Follow the Ringenberg Road: Naples, Pompeii and Amalfi Coast

The Amphitheater in Pompeii

October 25-26, 2015

Naples, Pompeii and Amalfi Coast

Yesterday, we arrived in Naples via a comfortable train. Our Airbnb site is fairly close to the train station so we didn’t have much trouble finding it. We were greeted by an Italian-only speaking Mama who oriented us to our studio apartment. It’s amazing how well you can communicate with hand signals not speaking each other’s language.

From a wealthy home overlooking Mt Vesuvius

You guessed it - a brothel room (the beds were not soft)

One of the reasons we came to the Naples area was to see Pompeii, so we headed out soon after we arrived and boarded a train to take us there. The train station was a fair distance from the actual ruins but we found it and spent several hours touring the site. It is a huge area, but about two-thirds of it is under reconstruction, so we were unable to see all that we would have liked. We toured a large amphitheater, a small and large theater, a basilica, several homes of wealthy and poorer people, the forum area and one of the thirty brothels that were in the city in its day. We also saw many relics that have been recovered from the area, including some people who were found in the positions they were in when the mountain erupted. As far as ruins, they aren’t as imposing as many of those at Ephesus or Jerash, Jordan, but interesting nevertheless. Of course, this entire area is all watched over by Mt Visuvius. It made for an interesting time of walking on some very uneven ground and ancient roads and learning more of how people lived 2000 years ago.

On our walk back to the train station, we enjoyed a bit of real life in Pompeii City, today. Sunday night, around the main church, as in many parts of the world, many people were out eating and shopping and enjoying a little festival that was in town. There was even a traffic jam in little Pompeii. On our walk we stopped and got some local food to take with us . . . all very good. We arrived home safely.

A main road overlooking Mt Vesuvius

A result of Mt. Vesuvius

Today, we decided to go to see the Amalfi Coast which is on the opposite side of a peninsula that juts out on the southern end of Naples. We took a local train to Sorrento and then caught a bus that drove us along the coast. We went as far as Amalfi. First of all, the local train was an experience in itself . . . much more urban, crowded with locals and tourists. We were serenaded by a Roma couple and then another Roma lady played the accordion. They were both accompanied by their little children who went around with a cup for whomever wanted to contribute. Some of the locals got very upset and were trying to get them to quiet down, but no luck. Actually, the music was lively and pleasant to listen to, even though it was a bit loud.

A Circumvesuviana Train

The bus ride to Amalfi, along the coast is breathtakingly beautiful and harrowing if you are afraid of hairpin turns and cliffs that fall straight into the sea. It isn’t for the faint of heart when it comes to the driving. The road is very narrow and busy but the bus driver managed to get us there safely. We passed through several towns that are built scaling the cliffs. It is an extremely picturesque area. In Amalfi, we walked around one of the main areas and went through the Cathedral of Amalfi, complete with St Andrew’s bones, so they say. We were able to get a seat on the way back and decided to not stop in Positano in fear of losing our seat and having to stand all the way back. Since Roger has a tendency to get car sick, we didn’t want to take that risk of him not having a seat during all those curves. It was just as beautiful on the return trip as it was going. One thing we decided was that we were glad that we weren’t here in the summer. There were many tourists today but not anything like it is in the summer months. It must be terrible with all the traffic and people.

On the way to Amalfi

When we got to Sorrento, we hopped back on the Circumvesuviana train and headed to Naples. We haven’t seen that much of Naples, but wouldn’t have missed the two places we did go. We walked around the train station area a little tonight, enough to buy some pizza in the city of its founding. One slice had potatoes and basil on it and the other was meat and tomatoes. Both delicious. We also stopped and got a sfogliatella, puff pastry filled with ricotta cheese. It’s a treat for which Naples is known and is was yummy. Needless to say, I’m sure we gained a bit of weight today since we sat most of the day.

Tomorrow, it’s on to Siena. Talk to you later.