Hotel Alhambra Paola

... I&#8217;m talking about.<br><br>If you&#8217;re searching for modern against antique, Hotel De Rose has no rivals; this hotel revolutionized my vacation placing a private beach, suspended garden with pool and whirlpool, and other super-modern amenities in the midst of mountains and coastlines. <br><br>Italians warmth is pretty evident even before you book ...

Train rides in Italy are always an adventure. They almost seem to try to make it as complicated as possible so that if you're a tourist you are always getting lost. On the day we left Pompeii for Sapri, we got on what appeared to be the right train. It showed up at the right time, was going in the right direction, but was not in fact our train. We got as far as Sarento when the train ended. We decided ...

... since Pompei (6 days ago!) as the campground in Salerno had no hot water (not to mention no potable water, feral dogs, all toilets clogged with last season's feces). The place looked like it had been transplanted out of Bosnia in the mid 90's. We've been using the old tried and true method of heating hot water and having a good scrub down with it. Works great until you put your dirty, sweaty cycling shirt back on in the morning. Our ...

... extreme and the whole region pretty much lives in fear on the 'ndranghetti', the Calabrian mafia which is extremely active. We probably even saw an example on the train where one guy got on with suitcases, got off an hour later leaving the suitcases on the train, then another guy got on to look after them... dodgy! About 10% of all the buildings are unfinished concrete frames. I don't know what the deal is there but some families seemed to be squatting in them anyway.

... taken my complaint. He had a five-euro note in his hand, which he gave to me and said, "Please come back." He left and our train departed. That's how I feel about this trip. I knew it would be hard work; I knew there would be problems; I knew I would be lonely and homesick. But, every time I got to the point where I thought, "This is nuts, just go home," some magical day would occur and I would remember why I was here. Thanks, Mr. Cabernardi.

... had some wonderful pasta with lobster and several "gifts" from the chef that I did not recognize, but were delicious. Then I boarded a local bus to Amalfi-around hairpin curves, hugging rugged cliffs, to see some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. The towns are poised on cliffs; the sea is a crystalline blue; and the sky is a glorious blue. I drove ...

... by the mad tea party-like meal by this time, she turns to me and asks, "Is this a starfish or a cookie?" As tempting as it was to watch her try and eat the starfish in full view of all the other diners who thought we were quite crazy, I told her that the waiter had, in fact, just handed us starfish for no apparent reason, and it was probably time for us to go now. As this was the night the World Cup was starting, I think the atmosphere of the town was ...

... this greatly amusing and can NOT stop laughing. Our sides are sore and we can no longer sit up straight. We ask for the bill and realize that we had inadvertently ordered three first courses instead of two. We laugh harder. It dawns on us that we just put away a hell-of-a-lot of food and we are laughing like fools. We have't been served any wine, so they probably think we are stoned out of our gourds. We find this even ...

... another country and a different language to grapple with, different (unwritten) rules and ways of the road, foods and landscape. Today is a national holiday and everything is shut. Found an open air church service and toured the town. The holiday turned parts into a ghost town and there was little traffic to deal with. Exited and continued through olive groves, vineyards and farms. Camped next of one of the many vacant ...

More black sand!!! It was a great drive from Sorrento to Amalfi... scenic cliffs that met turqoise blue water that was completely transparent. The ocean is dotted with sailboats and fishing boats. Between the cliffs are beaches full of people. This area is prime for growing lemons ...