Driving in Italy

Italian drivers have such a bad reputation. They are apparently impatient, aggressive and not particularly friendly. I've never driven on the right hand side of the road before so was feeling rather nervous.

There were three of us who could drive, but sadly a lost contact lens ruled one out! Nerves took over another so I became the sole driver. Picking up our rental car at the airport in Napoli was pretty straightforward, but sadly our navigation skills didn't lend themselves to maintaining this ease. We ended up in Central Napoli, something we'd really tried to avoid as knew how mental it was. Nairobi has prepped me well and I found it fine.....though roundabouts always involved a stationary start and conscious thought of which way to go, who to give way to and as always, to stay right!!

I was relieved when we were on the road to Vesuvius and although I kept trying to change gear by hitting the car door, the driving wasn't as bad as I'd dreaded. That is until we left Pompeii and it was dark.....on the twisty, narrow roads of the coastal Amalfi road. Slow and steady.....I was so cautious and hated it! I couldn't believe the speed that some cars darted around and were so reckless! It was hard going but I did it!

Confidence and daylight helped a lot over the next couple of days. I was still very careful but could leave second and even third gear at times! The roads were so beautiful, though my eyes were pretty much always glued to the tarmac ahead!

One morning we were met by a long string of Ferraris....yes, beautiful cars, but oh my, so wide!!! It was hard enough passing normal cars! It seemed we were near a big company that hired them out for a few hours. We passed so many! Not my favourite part of the trip! I did think how much my brothers would have loved that particular part of sightseeing though!

So yes, Italian drivers do have a bad reputation, and in some ways I would agree. Though we also met many friendly, amorous drivers who blew kisses, let us out, and one very kind motorcyclist who guided us back to the airport when we'd got horribly confused trying to find it on our way back. I was very happy to give the car back, though would definitely drive again.

The Amalfi Coast

We stayed in Amalfi for a couple of days and used it as a base for exploring the coastline. It was such a pretty village. Very friendly and quaint.

Amalfi's duomo

The coastline is gorgeous. Lots of green hills with houses and buildings jutting out from them. It was a less touristy, and smarter Cinque Terre. Utterly charming and beautiful.

As always in Italy, there were impressive cathedrals and churches too. How everything balanced and fitted together was remarkable.

Amelia, me, Rebekah, Steph and Shona

The roads were twisty and challenging but undeniably beautiful. It was fantastic to have the car and to be able to get to drive around and explore other villages. The sea was so clear and pretty. I love being next to the coast. We were amazed at how hot it was too, definitely a few degrees warmer than Milano.

It was such a lovely way to end the half term and our lil girly holiday. It was Shona's birthday on the last night so we went out for a little meal to celebrate...including Tiramisu. I wasn't fussed on it a couple of months ago, but it is now one of my favourites!

Limoncello and tiramisu!

Pompeii

This was truly amazing! I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. The town itself was really pretty with a lovely square and gorgeous Italian church. The site of the archaeological museum was much bigger than I'd imagined and simply beautiful. It was just amazing to imagine it pre 79 AD.

The streets were so lovely and it had everything: temples, an amphitheatre, a theatre, houses.... even some of the murals were still visible. You can see Vesuvius from Pompeii so clearly, and the whole area was so green and pretty. It was just unbelievable to imagine what took place there nearly two thousand years ago.

Vesuvius

When I found out you could hike this I was so excited! Right now though, I'd use the word hike in the loosest possible sense haha

We parked near the base and were shown to a huge truck-bus four wheeler. It was massive! It drove for about twenty minutes and was very steep and funny....read, lots of fun! We then had just a twenty minute 'hike' to the top.

It was so beautiful. We had a quick chat with the guide and she explained about how it's changed and how they're monitoring it closely as they are expecting another eruption. 70,000 nearby residents will need to be evacuated. You could see right into the crater and there was smoke and vapours coming from different parts.

Looking into the crater. You can see smoke rising on the left. 

The view over Napoli

The different layers of rocks were so pretty had it was all fascinating. On some sides of the slope it was really green, with trees and flowers, whilst on other slopes it was all grey-black rocks. It was easy to tell which direction Pompeii was!

Napoli

Naples was exactly as I'd expected. Shabby, busy, polluted, but completely likeable. There were small alleys and streets everywhere with balconies and washing hung out. Scooters and bikes dominated the streets and there was real hustle and bustle. It had a very different feel to Northern Italy.

There were plenty of beautiful churches to look round, and nice piazzas to wander around. I went to see The Veiled Christ which was very special. It's a sculpture of Jesus post crucifixion, laid down and covered with a veil, with the crown of thorns and handcuffs next to his feet. It looks so real. How the sculptor was able to imitate the fall of the fabric over the body and the bones and sinews of His feet was incredible. No photos are allowed but it is definitely worth a google!

We walked up to the castle to get lovely views over the bay (not completely dissimilar to Swansea's!) and enjoyed just walking around the place. At dusk, the streets all became open air markets selling lots of handicrafts, including Christmas decorations. Although it was still October, the atmosphere was lovely!

Vesuvius in the background

The lovely Shona

Napoli is the birthplace of pizza. It has been my favourite food for a long time so it was one of the first things I sampled after arriving....and repeated daily! The pizza is thicker than traditional Italian bases, but so tasty and delicious!