We had a good sleep last night🌙. Woke about 7-8 had a tidy up, packed bags, dressed my gammy finger, then went for a short walk. We found a great little cafe/ bakery just of Via del Tritone, coffee, tea, croissants and cigarette smoke from the table next door. Next we found the TIM mobile phone shop at the end of Tritone, and got fitted out with 2 Italian aims on the spare phones by a nice efficient young bloke called Olivier. It cost about $120 but we’re kitted out with data and mobile for 5 weeks in Italy and rest of the EU + Switzerland and Great Britain. We walk back to the cafe and get a bufalo mozzarella and tomato panini for lunch on the trip to Sorrento.

We need a taxi to get to Termini (Romes Centrale station) for our 12 midday train to Naples. Finding a cab in Rome is hard work, our TIM sims haven’t kicked into gear so we can’t use the apps they recommend and back at the hotel there are no staff to help so we hit the street. A taxi rank near us isn’t yielding so I wave a guy down on Tritone, he had a passenger but said he’d come back. Yeah right! The next bloke said €20 then €28 then drove off and left us. Then in the distance we see old mate  he came back, said he uses a meter but it should be about €15-16, he got us through heavy traffic and  the meter is €17 so we give him €20, and the change is his, an honourable honest cabby, worth the tip.

Our train is a Frecciarosso, a bit over an hour to Naples. Train is 9519, the Navigator is impatient, it’s in the board but no Binario (platform) is allocated yet and she wants to be on it ready to go. Patience isn’t one of her strong points, let’s say more.

Eventually it comes up on the board Binnario 8, we scan our ticket on the machine to get in, walk quickly to Car 8, the Navigator mumbling to slow walkers words to the effect ” oh for christ sake, get out of the f…g way!” I agree, she’s right.

The seats are good, we share with a young English couple. A Train 9519 takes off rattling along at about 250-300k/hour, the Swiss and Germans  and even the young Belgium guy on the plane suggest Italian trains are not on time and inefficient. That’s not been our experience, I like Italian trains.

In Naples on time at 1.30, then we struggle a little to find the Circumvesuviana line to Sorrento. The Navigator is struggling with steps and breath but we eventually sort it out. €4.20 per Ticket, Binnario 4 leaving at 1.57. A scammer gives directions thinking he’s been a help, he gets €1 to piss off, next time I won’t be so generous.

The train is on time, its rattler, lots of people heading to Pompei, very snug, we get a seat and keep the bags close, it’s notorious for pickpockets and thieves. A busking violinist gets on the train, everyone trying to earn a Euro, but it’s not that appealing and not that good. He’s not getting any of my Euros.

We arrive at Sant Agnello train station, no markings, Google maps gets us 950 metres through the alleyways to Cocomello Road and Villa St Angelo. Nearly all the others are here so it’s a great reunion with we see all the time to others we see rarely. We push off commercial quantities of alcohol, gin in particular , eat lovely food at a great restaurant around the corner.

It’s been a long day again.

Ciao for now – Pauolo