We decided to catch the regional train from Rome to Naples, thinking that the fact that it was a bit slower than the Intercity that we'd see some great scenery and save ourselves around 80 Euros. What we didn't realise is that the regional trains don't have air-conditioning, hence two hours on a train in 30+ degree heat = an extremely unpleasant trip. Oh well, you live and learn!
We had no idea what to expect when we arrived and as we got out of the station we were faced with litter, grime and dodgy boys selling their wares. Luckily the hotel was only a block away and we definitely hit the jackpot because not only was it modern, air-conditioned and funky - we also discovered that when the shutters were closed and the lights off it was pitch black and near silent … we nicknamed it the "bear cave" and I certainly could have hibernated there for our stay! :-)
We had dinner at the hotel the first night. The restaurant was on the sixth floor and the outside terrace had a great view over Naples.
We planned to go to Pompeii the next morning, but fell victim to the bear cave! The alarm was set for 7am, but instead of hitting snooze I turned it off and we woke up two and a half hours later! We decided that by the time we got ready we'd be touring in the heat of the day, so we'd put Pompeii off until the next day. With that we hit the "do not disturb" button and continued to sleep.
We finally got up and going early afternoon - armed with our map we set off to see what Naples had to offer. It turns out not much!
We discovered that there was an underground tour of Naples that left at 6pm, so we found the departure point and waited for the tour guide. What we hadn't factored in was that the tour was entirely in Italian! We decided to still go and headed off down the stairs into the underground. It was 17 degrees and a pleasant change. We sat through 30 minutes of animated explanations and then it was time to weave our way through the underground city - some of the tunnels were so narrow that we had to turn sideways and shuffle through them. One of the guys on the tour guessed we were Aussies and then started to interpret bits and pieces for us, so we at least got some snippets of what the tour guide was saying. It was fascinating and apart from a few moments of claustrophobia quite enjoyable. After the tour we found a restaurant for dinner, then caught the bus back to the hotel and the glorious bear cave!
We managed to get up as soon as the alarm went off the next morning and were at the train station by 8am and on our way to Pompeii. Luckily there were guided tours in English this time and it turned out that the other six people in our group were Aussies. Our guide was a character and you could tell he loved what he did. Pompeii is fascinating and a lot larger than expected, our guide really brought the city and its people to life for us.
When the tour finished we caught the train back to Naples and escaped, once again, to the coolness of the bear cave. After a rest we set off in search of somewhere to have dinner - not an easy task on a Sunday in Naples! We finally walked back to the area we were in the night before and went to the same restaurant. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and had a drink on the terrace before our last night in the bear cave.
Next stop Munich for Oktoberfest!
Location:Naples, Italy
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