The breakfast lived up to the quality of the rest of the hotel. Initially Maggi Helen and I asked for cappuccinos but the coffee tasted absolutely awful. All of us attributed the foul taste to the milk and so we asked for 3 Americanos. They arrived and followed the same pattern, undrinkable.
The rest of the breakfast didn’t sink quite to quite as low standard, but it didn’t taste a whole lot better.
Most of us wanted a decent coffee after we had checked out and left our suitcases at the hotel for safe keeping.
We wandered haphazardly around the area and found ourselves walking through the vintage capital of Naples. Stalls and shops lined the road selling all types of second hand clothing. Much of the sellers looked like they dressed from their collection. Women rummaged through the piles dropping articles on the floor as they dismissed them.
As we climbed we could see nowhere to have a coffee. At last beside a church which faced a large square we found a cafe. We purchased coffee and it arrived in small plastic cups. The taste certainly improved on the breakfast coffee, but not by enough to make the drink pleasant.
I entered the large church which dominates the square and where the entrance lined with flowers and a white carpet awaited a wedding. The Basilica Santa Maria a Pugliano has sarcophagi dating back to the 2nd and 4th C AD. The church contains many other treasures, I wish I knew about them before I entered or possibly had a guide. Plenty of marble making up the pillars and walls showed the priests had not been short of money for their establishment.
We descended from the hill where the Basilica stood to the entrance to Herculaneum. As you approach the ticket office you can look down into the town and wonder how complete this ancient site is.
We wandered around the site with our audio guides in hand. I hate the fact that I listen to the commentary and 10 minutes later I’ve forgotten 98% of the contents.
Our tour lasted about 2 hours by which time we had all had enough. On the way out I looked up to see Mount Vesuvius overlooking the areas it had destroyed 2000 years ago. Will the mountain erupt again to the same devastating effect.
Lunch at the roadside
Matt seemed determined that we eat pizza for lunch. He had seen a place on our earlier tour and he led the way. We all sat down and choosing to sit outside meant a table on the pavement with the cars rushing down the hill behind my ear. Sometimes it became hard to hear the conversation. We all consumed pizza and I had a couple of glasses of wine.
Drive to Sorrento
We returned to the hotel, picked up our cases and the taxi driver appeared immediately. A very easy drive took about one hour at our AirBnB, home for the next three nights.
The accommodation consisted of a moderate size lounge/dining room with a small kitchen attached. Each couple had a double bedroom. Maggi and I had the only en suite bathroom. To make up for this luxury we had the smallest bedroom. It looked as if someone had furnished the whole apartment with their grandparents rejects. Everything looked newish but dated.
We ate in the restaurant below our flats. I wasn’t hungry so just had a bowl of soup. Others ate more.