Up at 5.30am this morning as off to Pompeii. Quick brekky and them a 20 minute walk to Piazza Republica to meet the tour. Took a small group tour (15 max) as doing Pompeii and then drive to Amalfi coast and Positano. A long 13 hour day but next morning to recover and just couldn't be bothered with catching a couple of trains and finding our own way there. Just lazy and end of trip tiredness.
Met our guide Andrea and on our way with driver, Luigi, best in the business and looks like he's been in it for a while. A family of four on board and mother / grandmother (hard to tell) looks like she's suffering from some ailment and having enough trouble just walking the 5m to the bus with a cane, God knows how she will do the Pompeii walk?
Stopped after almost 2 hours for a pit stop and then about a further hour to Pompeii to be met by our guide, Francesca.
Was a great two plus hours at Pompeii, just amazing and certainly could have spent more time, but thems the breaks. Great, knowledgeable guide who imparted a lot of information leaving you wondering how much more is still siting there undisclosed in the massive sections still not excavated. Now the woman with the cane; the family didn't think there could be much walking, can't you get a wheelchair, aren't there motorised options? Which bit of the ticket in bold print that says "NOT SUITABLE for those with walking impediments" do they not read!!!!!!! Suffice to say the group did NOT wait for her, don't care, over this and people that can't (won't) read advice (English was not an issue) or expect to be excluded from rules to the detriment of others. Rant over again.
From Pompeii on to Positano via Naples , Seiano and Sorrento along the windy Amalfi coast drive. Brilliant scenery and coastline along a hairy and narrow "highway", ending in a one way only road into Positano. The bus was only a small 20 seater and was the maximum length allowed on this road. Luigi certainly showed his skill here as often he tuned a hairpin with only a few centremetres either side. Great skill.
Into Positano and down the steps, walkway to the beach where we had lunch, veal in lemon sauce for me and tuna salad for Jane with local Amalfi Rose and white wine; lovely. Back up to the awaiting Luigi via some shops (this area well known for lemon product, especially lemoncillo) where a couple of purchases were made.
By now after 4pm so we headed straight back to Rome ( dropping Francesca back at Pompeii) via the coast road and then highway. Almost two hours in to the journey poor Luigi ran straight over a large plastic wheel arch dropped from the truck in front, no time to avoid ( I actually saw it all happen) and he had to pull over to check the damage. Back onto the bus without a word and then on to a rest stop at 60km for the next 15 minutes with Luigi seeming to make a couple of phone calls, police and autostrada seemed to be mentioned. You see now, Francesca was not on the bus, no one spoke Italian and Luigi ( mid to late 60's) didn't speak a drop of English. When we stopped the only damage appeared to be a missing front number plate? Through hand gestures, my VERY poor Italian (nil) I appeared to ascertain that we were waiting for the police as he was not allowed to drive the tour bus any further without reporting it to the police and them viewing the damage. About 10 minutes later Andrea turned up in the other bus and confirmed this was the case and about five minutes later the Autostrada turned up and they had his number plate with them, that they had collected on the way. Signed documents, much talking and gestures and we we on our way again, love Italian beuracracy, no wonder nothing gets done or finished.
We eventually got back to Rome about 8.30pm, a long day. Said goodbye to Luigi, lovely man, and walked back to the Ritz to drop off the days gear before walking to a place nearby for dinner. A different, but nice Radicchio and gorgonzola pizza with a carafe of Vino Bianco before stopping for the best gellato on the way back. Brilliant day but now almost midnight and time for this old boy to have a nap. Last night in Rome and Europe. :-(
Met our guide Andrea and on our way with driver, Luigi, best in the business and looks like he's been in it for a while. A family of four on board and mother / grandmother (hard to tell) looks like she's suffering from some ailment and having enough trouble just walking the 5m to the bus with a cane, God knows how she will do the Pompeii walk?
Stopped after almost 2 hours for a pit stop and then about a further hour to Pompeii to be met by our guide, Francesca.
Was a great two plus hours at Pompeii, just amazing and certainly could have spent more time, but thems the breaks. Great, knowledgeable guide who imparted a lot of information leaving you wondering how much more is still siting there undisclosed in the massive sections still not excavated. Now the woman with the cane; the family didn't think there could be much walking, can't you get a wheelchair, aren't there motorised options? Which bit of the ticket in bold print that says "NOT SUITABLE for those with walking impediments" do they not read!!!!!!! Suffice to say the group did NOT wait for her, don't care, over this and people that can't (won't) read advice (English was not an issue) or expect to be excluded from rules to the detriment of others. Rant over again.
From Pompeii on to Positano via Naples , Seiano and Sorrento along the windy Amalfi coast drive. Brilliant scenery and coastline along a hairy and narrow "highway", ending in a one way only road into Positano. The bus was only a small 20 seater and was the maximum length allowed on this road. Luigi certainly showed his skill here as often he tuned a hairpin with only a few centremetres either side. Great skill.
Into Positano and down the steps, walkway to the beach where we had lunch, veal in lemon sauce for me and tuna salad for Jane with local Amalfi Rose and white wine; lovely. Back up to the awaiting Luigi via some shops (this area well known for lemon product, especially lemoncillo) where a couple of purchases were made.
We eventually got back to Rome about 8.30pm, a long day. Said goodbye to Luigi, lovely man, and walked back to the Ritz to drop off the days gear before walking to a place nearby for dinner. A different, but nice Radicchio and gorgonzola pizza with a carafe of Vino Bianco before stopping for the best gellato on the way back. Brilliant day but now almost midnight and time for this old boy to have a nap. Last night in Rome and Europe. :-(
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