Our final week in Italy saw us traveling from the Aeolian Islands via ship to Naples, then on to Rome for another stay with ‘i cugini’. The Siremar ship from Lipari was an overnight trip that departed at 9.30pm and arrived in Naples the next morning.
We called into the port at the active Volcanic island of Stromboli at about 10.30 and were delighted by a light show when we were pulling away from the island. The volcano was grumbling and throwing a beautiful orange glow into the sky above. This continued every few minutes until we were too far away to see it any more.
The voyage was smooth enough, but I felt a bit green whenever I lifted my head from the bunk. But in the morning we could see Capri and the Amalfi Coast and, as we were then in the gulf of Naples, the rocking slowed a bit. On arrival in Naples we stored our bags for the day and headed for the city to see the sights of Spaccanapoli, Santa Lucia & Chiara and Toledo, eat sfogliatelli, indulge in Pizza and beer, and generally enjoy the crazy chaos that is Napoli!
At the end of our big day in Naples we headed for Rome. Laundry, repacking and a little sightseeing were on the agenda. We did Rome once by night, accompanied by Manu, Giulia and Pasquale.
And we did Rome another time by day with Giulia who probably enjoyed the English cemetery more than is healthy for a 20-something woman! But we each found something quite surprising that captured us. For me it was the grave on Gregory Corso, Beat poet.
I have been so fortunate to have ten weeks travelling in Italy with my big sister Annie then with my husband Andrew. We have been constantly amazed at the wonderful people we have met. Italy will continue to be a passion for me and I vow to continue my study of the language.
Thanks go Giulia, Manu, Pasquale, Marina, Alice, Cinzia, Ilaria, Giovanni and Maria-Luisa in Rome. And thanks to Walter, Adriana, Stefano, Sabrina and Anna-Maria in Roseto degli Abruzzi.
It was hard to leave Rome and say “arreviderci” to our cousins, so we just said “ci vediamo” – see you later.
I found your blog by a comment you left on a Freshly Pressed post about Lucera. What a great find. Your pics here are amazing. I found it refreshing to read how well you seemed to take the travel mishaps in stride. Delays, missed connections, and lost luggage send most people into a blathering rage. How nice that you just dealt with it and made the best of the situation. My husband and I are traveling to Italy for the first time later this year for our 20th anniversary. I am so excited about the trip. I’ve been on the look out for any posts about Italy and this one is truly a treasure. Thanks for posting.
Hello again, Any plans for that Italy trip? I see you have been to some other beautiful places recently (Colorado springs to mind). I hope you are enjoying summer.
I just got back to Australia after 5 weeks in the US/Canada which I blogged here:
http://roadtrippin2012.wordpress.com/
I am originally from PA but migrated to Australia in 1981. So it was a first trip back to US since my mother died 5 years ago.
Happy trails to you…Mary Louise
Hey there. Yes, Italy is a go. Rome, Florence, Naples with excursions to Pompeii/Capri. I am so excited. Sept/Oct, I’m counting down the days. Yes, we just returned from a quick trip to Colorado. The wildfires are devastating. I’ll check out your post. 5 weeks! wow! : )
Excellent time of year for Italy. Too crowded at the moment. I hope you see Sorrento as well. It’s at the end of the Circumvesuviana train line and the beginning of the Amalfi Coast. Capri IMHO is over-rated. I much prefer Positano, Amalfi and Ravello on the Amalfi coast. From Sorrento you can take the bus south to Amalfi, stopping in Positano, then catch a ferry back to Sorrento. This lets you see the water from above then see the cliffs in sunlight on the way back north to Sorrento. The cliffs are in shadow in the morning so I would not take the boat south, rather opt for the bus. The winding road and spectacular views and little villages on the way are something to experience…Ah, Italy. Buon viaggio! Mary Louise
I just read all of your posts! How wonderful.You are lucky to have relatives to spend time with. I hope to discover mine some day.
Si, sono molto fortunata! I hope you meet them too. And I am glad you enjoyed my blog. I go back over my photos often and have so many places on my list to visit. I do dream of living part of the year there but it would be difficult to choose a region/city for a permanent base (though Debra Kolkka’s descriptions of the towns around Bagni di Lucca sound quite enchanting). I think more Southern for me though. Perhaps Abruzzi, where my peeps are from is not such a bad choice after all. There I go dreaming again…for now I’ll have to settle with this glorious Adelaide weather!
Cheers, MLT
Hi ML, enjoyed looking thro your Italy posts! I went to Italy in 05 w my partner Ken and we went to Florence, Rome and Amalfi Coast. Yes, it’s the little details! Such an amazing country; completely exceeded expectations.
It’s bitter/sweet to revisit in a way; Ken passed away in 09 after some years of illness. He wd have loved your religious photos (as well as the others); he had a RC background too. Fairly mystifying to me! But I loved looking around some of the cathedrals.