We had been warned several times about the difficult driving conditions in Italy and especially along the Amalfi Coast, but I thought I’ll show those Fangios. 
I was scared, it was truly madness in the extreme. Some roads are so small you think they are footpaths. We hired a tiny Fiat Panda, (makes a Yaris look big), but small is good, a motorbike is best. We were passing within inches of other small cars, speeds seemed very fast but we rarely got out of 2nd gear. Up, down, twisting round. 
Blind corners around the rock cliff, steep drops into the sea on the other side, and switch-backs after switch-back. Then there was the buses, full size coaches, which took up all the road. Everything had to stop to let them pass. Sometimes everything just stopped, and that was that for quite awhile. Before we even got to Amalfi we had got lost, well not lost, just couldn’t get to the road we needed. We ended up travelling a 3 km piece of Autostrade twice (cost 1.60 Euro each time). The GPS program was working but the junctions were so confusing (they seemed to involve a fifth dimension) that the instructions were inadequate (not the navigator).
I was scared, it was truly madness in the extreme. Some roads are so small you think they are footpaths. We hired a tiny Fiat Panda, (makes a Yaris look big), but small is good, a motorbike is best. We were passing within inches of other small cars, speeds seemed very fast but we rarely got out of 2nd gear. Up, down, twisting round. 
Blind corners around the rock cliff, steep drops into the sea on the other side, and switch-backs after switch-back. Then there was the buses, full size coaches, which took up all the road. Everything had to stop to let them pass. Sometimes everything just stopped, and that was that for quite awhile. Before we even got to Amalfi we had got lost, well not lost, just couldn’t get to the road we needed. We ended up travelling a 3 km piece of Autostrade twice (cost 1.60 Euro each time). The GPS program was working but the junctions were so confusing (they seemed to involve a fifth dimension) that the instructions were inadequate (not the navigator).When we could afford a moment to check the view, it was magnificent. We stayed in Maoiri, a pretty little beachside town, but immediately climbed the long switchback road to Ravello.
The Villa Rufolo was built in the thirteenth century by the Rufolo family and later was a home to a few popes and then several private residents, the last of whom was Richard Wagner. 
The sun was setting as we enjoyed the magnificent view down over Maoiri and the beach, from the villa’s gardens. It is now used for art exhibitions, concerts and an annual classical music festival where a temporary stage is built hanging over the cliff edge.
The Villa Rufolo was built in the thirteenth century by the Rufolo family and later was a home to a few popes and then several private residents, the last of whom was Richard Wagner. 
The sun was setting as we enjoyed the magnificent view down over Maoiri and the beach, from the villa’s gardens. It is now used for art exhibitions, concerts and an annual classical music festival where a temporary stage is built hanging over the cliff edge.
A late night tipple back in Maiori ,on the beach, of a local speciality liquor called Limoncello, turned into a mission the next morning to find the original local producer. A short “10 minutes up the road“ was actually an extended morning adventure. 
Once located, the proprietor, was very generous with samples of his Limoncello, Licoricello, and a few other cellos. We (Del) would’ve bought more, but we had 2 bottles specially filled for us, one for home and one for travels. The rest of the day went quite smoothly.
Once located, the proprietor, was very generous with samples of his Limoncello, Licoricello, and a few other cellos. We (Del) would’ve bought more, but we had 2 bottles specially filled for us, one for home and one for travels. The rest of the day went quite smoothly.
We drove into Positano, to have a look at the most beautiful of the coastal towns. Very popular (and expensive) hillside (or cliff-side) village. One road in wound down through the houses and past the beach and wound it’s way back up and out again. Nowhere to stop for cars unless you had mega euros or an inflatable, so we kept going. Went past Sorrento to Pompeii. We trusted our sat/nav program to locate our B&B in a very complex array of one way streets. “She” took us in a roundabout way down some of the narrowest lanes yet encountered, and through some ones carport to eventually arrive spot on. 
Pompeii is a very large area to try to cover in an afternoon, but we set off at our usual pace with Del lagging some 10 metres behind. Street after deserted street of ruins, both fascinating and haunting.
Eventually found the two preserved corpses on display, their pose of horror still evident.
Pompeii is a very large area to try to cover in an afternoon, but we set off at our usual pace with Del lagging some 10 metres behind. Street after deserted street of ruins, both fascinating and haunting.
Eventually found the two preserved corpses on display, their pose of horror still evident.
Next morning we were off to climb Mt Vesuvius or the last 200 metres from the car park. 
It was very steep, loose pebbles and quite slippery (a 2 hour round trip). Visibility from the top was only a few kilometres due to the thick smog/fog, we couldn’t even see Pompeii below let alone Naples or the horizon. The crater was fascinating and sulphurous smoke was venting from the rocks in several places. 
They say it is a matter of when, not if, Vesuvius will erupt again. The sound of rumbles, recalled in our minds, the expressions on the Pompeiians faces and we became a bit anxious. It wasn’t the mountain, just distant thunder, we think.
It was very steep, loose pebbles and quite slippery (a 2 hour round trip). Visibility from the top was only a few kilometres due to the thick smog/fog, we couldn’t even see Pompeii below let alone Naples or the horizon. The crater was fascinating and sulphurous smoke was venting from the rocks in several places. 
They say it is a matter of when, not if, Vesuvius will erupt again. The sound of rumbles, recalled in our minds, the expressions on the Pompeiians faces and we became a bit anxious. It wasn’t the mountain, just distant thunder, we think.
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