Napoli

Getting to Naples turned out to be quite a task. From Crete we flew into Athens with the intention of going to the Peloponesse. But after finding no reasonable accommodation in Napflio we decided to head straight to Italy. So from Athens we caught two trains to Patras and then boarded the overnight ferry to Bari, Italy. The ferry trip was great. Our private cabin was clean and comfy and after a great night's sleep we woke up in Italy. The journey to Naples wasnt finished though as we had to catch a train and a bus to Naples as we missed the daily train to Naples which left in the morning.

The hostel we stayed at in Naples was near the main train station and not in the best neighborhood as we found out. The hostel overlooked a road that ended with a huge supermarket and was full of rubbish. It turned out that the street turned into a market every morning that sold clothes, shoes etc. By 2pm each day the market stalls were packed up and the street was open to traffic again however all the market vendors left their rubbish on the road which were swept up by street cleaners each night. The roat below the hostel was a hub of activity day and night and many times we sat on the balconies and watched the chaos below.

When we checked into the hostel the receptionist basically told us not to carry anything valuable with us in the streets or take anything valuable out for people to see. He told us to only carry a small amount of money at a time and secure all bags properly. He told us to not come and go from the hostel after midnight as the street was not safe. All this was quite a lot to take in on that first day. Nevertheless the hostel itself was clean and spacious.

While in Napoli we had the very best pizza we've ever had. All the guide books recommended a pizzeria that had been around since 1870. This place was quite small and with simple decor. The menu was also limited; they had 2 kinds of pizza margerita(basil, tomato, oliva oil & mozzerella) & marinara (oregano, tomato, garlic & olive oil), soda, water and beer. The pizzas had a thin crust and were made in a wood fired oven. They were so delicious we were left wondering how they could make something so simple taste so good.

During our stay in Naples we had the chance to visit Pompei which was a short train ride away. The ruins covered a huge area and it was facinating to see how the city was organised. There were ruins of temples, markets, shopping streets, residences, administration buildings, brothels, sport and theatre arenas as well as graffiti, casts of people who died in mid expression, frescoes, wall paintings etc etc. Most of the artefacts from Prompei are kept in the National Archeological Museum in Naples, which we had visited the day before. Although the museum is not very well organised it had a superb collection of sculptures and the most complete collection of artefacts from Pompei so it was well worth the visit.

While in Naples we also did a day trip to the Amalfi coast via Sorrento. The Amalfi coast stretches for about 50km and the road is carved into the side of a mountainous ridge that follows the coast line on a very windy path. Along the way there were many towns which spread from the cliff tops down to beaches and the sea below. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Somehow it feels impossible to find the words to describe the sense of exhileration and awe we felt that day. The coastal towns such as Positano and Amalfi were so beautiful I felt that especially Positano was far more beautiful that Santorini on any day. We had lunch in Amalfi and headed back to Naples hoping to return to spend a holiday somewhere along the Amalfi coast.

In the 4-5 days we spent in Naples we met some great people in our hostel. Most of the were Aussies or Kiwis travelling around Europe and we had a great time swapping stories over pizza and wine. Being in such a dangerous place brought us closer together and I got a true sense of what its like to stay in a hostel because of it. Come to think of it everyone we had met so far had been very friendly and I'm glad we are staying in hostels because without the people we had met along the way Europe would not have been half as fun.