- Thursday, June 3 – Headed out from BWI to Toronto for an overnight flight to Frankfurt, then to Naples.
- Friday – Arrived in Naples [map] in the early afternoon and caught the crowded bus to Napoli Centrale – Piazza Garibaldi. First impression was that Naples was not a place to hang around for too long (first impressions were quickly dispelled). Walked to my hotel, the Suite Esedra, about 10 minutes from the train station. Crashed for a few hours, then walked around the corner for late dinner at a local restaurant (met a very nice Neapolitan couple who helped me with the menu and recommended other good restaurants in the neighborhood).
- Saturday – Up early, breakfast at the hotel, then walked to the National Archaeological Museum. After several hours in the museum, headed toward the Bay of Naples, walking down the Via Toledo (Piazza Dante to Piazza del Plebiscito). Stopped at a sidewalk cafe for pizza, then visited the Galleria di Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano to see one of Caravaggio’s last paintings, “The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula.” Checked out the Spanish Quarter and the Royal Palace, then stopped for a rest at a small park, overlooking the bay. Lounged at the Castel Nuovo for awhile, then headed up to the Spaccanapoli for the return walk to the hotel. Stopped in the Piazza Gesu Nuovo, and visited the Church of Gesu Nuovo, and the Church of Santa Chiara. Stopped by Polo Nord Gelateria before heading back to the hotel for a brief rest. Tried to find the pizza place that the couple told be about the night before, but no luck (got lost roaming the streets near the hotel, as the sun went down). Headed back to the restaurant I visited on my first night in Naples, for pasta and beer.
- Sunday – Breakfast at the hotel, then a walk through light rain to the Museum of Capodimonte. After touring the museum (amazing collection), lounged in the large municipal park, then headed back downtown to the Spaccanapoli. Stopped for an early dinner at Antica Pizzeria da Michele, but the queue went down the block, so I opted for a place across the street (great pizza, no line). Wandered back to the hotel to pack for the across-town journey to Monday’s hotel.
- Monday – Breakfast at the hotel, then grabbed a cab to the hotel where I was scheduled to meet the REI group, Chiaja Hotel de Charme, near the Piazza del Plebiscito. Checked in, grabbed a cup of coffee in the hotel dining room, then hiked the steps to the Castle of St Elmo. Strolled the walls of the castle, while the clouds cleared over Naples…incredible views of the city with Vesuvius looming in the background. Visited the art gallery in the Castle courtyard, then headed out. Found a restaurant nearby with a patio overlooking the city. After a great lunch, headed back downhill via a separate set of steps (different from the uphill trip). Got back to the hotel in time to clean up and meet the REI group: Gus Martinez from Texas, Gabriel Quetglas (Gus’ cousin) from Miami, Alan and Judith Mitzner from New York, and Clio and Richard Thorpe from Idaho. Our guide was Andrea Mizzani from Milan. After introductions, we headed to dinner at a restaurant close to the hotel.
- Tuesday – After an early breakfast, we boarded a hydrofoil to the island of Capri [map]. Hiked the beautiful loop trail around Capri, enjoyed a picnic lunch, then lingered for awhile in the town square before catching the boat back to Naples. Explored Naples in the vicinity of Castel Nuovo, then had dinner and headed back to the hotel.
- Wednesday – Spent the morning touring Napoli Sotterranea (Naples Underground), and the nearby portion of the Spaccanapoli and Plebiscite Square. After the morning tours, we drove to Agerola [map] and checked into our hotel, Albergo Risorgimento, where we enjoyed lunch on the terrace looking toward the Amalfi Coast. After lunch we hiked from town, along cliffs overlooking the coast, and through the woods to Pogerola [map], overlooking Amalfi [map]. After ice cream in Pogerola, we drove back along the Amalfi Coast rode to Agerola. Pizza at the hotel (three of us assisted in the kitchen, preparing and baking the pizzas).
- Thursday – After breakfast at our hotel, we drove to a nearby limoncello factory for a brief tour and conversation with the owner. Then hiked the cliffside trail known as the Path of the Gods to Positano [map]. After gelato break in Positano, we took a hyrofoil to Amalfi, where we had a few hours to explore the city, including the Amalfi Cathedral. Drove back along the coast to our hotel in Agerola.
- Friday – After breakfast at the hotel, we drove to Pompeii [map]. Enjoyed a private tour with a knowledgeable guide (third-generation Pompeii guide), and then had several hours to explore the ruins of the city. After a bag lunch at Pompeii, we drove to Vesuvius [map] for a hike to the summit. After the Vesuvius hike we drove back to Naples for dinner and to catch the overnight ferry to Stromboli.
- Saturday – Arrived in Stromboli [map] in the early morning and checked in to the Hotel Ossidiana. Took a brief hiking tour of San Vincenzo, then returned to the hotel for breakfast and a brief rest. In the late afternoon, we met the vulcanologist/guide who would lead our evening hike to summit of the volcano. We approached the summit as the sun was setting, and got to witness the first of five eruptions we’d see that evening. Bag dinner near the summit, and then hiked to the top in the dark. Dark and dusty descent to the hotel, where we arrived about 10pm.
- Sunday – Breakfast at the hotel, then a morning hydrofoil to the island of Vulcano [map]. We had lunch at a cafe near the dock and enjoyed the town’s raucous celebration of a recent soccer victory. Hiked past the sulfur baths to our beach-side hotel, the Hotel Conti. After a brief swim and rest, met the group for an afternoon hike to the summit of the volcano, then toured the town and arrived back at the hotel in time for a wine tasting (local volcanic wines) and dinner overlooking the bay (where, according to legend Prometheus was punished for his theft of fire from the gods).
- Monday – Awoke to a stormy morning, and took the early hydrofoil to Milazzo [map], Sicily. Lunch in town, followed by a brief hike to Milazzo Castle, then drove to Taormina [map], where we spent the afternoon. Drove to Mt Etna, where we were greeted by very cold winds. Checked in to our hotel, the Rifugio Sapienza, and met in the hotel dining room for dinner and a video that described the history of the volcano.
- Tuesday – After breakfast at the hotel, we took a 4-wheel drive transport to a location near the summit (10,899′), and spent the rest of the day hiking to the summit craters [map]. After the Etna hike, we drove to Catania [map] and checked in to our hotel, the Hotel La Collegiata. After a brief rest, we toured the town, then enjoyed our last group dinner at a sidewalk cafe near the hotel.
- Wednesday – Breakfast at the hotel, a brief walk around Catania with Alan and Judith, and then drove to the Catania airport for fond farewells (end of the REI trip) and a noon flight to Rome (via Munich). Arrived in Rome in the late afternoon, took a bus to my hotel (Hotel Selene). Checked in and enjoyed a late dinner at nearby restaurant.
- Thursday – Up early, breakfast at the hotel, then walked up to Termini Station to buy a Roma Pass. Took the metro to the Colosseum station and spent the morning touring the ancient ruins of the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palantine Hill. Headed up to the Victor Emmanuel Monument, grabbed lunch, then caught a crowded bus back to the hotel for a brief rest. In the afternoon, I grabbed a cross-town bus to the Campo de’ Fiori. Had a coffee and snack at a cafe on the square dominated by the statue of Giordano Bruno, then walked to the Piazza Navona. Spent the early evening in the Piazza (Four Rivers Fountain, Sant’Agnese in Agone), then walked to the Pantheon. Grabbed a granita di caffe con panna at Tazza d’Oro Casa del Caffe, walked through the Piazza Capranica, the Piazza Colonna, and then hiked up the Via del Corso to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Lingered on the steps as the sun set, then walked to the Piazza del Popolo, where I had dinner at a sidewalk cafe. After dinner, I walked back to the Spanish Steps metro station, to take the train back to the hotel.
- Friday – After breakfast I walked to the St. Peters-In-Chains Church to see Michelangelo’s Moses, then took the metro to the Vatican City area. My previously purchased pass to the Vatican Museum let me skip the insanely long entrance lines, but not the massive crowds inside the museum. Had a panini near the museum, then walked around St. Peter’s Square. Headed back across the river to my hotel, rested for awhile, then visited the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme Museo Nazionale Romano. Dinner near the hotel, then a last gelato, and back to the hotel to pack for an early morning departure.
- Saturday – Skipped breakfast at the hotel, and headed to the Termini to grab the Leonardo Express to Fiumicino Airport. Flew from Rome to Toronto, and back to Baltimore in the early evening
Kerry Snow's Travel Blog (and other stuff)
