16th April - Sorrento on High

Left Sorteano for Sorrento through Naples which the lonely planet describes as dirty and edgy. It looks huge and sits around the base of Mount Vesevius. Found our
campsite which seems to be as is everything in Sorrento on the edge of a cliff. Again we are the only people in a tent, another english couple seem to be living out of a big white van and another german couple opposite us are sleeping in their car
each night so we no longer feel like the maddest people in camping world. Sorrento is beautiful the roads are the most twisting turning roads I have ever seen on the edge of cliffs with huge rocks and lemon groves perched on top of tiny bits of land high up. There are mopeds, cars, people and animals all constantly swerving around each other on the roads and streets which is total chaos but it's a chaos that works and I love it.

Mat Stat - They are worse drivers in Naples than Milan, that is saying something.

17th April - Free Pompeii




Took the circumvesuviana train/tube today from Sorrento to Pomepeii which was free to get in for some reason so we got the audio guides figuring we would understand a bit more what we were looking at. The audio guides are like phones where you tap in the number of the place you are looking at and the guide will talk you through where you are and what you are looking at. Brilliant idea when you are actually standing in the right place which we were most of the time. Pompeii is huge when you
exit and look back you can see how massive it was. The plaster casts of the people found after Vesuvius erupted were quite disturbing (they had even put teeth in one of the casts mouth) but in the houses you could still see the pools they had in the courtyards that collected rain water and mosaics on the floors and walls. The tour took you around what would have been a very wealthy person's house and then to the baths, the brothel, sports arena and theatre to name a few.

Mat Stat - Pompeii is 15 sq km, thats bigger than Diss!!

18th April - Amalfi Rain

Mat drove the amalfi coast today which is beautiful and scary as the passenger on the left hand side of the car where it seems like you will hit every single bike, car and bus you pass. Add also being on the edge of a cliff and pouring hailing rain!
Think Amalfi would have been brilliant but rain rain rain all day so ended up in a cafe with some coffee watching some poor italian lady getting married in the church outside and then having photos in the downpour but she didn't seem to care.

Each morning in Sorrento I have been woken up by the sound of someone playing a trumpet in the chalet down the cliff to the left. In Positano today found out this wouldn't be allowed.



Mat Stat - The cheapest property sold in Almalfi last year was 1.2 million euros.