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We arrived in Naples by train after one of those always confusing train terminal experiences. You remember – lots of people, trains everywhere, no notion of where one might buy tickets and a language that we have mastered as far as good morning and not much more. But, we eventually found some ticket machines and put our visa card in and pushed a lot of buttons and wow, two tickets to Napoli popped out. We did it! But as we sought out the train, we discovered that the ticket machine had decided we should travel in separate cars – so we did.
In Naples we walked through the narrow streets and along the charming seafront promenade.  At a sunny restaurant, Leslie ordered a nice long skinny white fish and Val ordered a pizza.  The fish was great and the Neapolitan pizza had a super  thin crust and was way too big.  A 12th century Norman fort, Castel dell’Ovo, stands out on a tiny peninsula and there on an isolated rock they placed their cannons pointing toward the shore. It must have been something about not having completely conquered these Italians.
Overlooking this beautifull bay are the looming peaks of Mt Vesuvius. We hiked up there during our 1969 trip. At the right is Leslie in 1969 in front with the Bay of Naples below. Our hope is that we find a way to repeat this experience toward the end of this trip. We shall see. Naples seems filled with people.   Mostly tourists? Mostly Italian tourists? What we see does not look like a collapsed Italian economy.
From our Pinto Storey Hotel veranda we watch fireworks that the Neopolitans put on in celebration of the Maria the Madonna…., or is it because we have returned to Naples after 44 years? The hills are very steep and here and there we find  that funicolares are cable cars that ascend and descend via nearly vertical tunnels dropping us off in little neighborhoods and in lovely parks overlooking the Bay of Naples. We walk through the city’s historic city center, the UNESCO designated centro storico, viewing the busy street life on a Saturday afternoon. We cross streets frequented with overloaded vespas speeding by on cobbled streets. We rub elbows with families out for a stroll, and sample several flavors of delicious gelato.
After a panino and refreshing lemon granita lunch we taxi to a tall hotel where we met Dick and Dottie and the other 8 travelers who, along with our two Italian guides, Alexandra and Constantino, make up our Country Walkers group. We place ourselves in our guides’ capable hands for a 6 day walking trip which ends in Sorrento (with an aside to the Isle of Capri).
This first tour day starts with 2 hours walking around the ruins of Pompeii which was covered with ash in pyroclastic flows from Mt Vesuvius on Aug. 4, 76 CE. The ruins are about 80% excavated and reveal blocks and blocks of homes, stores, bars, artisans’ shops, bakeries, spas, etc.. Some of the patrician homes still have some extraordinary murals. There must have been much wine drinking in Pompeii based on the number of pottery wine jugs excavated and the hot ash fell so quickly that people were overwhelmed and now scientists use plaster to make molds of the places where people fell as they tried to escape more than 2000 years ago.
After Pompeii we ascend the “Milky Mountains” on narrow, twisting roads and the day ends with our arrival at Ravello where we are staying in a spectacular hotel. Our accommodations are much fancier than our usual simple rooms, and the cuisine is absolutely superb. The reputation that Italy has for fine food is well deserved; the pasta, pizza, seafood, coffee and wine have all been exceptional. We appreciate the emphasis on using fresh, local ingredients, and the fact that our tour company’s green philosophy is evidenced on many levels.