Too much pizza

Friday was a travel day. I caught the bus to Roma Termini which is where I ran into the pick-pockets last time, but thankfully had no dramas this time. I had pre-purchased a first-class ticket on a very nice train from Rome to Naples (which only took an hour). And then I had to change terminals in the same terminal (Yes! I was confused!). Naples Centrale Station actually has a second station with a different name underneath it. I knew that it was called Garibaldi Station and that I had to catch the Circumvesuviana train, but nothing made sense. Some of the signs showed Garibaldi and Circumvesuviana in the same direction, and then I would come across another sign that showed them in opposite directions. Then there was a sign saying that the Circumvesuviana was to the right, which led directly to another sign that pointed back towards the other sign... I could have walked between these signs ad infinitum! I later found out that there is a train and a bus called Circumvesuviana. I imagine that the opposing signs were for different services. They certainly didn't make that clear though!

I finally found the way to the correct station, but only after ending up at the back end of a staff carpark at one point. The train was AWFUL! Graffiti, filth, stench, undesirable characters... It had the works! Definitely not something I want to repeat. The trip from Naples to Sorrento took an hour and a half in a stinky 'standing-room only' train during which I stood clutching my bag and my suitcase and trying not to fall over. The train driver had absolutely no sense of subtlety when slowing down or speeding up at the many intermediary stations.

Just when I thought it would never end, we were there. Thankfully my hotel in Sorrento was only a 3 or 4 minute walk from the station because by then I was thoroughly over it! I was given the 'Blue' room. I have seen on the website that there was also a Purple room, which would have been okay, and orange and lime green rooms which I don't think I could have tolerated for long!

The Blue room

By the time I got to the hotel there wasn't really time to do much. My sole purpose in going to Sorrento was to visit the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii that have been uncovered following the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 A.D. You can visit them from Naples or Sorrento, but a friend had advised me to stay in Sorrento, so I did. That afternoon I had a wander around Sorrento. It's a nice little town built on a cliff-side across the harbour from Naples (45km in a straight line across the water). Much quieter and sleepier than Rome.

Built on a cliff

One of the main streets

The innards of an old monastery

Mt Vesuvius on the far left

An old mill in a valley that runs through the town

An orchard in the middle of town where they make their own Limoncello

After wandering for a couple of hours it felt like tea-time, and I faced a crisis. I realised that I was sick of pizza! I was craving red meat and vegetables! But how can one dine in Italy and not eat pizza or pasta? I felt torn... In the end, I went with what my body was telling me and ordered a balsamic steak and grilled vegetables, with an Affogato to finish (in a pink restaurant). It was delicious, inexpensive, and just what I needed.

Honestly, I did order food too!