4th April
After visiting the Ruins of Pompei yesterday, it is time to visit the scene of the crime today. The trip to the crater of Mount Vesuvius. This volcanoe is classed as one of the most dangerous in the World, it is still active and is expected to erupt at any time. In fact, the eruption cycle is classed as 20 years and currently it is 82 years since eruption. The last eruption was classed as medium, but scientists expect that the next one will be massive, possibly on the scale of the one that engulfed Pompei. Measuring instruments are sited all around the volcano, constantly watching for signs of change. Scientists predict that if an eruption becomes imminent, then they will have a three day window to evacuate the population. Pompei will automatically be in it’s path because the winds at that altitude always blow in the direction of Pompei, so whilst the lava may flow in one direction, the dust is likely to fall in another.
The journey to the crater is in three stages:
- The local bus from outside the Station to the entrance to the National Park.
- By 4×4 vehicle to the top of the tree line.
- A hike to the top.
Each of the stages has it’s interesting feature.
The local bus is typical of the provincial buses in Italy, single seats along each side and the rest standing. The seats are made from Formica and as such are extremely slippery. That is what makes stage 1 so interesting: the bus is driven at full throttle all of the time,, over bumps, round bends, everywhere, so the chances of staying on your seat are minimal. Road junctions are an annoyance to the driver and he really does not want to be delayed by any of them. No wonder Italians are constantly making the sign of the cross.
The 4×4 is a very different animal, it is an enormous beast made by Mercedes; who better for large 4x4s? The cab is semi-articulated from the passenger body to allow for chassis flexing. The seats are surprisingly high quality coach seats. The journey is bumpy in the extreme, but comfortable due to the seats. Again,, considering the terrain the vehicles are driven at breakneck speed with very little room for tolerance.
Stage 3 is a hike to the crater, a climb of several hundred foot. This climb is very steep, in places rocky, but in most places the path is purely volcanic dust. At the side is a rope barrier, which if you slip underneath has nothing else to get in your way before you reach the bottom. At a guess, by that time you are only any good to the foxes and eagles.
Once at the top, you are met by a guide who gives you quality information about the volcano and it’s activity. It is possible to see smoke rising from several vents. This smoke has risen about 8 kilometres from the magma below. As you get closer to the vents you can see that the smoke is yellow from the sulphur content. The sheer size of the crater is to be seen, it is about 3 kilometres around the edge and from the edge there are only a few places where you can see to the bottom.
The trip down was just as exciting as going up, but considerably faster. In all, the trip takes around 3 hours. Strong shoes are a must as is some warm clothing as it can get cold at the top. A strong bladder is also a must as there are no toilet facilities.
From the top, the views across The Bay of Naples is stunning.
5th April,
The plan for today is to visit Naples, the third largest city in Italy. However, plans are made to be adjusted. by now we had spoken to several people from all backgrounds about Naples and places to visit, without exception, everyone suggested that we shouldn’t visit. Their comments ranged from dirty, through unfriendly to potentially dangerous. Even Italians advised us not to go.
We eventually decided that an afternoon excursion along the coastal railway to Naples and straight back would be enough for today. Unfortunately, the timetable for the coastal railway is a little haphazard, in fact it doesn’t really exist. As such, the train turns up when is does and leaves straight after. If it is early, then it will also leave early, so you have missed it. There are also copious reports of pickpockets and overcrowding.
Our final decision was not to go at all. So, a day strolling around Pompei and very pleasant it was too. One achievement that could be marked down was that Val finally managed to get to see inside the Church in Pompei having being ushered out for being unsuitably dressed in the morning. Ladies, cover those shoulders.
6th April,
A trip to Sorrento is planned for today, and it is a gorgeous sunny day for it. The train takes about 14 stops and costs all of 2.20 Euros per person each way. This is a typical Italian train, about 50 years old and showing every day of its hard life. But it goes and it stops and it is cheap, so who cares. There are many long tunnels on the route and these are taken at break neck speed.
Sorrento station is only a short walk from the main city, and what a change this city is. It feels cleaner, friendlier, and lively. The views across the Bay of Naples from above the port are magnificent, and the sea is crystal clear. In the town the old part consists of many lanes that are bustling with normal shops, souvenir shops and restaurants. There is not the feeling of pressure that one finds in other towns and the prices are certainly not set to rip you off. In fact, we had a good lunch at a streetside restaurant for the same price as two coffees in Rome.
There is a little white “Train” that can be used to take you on a tour of the town. The cost is 7 Euros and you can hop on and off when you wish. The only problem with that is that the train is timed to coincide with the tour buses, so lone travellers have little chance of catching it.
The return journey was interesting as the train was full of teenaged schoolchildren, but no problems.
7th April,
It is time to leave Pompei, this time by quicker means than our journey down. We take the Autostrade North with no set destination. We have in mind an Aire at a point about 250 miles North. Once North of Naples the traffic thins and the idiot drivers keep out of the way, our progress is now much better and I am able to set the cruise control for a speed higher than we would normally travel. Such is the urgency to escape Italy.
By our late lunch stop we have made excellent progress and decide to press on further. Eventually, late afternoon, we stop at La Spenzia, a small port just south of Genoa. From here, we can make Antibes and therefore France tomorrow. This is pretty much a non-town and certainly not worth wandering round. The Aire is also just about good enough for an overnight stop.
8th April
Today is Val’s birthday, unfortunately, it is going to be spent travelling. I have, however, promised to take her to Antibes for her birthday; not many women get that offer.
We have about 250 miles to cover today, reasonably easy when compared to yesterday. But, we had forgotten that we were heading into the Alpes Maritime, this meant that whilst we were still motorway all the way, progress was slower due to the bends and the tunnels. Boy, what a lot of tunnels.
We arrive in Antibes just before 2:00pm and head for our site: Camping Le Rossignol. We have been here three times before, but still needed sat nav to get us there. This van is about 1.5 metres longer than last time we came here and that really shows in pitching on the continental campsites. Even the larger pitches here are tight.
Unfortunately, our visit to Antibes was not as we remembered some 10 years ago and the remainder of this day and the following day were rather flat for us.
10th April.
After the general disappointment of the last couple of days we decided to take the train into Cannes. We had been to Monaco a couple of times from Antibes, but never to Cannnes. This was our first opportunity to ride on a double deck train. It was very comfortable.
Cannes is full of beautiful people and others hoping to see those beautiful people. We just went along with the flow. It is a very busy town, but despite it’s affluence, very few shops were open as it is Sunday. We took the opportunity to wander around the sea front and then up to the castle, high above the town. The views from up there were spectacular. The harbour was filled with floating Gin Palaces of the idle rich laid out for us mere mortals to drool over. This is certainly a town to visit, even if it is just to see how much money can be poured out by so few. Come the afternoon, it was time to head back to Antibes. Yet again, although we bought our ticket for the train, we did not need it at all. No barriers and no check anywhere.
Generally, apart from today, our trip to Antibes was not as good as we had expected.
11th April
Time to move on, we are not fully certain which route we will take, but we do know that either route will take in Castellane; a town that had us captivated when we visited in 2014. By going this way we will complete the Route Napoleon, the route that Napoleon took when he returned from exile in Elba to retake the Empire from Louis XV111. The road is spectacular with twists and turns up into the Alpes Provencal and photo opportunities are plenty.
Although it was only 55 miles, the journey took about 3 hours, such is the extra time that the mountain roads take. Our original plan was to stay at Camping Provencal, the campsite that we used 2 years earlier, but just before we left Antibes we found that the site doesn’t open until late April. Our changed plan meant that we would head for the Camping-Car Aire at the entrance to Castellane. Our choice was good, this is a fantastic spot with mountain views all around and a stone’s throw from the centre. As we drove into the Aire we spotted an identical Bailey motorhome to ours and decided to park close to them. This is a town that is made for exploring and walking and that is exactly what we did for the rest of the day. The weather was perfect, warm but not searingly hot. In the evening we were treated to the kind of sunset that only the clean air of high mountains can provide.
Week 4 starts here: Week 4