Chad Is Everywhere

Pizza is making Naples a favourite place to visit   So I did eventually leave the Amalfi Coast. It's not an easy place to leave. It's over an hour drive even at 7am in the morning without the traffic as I found out. One of the fellow guests was getting a ride to the airport and well I just jumped on as it was just easier that way. The alternative would have been to figure out trains and buses. And well I was lucky I could just hand over money and make the problem go away. So I had returned to Naples the start of my Italian adventure. Having flown in only briefly a week before I had not actually gotten to see the city. My first visit was merely get into the city, and eat a pizza. However on this visit I had goals to achieve. Places to see, yes. But more importantly I was here to make, and eat pizza . Staying in an Airbnb was also a part of my authentic experience. The place was okay. The host quirky, local, decent stay in a very central location. However the entrance ...

A hike to Ravello was the final daily activity on the Intrepid Travel tour. Now I must admit I had not really analysed the tour itinerary in great detail after making the decision to book. Features that had motivated my decision to book were more the fact the tour didn't move around too much, it completed the regional destinations of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, Positano, and Capri, and it would also allow me tho opportunity to swim, get sun, and get active. Oh and eat. What I did not really consider was how many stairs is that. Which is probably a good thing as I hate stairs. Don't get me wrong like my gym trainer says I'll still do it when told, but I'll reserve the right to hate the process and voice my option to that issue. Ravello was the final stair climb. The penultimate day of stair climbing. It really was a pure climb up. From Amalfi we started the climb by walking around to Atrani. From there it was climb, climb, climb. Switchbacks aplenty were to be found...

It's only fair that Amalfi gets it's own posting dedicated to itself. After all it was the town that had hosted me for 4 nights on the Intrepid Tour . It may not get the accolades of Positano in fame. But to me it was the best place to base the majority of the Amalfi Coast stay in. Positano although beautiful, and a closer connection to Capri, was very hilly, and well seemingly even more over priced, and less connected. Perhaps too the glamour of being the most well known destination, the focus of the Americans we overhead on the local bus had jilted me. I may not have been out overnight in Positano however the impression was it was a place you walk down the main street only once or twice and otherwise stayed in your accommodation as it's quite a hike back up the hill for most guests. This was not the case in Amalfi. Most of the accommodation was towards the town centre right down in the town square. There was quite a connection to the town square with many cafes, restaura...

I feel like I should go straight to the point all my friends, family, and readers of the title of this post post want me to go. However I will not. As per normal I want to get a fuller description of this day in Amalfi. So scroll a little further if you want to find the much anticipated video of me falling in. In the meantime I guess I'm writing this for myself, as per normal. This day in Amalfi started with a walk up behind the town to a spectacular nature reserve with waterfall and plush almost rainforest like vegetation. Don't expect to find this spot yourself without a guide. The area is strictly controlled by the Italian parks service and others. We even needed to pass a checkpoint with our guide showing papers of authorisation. Alas it was perhaps more a sign of Italian bureaucracy at work than thoughtful planning to protect a region. Somehow the tourists without guides were still making it inside the restricted zone which angered our guide. The area up here although no...

If there was ever something that stuck in my head from our Amalfi tour guide Giovanni it was the pronunciation of Italian cities we were visiting. You see you couldn't just say we were visiting Positano. In Italian it was Pos-it-an-o. The town of Praiano was Prai-arn-o, and the Island of Capri was no exception. Over and over there was Giovanni making it sound so much more exotic. "Today we go to Car-pre". It did sound a bucket load better when he said it. Alas Ford thanks to their vehicle of the 1990s has so much to answer for having butchered how the town is pronounced by the English speaking world. Perhaps any future Italian friends and visitors will forever roll their eyes when I put on what seemed an over the top exaggeration of speaking Italian. Anyway the day over to Capri could not have been any nicer. Especially considering as the day before had ended in an afternoon storm. From Amalfi it might have been just over an hour of ferry cruising via Positano to arri...

Day 3 of the Intrepid Amalfi Coast Walk Hike and Boat Tour was all about the most famous walk, and most famous town in the area. Using a starting point of Agerola our morning was to take us as far as was possible on the Path of the Gods . Unfortunately landslides the year before had actually closed the official path for hikers to take it all the way Positano. Or well definitely officially according to the guiding association to which our guide was registered and affiliated dearly. Alas there were some unofficial guides taking their guests further and perhaps through even though it was illegal and unsafe. Intrepid obviously adhered to the rules. I'm sure in the very least it makes sure the insurance is covered. As a result of the change our walk took in the upper reaches of the Path of the Gods until we reached a viewing point looking towards Positano. From there we backtracked and headed down to a monastery overlooking i believe Praiano to then walk right down into the town...

  For 2 nights our Amalfi Tour was based in Agerola . For some this may seem like an unusual choice of accommodation by a tour company. One of those cheaper nights out of the way. However it made perfect sense when you get a full appreciation of the landscapes your dealing with around the Amalfi Coast. Agerola is a tiny bit inland when you look at a map of the Amalfi district. So yes you're not really on the coast. But the coast here goes pretty much vertical to this area. In the past when tourism might have just been about being at the beach, or at the coast we were told the communities like Agerola missed out on tourism. But now with the popularity of the Amalfi Coast has meant there is a growing demand, and presumably a very successful series of developments or programs have been made to ensure this community doesn't entirely miss out on the tourism market. Agerola was our setting as the town provided the perfect launching pad for two days of walking. The first was ...

The Floor was Lava in Pompeii The afternoon of the 2nd day of the Intrepid Tour was focused on a walking tour of Pompeii . Although entrance to the site was included a guide was extra. Fortunately our own tour guide was more then encouraging and helpful to arrange. And the whole tour was in on splitting the cost of €120 for 2 hours. Still leaving us a bit of time to do our own exploration. Money well spent. Would not have had a clue without. And well Pompeii isn’t just a 3 Street site. It’s a whole suburb. Well by suburb I mean it was a suburb of the main city centre as we would compare. Pompeii was a major trading centre with the homes of the elite business owners. It's main street serviced the many who flocked to the city for trade as a major shipping route. A major shipping port is probably a closer description. One with chariots buzzing through. So best to keep off the streets. If only the locals knew the giant volcano in the background was to be the huge issue. ...