October 3 – 10, 2026
Day 48: Saturday, October 3… Travel day. One hundred sixty miles from Taranto to Salerno. Forty-four euros. Three and a half hours. Bikes on dedicated racks. Comfy seats. Easy peasy on Trenitalia.
It was a short ride south from the train station to our “Holiday Home.” That’s actually the name of our little apartment. We plan to use it as a base for exploring Salerno and the famous Amalfi coast. But that’s for tomorrow. The rest of Saturday was for eatin’, drinkin’, and chillaxin’!
Day 49: Sunday, October 4… It was really a good plan! Carefully crafted. Well thought out. The product of countless man/woman hours and Google searches. Except – much to the chagrin of a several other hopeful folks – the 8:30am city bus never showed. We watched dozens and dozens of MAMILS (middle age men in lycra) cycle by on their Sunday morning ride. No bus by 8:45am. An interesting cross-section of the community – men, women and children – zipped by on scooters. 8:55am, still no bus. By 9:15am we decided the bus drivers were either on strike or had fallen victim to some oddly specific natural disaster.
We gave up and started walking. By the time we reached the north end of town an hour later, the noise and heat had lessened our enthusiasm for a hike. So we meandered the narrow, shady streets of old town.
By a happy accident we stumbled upon the suggested starting point for our hike. Well – “Why not?” We went high enough to gain a view of the city, then decided that was far enough! Given the intense afternoon sun, we retreated into the shadows for our reward…
Day 50: Monday, October 5… The Amalfi coast of Italy is famous for cities that seem to defy gravity. They cling to mountains that plunge into the sea. People speak of it in reverential tones. It is a “must see” of Italy, or so we’re told by Influencers, Facebookers, Instagrammers, “Eight Must Sees on the Amalfi Coast” -ers.
The Amalfi coast is indeed beautiful. We “oohed” and “aahed” along with everyone else on the ferry as we made our way to the city of Amalfi.
When we came ashore and immediately jumped on the city bus to the trailhead of “the most beautiful hike in all of the Amalfi!” A “must see!” we were told. We were prepared to be blown away by the charm and beauty of this “must see” region.
The hike was nice. The view of the coast and Positano from on high was stunning. Then we walked into the Industrial Tourist Complex of Positano. It was an assault on our senses. All day long along the coast, ferries disgorge seething masses of cruise ship passengers and other tourists (just like us). An endless stream of tour buses disgorge an endless stream of tour groups. Positano was filled with a suffocating crush of selfie-taking humanity. And this is the off season!!
And what is there to see? Jewelry stores. High end clothes and purse stores. Shops selling “authentic” Amalfi limoncello? Wine stores. Bars. Fridge magnet and T-Shirt stores. Galleries. Restaurants. B&B’s. Hotels. Guest houses. Every building wholly devoted to the tourist trade.
We desperately wanted to love the Amalfi coast. We really did. While it was nice enough from a distance, up close it was not charming. It was sad and pathetic and disturbing. We saw a hollowed out city over run and ruined by people like me. It made my skin crawl. As soon as we found space to breathe, we booked seats on the next ferry back to Salerno. We kept asking “what are we missing?” How could our experience be so at odds with everything we had read? We had no answers. I guess we will just agree to disagree.
Day 51: Tuesday, October 6… We have gotten quite good at bike touring. We kinda suck at touristing. Who knew that tickets to major tourists sites in Rome sell out a month or more in advance? Apparently everyone who bought tickets a month or more in advance! So, we spent a good part of the day booking lodging, trains and figuring out last-minute workarounds. With some creativity and a willingness to throw cash at a problem, almost any challenge can be overcome.
The rest of the day was low key. I finished a book. Sharon collected sea glass on the beach. I ran up into some local hills. Sharon explored more of Salerno. We watched a NatGeo video about Pompeii. We both were feeling a need for quiet.
Day 52: Wednesday, October 7… Travel day. Another painless train ride. Our host was kind enough to allow an early check-in. With gear safely stowed, we wandered the streets of “new” Pompeii, in part to seek out street art. Early evening we took part in la passeggiata…the evening stroll. Even with all the attention obviously paid to the tourists visiting the archeology site, the city didn’t feel touristic.
Day 53: Thursday, October 8… I do not believe in ghosts. Yet, in the archeological park of Pompeii, it is easy to imagine the ancient residents still present going about their business. Some houses are so well preserved and restored, it is as if the owners just stepped out to run an errand. Pompeii is an amazing time portal to life 2,000 years ago. Walking the narrow streets of Pompeii also called to mind every historic city center we’ve visited during the last month. It was striking how similar they felt. Viewing the plaster casts of the men, women and children who perished in this disaster drove home the human element. We wander the homes of thousands of people who died tragic deaths. It is a sobering realization.
I won’t bore you with all the history. Suffice to this this self-proclaimed history geek was well and truly satisfied. This was one, much-hyped tourist attraction that lived up to the hype.
Day 54: Friday, October 9… Travel day. Our apartment was less than five minutes from the train station. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. I commented to Sharon that we always question the need to arrive so early when everything goes smoothly. No sooner had the words passed my lips, I received an email from Trenitalia. Extreme weather had caused the cancellation of our train! Didn’t see that coming!
What to do? While we were trying to decide, a train heading to Naples rolled into the station. We made a snap decision and jumped on. Better to ask forgivess than permission? We figured we’d sort the ticket situation later. Turns out we didn’t have to. No one checked, so we didn’t have to attempt explaining why we had tickets for a different train. The rest of our ride to Rome was uneventful.
We knew Rome was big. Four point three million people big. We’d heard that Rome is frantically busy. We generally really dislike big, busy cities. Rome seemed different somehow. Not sure why, but it was exciting to be part of it.
Full raingear from Roma Termini station to our apartment – our last in Italy. After we had dried out and the rain ended, we were off exploring. Sharon wandered. I went in search of bike boxes.
First impressions. Rome is a comfortably chaotic mix of new, old, and really old. Example: Our room is near the Piazza Popolo. The ornate entrance on the north side is the original gate through the city wall dating to 275ad. An Egyptian obelisk carved by order of Pharoah Seti I and his son Ramses II sits in the center of the piazza. It dates to 1300bc and was brought to Rome by Caesar Augustus in the first century bc. It is cuurently guarded on four corners by lion fountains built in the early 1800’s. Currently the plaza is set up for some event that includes a stage pumping out thumping music.
Day 55: Saturday, October 10… Prior to our arrival I reached out to half a dozen bike shops inquiring about bike boxes. Zero responses. So today I set myself the task of finding the necessary items. It took five miles of walking and half the day, but by early afternoon I had what I needed. By late afternoon I had cut down a comically large box and packed my bike.
Between her exploration and la nostra passeggiata serale (our evening stroll), Sharon wandered almost ten miles. I took care of a necessary chore. We both counyed our days as time well spent.
Thus ends our last full week in Italy. We are looking forward to seizing the carp in our remaining time here in the “Eternal City.” We are both also looking forward to being home. Until then – enjoy! STC!
