The night before arriving in Naples, the boat went through the Straits of Messina, which is about a mile wide, and separates Sicily from the mainland. A couple of hours later, those who were still awake, were able to see the glow of the volcano on the island of Stromboli, which has been continuously erupting for years. The Bay of Naples, extending from Cumea to Sorrento, has a rich history and is one of the most beautiful Italian bays. Naples (Napolini) is a city bustling with activity, noisy, crowded with traffic.
We rented a car for the day (despite all the website posts about crazy drivers etc, warning you that its not a good idea…).
We managed to navigate out of the busy city of Naples and, with only a couple of wrong turns (one put us on the motorway on our way to Rome!!) first stop was Pompeii.
Pompeii is the most important historic site in this part of Italy. At one time, it was a prosperous city with 20,000 residents. The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. buried the town for some 1,700 plus years. It was rediscovered in the mid-18th century, as a result of excavations, and visitors can now wander the cobble-stoned streets of this ancient, doomed city. The ruins were vast and quite incredible (but it was hot walking around this vast area).
After that, we drove along the beautiful Amalfi coast past Sorrento and Positano, (the town made famous by the film “The Talented Mr. Ripley”). Restaurants, hotels and towns were built into the steep slopes. The views over the cliffs that we were driving along were breathtaking, as the road wound its way along the coast.
Time got the better of us and so unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to stop anywhere. Jimmy drove like the Italians and we were all glad to get back alive! By 4.30pm we were back on the boat heading for Sardinia.
