctor who spoke English. After a bit of a wait and a cursory exam, I was sent off to pay 25 euros, as a “code white” patient, and then handed three prescriptions.
The Farmacia down the street filled the prescriptions - for an antibiotic, which I took as instructed, a steroid, which after a fruitless search on the ‘net I didn’t take, and paracetamol - and charged me all of 11 euros. I don’t know whether time or the antibiotic fixed the problem, but when it cleared up in a couple of days I thought the 36 euros well-spent (and muttered to myself about the costs of American medical care).
Dealing with the doctor took me to lunch-time, and I found a laid-back cafe called Bufalito (www.innbufalito.it/en_index.php ) down a side street. I loved this place! Crusty bread, salty ham and that morning’s mozzarella with a glass of good house wine impressed me enough I even tried dessert - a dense bitter chocolate and almond cake. If I ever revisit Sorrento I’ll certainly be back there for lunch.
The doctor had prescribed a couple of days rest, but since I would spend all the next day on the train to Siracusa, I thought a bus ride to Positano might also qualify. I had some trouble finding a place to buy a bus ticket, as the Tabacchi in the train station was closed, and missed the first bus. But this put me in the front seat on the next bus, with nothing between me and the view. Coming back, I had to stand, but I stood at the front of the bus on the step, with an even better view, although hanging on round the many corners could hardly be called restful.
Positano surprised me. I had thought it would just be Sorrento with stairs, but I found it charming. True, the hillside on which it is built is steep - but there are little buses to take you to the top. True, there are lots of tourist shops - but they seem more spread out, with actual houses in between, at least in the upper reaches. True, the beach is small, and made of grey sand and pebbles, but there are waterfront cafes, and I hadn’t come to swim.
I hadn’t brought my camera either. I just wandered around, admiring the Duomo, watching the crowd disembarking from a ferry, window shopping but not buying, enjoying the views. Now, I must admit, it was April 17th, and despite the standing-room only bus, and well-filled ferry, there really weren’t that many people around. I suspect that in June, never mind July or August, I might well hate the place.
I spent the evening back at Il Nido, eating alone with my iPod this time. The Australian hiker had gone north to meet up with his wife, and the Pennsylvanian couple who had invited me to join them the night before had also moved on. In general I found the food at the hotel edible although not particularly memorable, but eating there was undeniably convenient. I split the rest of the evening between the Internet (free in the hotel lobby), packing, and watching English-language TV. I expected (correctly) that it would be quite a while before I saw any more.
While I didn't much care for Sorrento, it was a good base for visiting places like Pompeii, which is why I chose it. But I just loved the Amalfi Coast, and now I've visited the tourist sites, if I go back, I'll stay on the coast. Probably not Positano, although I liked it, more likely Praiano or Amalfi. A week in an apartment, maybe...
May 24th, 2008, 09:13 AM
#30
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I don't often read lengthy trip reports but I have really enjoyed yours, thursdaysd. Thoughtful and interesting comments.
A question: you say next time you'd consider spending a week at either Praiano or Amalfi. But didn't you mention that you weren't thrilled with Amalfi? What made you choose these two towns? I ask because a friend has asked me to go to the AC and it's never really interested me. She's looking for beaches and shopping and I'm interested in history and food. Your comments are most welcome.
A question: you say next time you'd consider spending a week at either Praiano or Amalfi. But didn't you mention that you weren't thrilled with Amalfi? What made you choose these two towns? I ask because a friend has asked me to go to the AC and it's never really interested me. She's looking for beaches and shopping and I'm interested in history and food. Your comments are most welcome.
May 24th, 2008, 09:45 AM
#31
Original Poster
Thanks Linda! You're right, I wasn't impressed with the main street in Amalfi, but ekscrunchy's lovely trip report (http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35128776) confirmed my suspicion that Amalfi would be much nicer away from the main street. If you're into food and haven't read her report you should really do so! I was considering Praiano for beach time, and cheaper accommodations.
The AC would be a good place for a shopper and for a foodie, maybe not so much for a beach person. I'm not one, but I didn't see a lot of sandy beaches! For history, you're spoiled for choice - Pompeii, Paestum and Naples just to start.
The AC would be a good place for a shopper and for a foodie, maybe not so much for a beach person. I'm not one, but I didn't see a lot of sandy beaches! For history, you're spoiled for choice - Pompeii, Paestum and Naples just to start.
May 29th, 2008, 07:25 AM
#32
Original Poster
BTW - the trip report for the Sicily part of this trip is in progress here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35133064 I'll likely put my return to Naples there too.
