It was with some relief that we finally left Bracciano and started a four day ride to Sorrento on the Amalfi peninsula. It was wonderful to be on the bikes again though I was paranoid for a while - checking out every single noise or strange vibration terrified that something else was broken or the mechanic hadn't put the wheel back together properly. I am writing this at a hostel in Brasov in Romania and the ride to Sorrento seems an age away. I remember feeling elated and that the first 50 km or so was either flat or down hill but after that it's a bit vague. We struggled against the wind to get around Rome airport to Lido Ostia which was a bit tacky and full of teenagers playing football on the beach trying to impress the girls who not joining in were sunning themselves pretending not to pay any attention and giggling very loudly every time the ball came anywhere near them. We had our lunch perched on the wall next to the beach and drew a number of strange looks - we weren't anywhere near cool enough.
Once past Lido Ostia we had a lovely ride - one night camping at a site on the beach where we were able to have an early evening swim and watch the sun set over the sea. The next day we made it to Baiae just short of Naples and stayed in another great campsite with a lovely swimming pool. We were lucky and extremely happy to find it after we turned down another site about 20 km earlier because the woman wouldn't let us check out a pitch before deciding whether to stay. We nearly lived to regret it as we struggled to find somewhere else before 7.30ish at which point we had visions of having to pay for a hotel.
The following day we decided it would be easiest and safest to follow the small road through the Port of Naples which stayed parallel to the coast and though it would be further we thought it would have less traffic. In theory a good idea and in practice almost a good idea except for the fact that there was around 40 kms of cobbles. I am not exaggerating - no more than a few hundred metres of tarmac between Baiae and Pompei. In a car it would be irritating enough but on a loaded bike it was bone shattering beyond belief. Now I have a number of theories about how anyone could ever imagine that laying 40 kms of cobbles on a relatively main road was a good idea.
Once past Lido Ostia we had a lovely ride - one night camping at a site on the beach where we were able to have an early evening swim and watch the sun set over the sea. The next day we made it to Baiae just short of Naples and stayed in another great campsite with a lovely swimming pool. We were lucky and extremely happy to find it after we turned down another site about 20 km earlier because the woman wouldn't let us check out a pitch before deciding whether to stay. We nearly lived to regret it as we struggled to find somewhere else before 7.30ish at which point we had visions of having to pay for a hotel.
The following day we decided it would be easiest and safest to follow the small road through the Port of Naples which stayed parallel to the coast and though it would be further we thought it would have less traffic. In theory a good idea and in practice almost a good idea except for the fact that there was around 40 kms of cobbles. I am not exaggerating - no more than a few hundred metres of tarmac between Baiae and Pompei. In a car it would be irritating enough but on a loaded bike it was bone shattering beyond belief. Now I have a number of theories about how anyone could ever imagine that laying 40 kms of cobbles on a relatively main road was a good idea.
- Theory Number One: Even though it's one of the grottier areas in Naples the town council thought they should make the tourists (probably gullible Americans) think that the roads are original Roman roads.
- Theory Number Two: A local Mafia boss had a number of shed loads of cobbles to get rid of, possibly taken up from a road in Sicily where they are doing the sensible thing and laying tarmac, and having an "amicable relationship" with the head of road maintenance in Naples persuaded him that it would be good value for money to lay them around the bay - quite clearly there was enough for 40 kms so 40 kms was laid.
- Theory Number Three and the least likely in Italy a country where driving like a idiot is a national past time: Cobbles laid for traffic calming purposes.
I have found at times on this trip - and this is something of which I am not proud - that I am like a 38 year old Victor Meldrew. Every kilometre:"I don't fffffffing belief it, more fffffing cobbles". I think even Bridget was getting annoyed by the end (possibly as much by my moaning as the cobbles) but she keeps it together so much better than I do and besides I was angry and vocal enough for the both us. The road did turn to tarmac eventually and it was remarkable in-spite of my bad mood how relatively quickly we had made it around the bay and past Vesuvius. And then, the coast road up the Amalfi peninsula blew all the wind out of Mr Angry's sails and in spite of his strongest efforts to maintain a stern face he couldn't help but beam from ear to ear. One slightly hairy and ill advised dash through a tunnel where again it clearly said no bicycles and the volume of traffic were the only negatives - the rest was pure unadulterated beauty.
Having cycled around the bay and through Herculaneum and past Pompei (which archaeological digs aside are complete dumps) we were thankful we had taken advice from the Italian visa agent we met outside the Russian Embassy in Rome and chosen to camp in Sorrento. Yes Sorrento is a bit touristy but is a busy and bustling town with lots going on and a great campsite with amazing views across the bay to Vesuvius. The camp site also had it's own "beach" (more a group of flat rocks with access to the sea) where you could swim in the water or read your book while the sun set leaving a purple haze around the volcano or as it grew dark you could watch the lights coming on around the bottom of the mountain, adorning it's nape like a sparkling necklace. We loved Sorrento - I can even say this having been really ill for a couple days while there with a mixture of sun stroke and flu like virus. We went to a free concert; we found a lovely ice cream parlour; we took a fantastic day trip by boat to Capri where we joined all the other tourists and allowed ourselves to be ripped off taking a 1 minute peep at the blue grotto in a rowing boat propelled by a very pushy guide who before we had even started moving towards the cave was telling us how if we had a good time we could give him a tip; we took a day ride on our bikes around the stunning coast to Amalfi; we visited Pompeii (pretty special) and also visited Herculaneum (even better). Having previously given Tuscany a hard time Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast restored our faith in Italy.
We visited Pompeii first and Herculaneum second. Pompeii was incredible - especially for the sheer scale of the site. The two plaster casts of the men caught in the eruption were extremely moving and I wonder whether George Lucas had seen them before producing The Empire Strikes Back and writing the scene where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite. As Bridget noticed during our later visit to Herculaneum, Pompei hasn't as many rooves, the preservation of the buildings is not as complete as in Herculaneum and it's harder to imagine life there. The size of Pompeii though is remarkable. There are a number of buildings which are really special - the amphitheatre, the small and large theatres and the brothel which has some interesting pornography painted on the walls and which the audio guide suggested might have been there to give the customers some suggestions for positions they might like to try - I suppose a sexual equivalent to a Chinese menu where they have photos of what you are ordering in case you don't understand the language.
Herculaneum is much smaller but what it lacks in scale it makes up for in sheer interest. More of the buildings are preserved with rooves, some have original doors and beams - charred but in tact and it is much easier to imagine day to day life. It is also incredible to see how the site has been cut out of the volcanic debris and how the majority of it remains hidden under the current town. When you see where the beach would have been and what now lies between the old coast line and the current beach the scale of the destruction and the speed with which the old town must have been swallowed by the ash and lava is remarkable. We're really glad we went to Pompeii but we found Herculaneum (as a number of people suggested we might) more manageable and more enjoyable.
Because of our two week delay at Bracciano and because we stayed in Sorrento longer than planned (mainly because we loved it so much) we didn't have time to cycle back to Florence and so had to catch a train. We managed to take our bikes on the local metro which runs along the Amalfi Coast and around the bay of Naples to the city's main train station where we had to take fully laden bikes up and down escalators which was an interesting first and where we were able to book a train with just the one stop via Rome (this is an important point as getting our bikes on and off trains is extremely difficult). We arrived in Florence and as we cycled through the city centre to the camp site it was clear it was a stunning city. The camp site - nothing special in terms of facilities - was located high up the hill on the other side of the river and had a spectacular view of the city. We had a day before we were to meet Ruth and Mark and then five days to explore the city before hading to Venice where we were to meet my Mum and Dad before catching the ferry to Greece.
Having cycled around the bay and through Herculaneum and past Pompei (which archaeological digs aside are complete dumps) we were thankful we had taken advice from the Italian visa agent we met outside the Russian Embassy in Rome and chosen to camp in Sorrento. Yes Sorrento is a bit touristy but is a busy and bustling town with lots going on and a great campsite with amazing views across the bay to Vesuvius. The camp site also had it's own "beach" (more a group of flat rocks with access to the sea) where you could swim in the water or read your book while the sun set leaving a purple haze around the volcano or as it grew dark you could watch the lights coming on around the bottom of the mountain, adorning it's nape like a sparkling necklace. We loved Sorrento - I can even say this having been really ill for a couple days while there with a mixture of sun stroke and flu like virus. We went to a free concert; we found a lovely ice cream parlour; we took a fantastic day trip by boat to Capri where we joined all the other tourists and allowed ourselves to be ripped off taking a 1 minute peep at the blue grotto in a rowing boat propelled by a very pushy guide who before we had even started moving towards the cave was telling us how if we had a good time we could give him a tip; we took a day ride on our bikes around the stunning coast to Amalfi; we visited Pompeii (pretty special) and also visited Herculaneum (even better). Having previously given Tuscany a hard time Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast restored our faith in Italy.
We visited Pompeii first and Herculaneum second. Pompeii was incredible - especially for the sheer scale of the site. The two plaster casts of the men caught in the eruption were extremely moving and I wonder whether George Lucas had seen them before producing The Empire Strikes Back and writing the scene where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite. As Bridget noticed during our later visit to Herculaneum, Pompei hasn't as many rooves, the preservation of the buildings is not as complete as in Herculaneum and it's harder to imagine life there. The size of Pompeii though is remarkable. There are a number of buildings which are really special - the amphitheatre, the small and large theatres and the brothel which has some interesting pornography painted on the walls and which the audio guide suggested might have been there to give the customers some suggestions for positions they might like to try - I suppose a sexual equivalent to a Chinese menu where they have photos of what you are ordering in case you don't understand the language.
Herculaneum is much smaller but what it lacks in scale it makes up for in sheer interest. More of the buildings are preserved with rooves, some have original doors and beams - charred but in tact and it is much easier to imagine day to day life. It is also incredible to see how the site has been cut out of the volcanic debris and how the majority of it remains hidden under the current town. When you see where the beach would have been and what now lies between the old coast line and the current beach the scale of the destruction and the speed with which the old town must have been swallowed by the ash and lava is remarkable. We're really glad we went to Pompeii but we found Herculaneum (as a number of people suggested we might) more manageable and more enjoyable.
Because of our two week delay at Bracciano and because we stayed in Sorrento longer than planned (mainly because we loved it so much) we didn't have time to cycle back to Florence and so had to catch a train. We managed to take our bikes on the local metro which runs along the Amalfi Coast and around the bay of Naples to the city's main train station where we had to take fully laden bikes up and down escalators which was an interesting first and where we were able to book a train with just the one stop via Rome (this is an important point as getting our bikes on and off trains is extremely difficult). We arrived in Florence and as we cycled through the city centre to the camp site it was clear it was a stunning city. The camp site - nothing special in terms of facilities - was located high up the hill on the other side of the river and had a spectacular view of the city. We had a day before we were to meet Ruth and Mark and then five days to explore the city before hading to Venice where we were to meet my Mum and Dad before catching the ferry to Greece.
