Naples Trip summary

Back on line. Returned home late Monday night and just stayed home yesterday to get some rest and do laundry. Now I'll backtrack to the weekend events:

Friday 17 Feb. Destination: Capri.
Got up early and had breakfast at the lounge then walked to the airport terminal to catch the shuttle to the ferry terminal. We got on the 10:35 ferry and reached Capri at 11:30. The sea was a little choppy and bounced the hydrofoil around a little bit. It was a little overcast and hazy when we got there but cleared up later. Lots of Japanese tourists so we felt at home. Took the bus up to the town; walked around, took pictures and visited the church (picture-taking not allowed inside).

We then followed the trail to Villa Jovis which is the biggest site built by Emperor Tiberius. It was mostly uphill and took about 45 minutes one way but the scenery was really breathtaking especially once the sky cleared up. There wasn't much left of the site but mainly excavated sections that were preserved. Took some pictures and walked back stopping at a small cafeteria and had some spaghetti for lunch.

Visited the Arco Naturale afterwards and mom just stayed in town because it was another long hike. It is a natural rock formation and there are 400 steps to get to the bottom. I didn't try it since these will be tough steps going back up. This hike wasn't as bad because it was relatively flat since it took an hour for the whole trip. It was well worth it because of the beautiful scenery as evidenced by the picture and tip of the Naples peninsula can also be seen.

Bought some postcards and then took the 1630 ferry back to Naples. Didn't get a chance to take pictures of the island from the boat because the windows were all covered in salt spray and there was no viewing deck.

Saturday 18 Feb. Destination: Sorrento/Amalfi.
Took the shuttle bus to the Garibaldi Terminal this time and rode the train to Sorrento which is about an hour away. The ride was noisy and bouncy since the train was old and not even close to the Japanese standard. Made multiple stops along the way and we were able to see Mt. Vesuvio closer but didn't get a chance to take some pictures because the windows were grimy and dirty. Passed a lot of orange and lemon groves of which Sorrento is famous for and their specialty is the 'Lemoncello' drink which come in bottles of different sizes and shapes. We actually walk around in the afternoon after returning from Amalfi.

Took the bus to Amalfi and sat on the front seat for a good view but later regretted it. The trip was almost 2 hours long but the scenery was awesome since it followed the rugged coastline and sometimes it was a straight drop of about 500 ft and the road was narrow with blind curves. All vehicles must blow their horn on approach and give way to whoever is there first. The 'shoulder' is about 3 ft. high and is mainly for decoration and as I said earlier about regretting my decision to sit in front, the driver wouldn't slow down on the curves while talking to a passenger and all I see in front is mostly sky and water and the vertical drop on the side. Needless to say, I was a little tense and had that tingling feeling between my legs during the whole trip.

Walked around the town and went to see the cathedral but it was closed so I just took pictures of it. Had lunch at a fancy restaurant and then walked around some more, took pictures and bought postcards. The return trip was better because we were on the 'safer' side of the road so I took some videos this time.

These are some pictures of the surrrounding view taken from the boardwalk/jetty. A panoramic lens would have been better to show the layout of the structures on the side of the hill.

Sunday 19 Feb. Destination: Rome.

Got up a little earlier this time to catch the 8:10 bullet train to Rome because we had to buy our tickets from the terminal. We had 3 ladies from mom's conference and it was their first time to travel outside of the US and were very excited. The trip took 1 hr. 15 min. and was very smooth and quiet. Nice accomodations with booths for 4 or table for two by the window and snacks/drinks were also provided. The Roma Termini is huge and is the main terminal including the city buses and airport shuttle.

We bought a 1-day pass (found out later was useless because passengers were not being checked) and boarded a bus for St. Peter's Square. Stopped at a church while walking to the square and attended mass. There was a huge crowd at the square and they were all looking at a building to the right of the square which had a window open and banner hanging down. Found out later that the pope was coming out to bless the crowd at 12:00. A very pleasant surprise and solemn wedding anniversary present for us. He greeted each group and especially mentioned praying for the victims of a landslide that completely wiped out a town in the Philipppines.

Walked next to the Castel de San Angelo and then rode a bus to the Piazza Venezia which is the center of Rome then walked to the Colosseum and viewed the Roman ruins.

Walked to the Fontana de Trevi (Trevi Fountain) and then to Piazza di Spagna where the Trinita dei Monti church is located. It was being renovated so we were unable to get inside. Walked down the Spanish steps and the usual crowd was there sitting on the steps. We were basically retracing our steps from 2003 but at a

leisurely pace.

Found this bar named after Nettie on the way to the Spanish steps.

Rode a bus back to the Piazza Venezia where we caught another bus to the Roma Termini. Had pizza at a sidewalk eatery and boarded the train back to Naples at 6:30 pm. It was a long and exhausting day but was very much worth it because of the pope's blessing.