Two Trains To Genoa
I took two trains to Genoa.
The first was one of the new high speed trains called Frecciarossa, that got me to Rome in just over two hours and the second was a Frecciabianca that got me to Genoa around six in the evening. I didn’t write the exact times down and can’t find them from the Trenitalia web site.
On the trip to Rome, I had an aisle seat, which explains the lack of pictures. Especially as the train was crowded!
When I booked the trip, I didn’t realise that the Rome to Genoa leg runs for a long time up the coast and has spectacular sea views.
Both trains were 2+2 seating and despite the bigger loading gauge in Italy compared to the UK, I think that the seating was rather cramped compared to some First Class I’ve sampled in the UK, in France and on Eurostar.
The stops on the Rome to Genoa leg are also quite important cities including Pisa, which is a major rail junction, so don’t necessarily do the leg in one as I did.
Would I Visit Naples Again?
Naples keeps drawing me back and of course I’d go again.
Exploring Naples In The Morning
As i said here, I got back into Naples without difficulty on the free bus and explored the city in the few hours I had before my train left for Rome and Genoa, where I would spend the night.
I didn’t have to carry my bag, as there was a good left luggage office in the station. It was probably best, as last time, I visited the city I was mugged. The story is here. Two pictures refer to this incident.
the only problem I had was getting back to the station, as the Metro had stopped. I even got an honest taxi driver, who said it would be much cheaper to take the Metro as it was only a short journey. As it was it cost me only a few euros, but I made the train with a few minutes to spare.
If I go back to Naples, I’ll explore the city differently by taking the Metro to Cavour and then walking down the hill to the station. That way the Metro won’t be able to let you down.
A Big Mistake In Naples
I know Naples well and I like the city a lot, but I still made a big mistake, by not getting a hotel right in the middle and preferably by the station.
I choose to stay at the Holiday Inn and it all went well getting there as the taxi was just ten euros.
I then needed to get back into the city to have something to eat. I wanted to get to Umberto’s restaurant, which is one I’ve used before that is very celiachia-friendly.
I thought there would be a bus, as coming in, I’d noticed the stop on the other side. But the guy at reception said that the only way to get back to the city centre was to take a taxi and he would call one. Like an idiot I believed him.
The taxi driver appeared about twenty minutes later and insisted I wanted to go to Pompeii. I ignored him and felt that perhaps the best thing to do was take an early night. He then called the receptionist and as I was hungry, I negotiated a trip to Umberto. I didn’t get the direct route and it cost me twenty euros to return.
But at least the meal was worth eating, even if I was a bit stressed. I finished the meal off with this ice cream.
Ice Cream at Umberto’s
It tasted as good as it looked. But then I trust Umberto’s, as everything gluten-free is clearly marked GF. And they even do gluten-free pizza!
Coming back, they sorted the taxi for me and I got back to the hotel for fourteen euros. As they said, I should have got a hotel in the centre.
The room in the Holiday Inn was actually quite comfortable and good value.
In the morning though, when asking another receptionist (female) how to get to the city centre, she gave me the timetable of their free shuttle bus. And of course, one would have been convenient to have used in the evening.
I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere near a Holiday Inn again. Especially in Italy!
Up The Coast To Naples
This wasn’t the most interesting of train rides. I can’t even find a picture worth putting in this post. The train didn’t even stop at a station, that was worth an overnight stay until Salerno.
The journey was enlivened though by two things.
I shared the compartment with a Dutch couple and we discussed a lot of things about our lives.
There was also an Italian gentleman of a certain age, who I think had a hearing problem. He had the speaker on his mobile phone switched on and pointed to his ear, whilst he shouted into the other end. If I’d known some Italian, it might have been a better experience.
The Dutch couple got out at Salerno, as they were going to Pompeii and Herculaneum, before carrying on to Naples after a couple of days.
On the other hand, except for a banana kindly given by the Dutch couple, I was hungry by the time I got to Naples.
Nutritional Pizzas
This article about Nutritional Pizzas, caught my eye on the BBC’s web site, as I like a nice pizza and haven’t had a good gluten-free one since Naples, a few years ago.
The company behind the new pizzas is called, Eat Balanced, from Glasgow. I spoke to them today and their marketing person is actually a coeliac and she told me that gluten-free pizzas are in their company’s development plan.
So here’s hoping!
A Man with a Bookcase
Sometimes things just happen that make you smile ever so much. One such thing happened last night as I made my way home from Oxford on a Victoria Line train to Blackhorse Road, where I had parked my car.
A guy entered carrying a bookcase and as the train was a bit crowded comments were made. These started to get funnier and funnier and for the five stops he was on the train, there was a lot of jokes and laughter. The journey moved very quickly.
Here’s a photograph of the guy sitting on his bookcase.
Man with a Bookcase
Before he left, I talked to the guy and found he was a photographer called Mario Guarino from Naples in Italy.
This episode made me think of the Roman Polanski short film, Two Men and a Wardrobe. It was made in 1962 and I think I probably saw it at school. I hope it is still worth watching!
Fake Goods in Naples
I have read that France and Italy are fining people and even putting them in jail for having fake goods in their possession. I don’t think it has much to do with stopping the practice, but with raising money.
Perhaps I am a bit of a goody-goody, but I don’t buy fake goods. On the other hand, according to my Dorling Kindersley travel guide approximately half of all the fake goods in Europe come in thrpugh Naples.
If most come through one place, wouldn’t it be a good idea to police the port there properly.
It’s Not the Size of the Dog
Ask a postman and he’ll tell you that he’s more likely to get bitten by a irate dachshund than a large brute of a German shepherd. And if there’s a serious dog fight, they’ll usually be something like a Jack Russell involved. It’s just that small dogs seem to have more fight.
Now I’m 60 kilos (9 st. 6 lb.) or thereabouts wet through. Not that that I usually get wet outside of a bath or shower. And I’m just 1.71 metres (5 ft. 7 in. and a bit). Which means I’m somewhere in size between a flat and a jump jockey or about the size of a lightweight boxer. I’m also 62 in August.
I was probably being stupid by wearing a watch in Naples, but then I’d done it before and hadn’t had a problem. But thinking about it, when I had done it before, it had been cold and I’d been wearing my elderly Gieves and Hawkes jacket. The jacket is the sort that British gentleman wore all over the Empire, as it’s capable of dealing with knives and small arms fire.
So as I was walking around the city with a lady friend, a thief struck and tried to take my Rolex. Now it is not just any Rolex, but one my late wife gave me as a Christmas present two weeks after she died. It is inscribed with something personal and it is very precious to me.
Subconsciously, I gripped my hands together and as one would expect from a watch like a Rolex, the strap held, giving me some bruises on the wrist. We ended up rolling on the floor, with nobody giving me any assistance. I chided my friend afterwards for not doing what women should do in these sort of circumstances and that is scream and scream loudly. She just tried to kick him in the balls.
As we rolled, I was able to grab his index finger with my right hand and still I think keeping my left locked tight to my right wrist. Something snapped and it wasn’t anything of mine and my assailant was up on his feet and jumping on to his accomplice’s scooter. Did I just wrench his finger or break it? The doctor I saw in the UK, who was built like a prop forward, said it was an easy thing to do.
So it was a win on points to the terrier. Especially as the thief was perhaps well under half my age and perhaps fifty percent heavier. Hopefully, he’s a good bit wiser and will think twice about attacking small Englishmen.
I didn’t come out unscathed in that I had a large cut on the back of my head and I was bleeding quite badly.
No-one helped or came forward, so we eventually ventured into a pharmacy, where the pharmacist patched me up and called an ambulance. Only then did some of the local women come forward to say how sorry they were. But not a man said a thing. Is this silence because of the fear that people have for the local thugs and the Mafia?
At the hospital, everything went well and I left an hour later with seven stitches in my head and a clean CAT scan, which checked that nothing more was broken.
As to the Rolex, it cost just £2 to have the strap straightened at Wigg’s in Newmarket.
Now would I go back to Naples?
Of course. It’s a wonderful city with marvellous museums, Roman sites galore and lots of good food. I had a glorious gluten-free pizza in the Umberto restaurant. And that’s just the city itself.
Pompeii
On the trip in June this year, I also visited Pompeii.
Pompeii is south of Naples and is just a few stops on the Circumvesuviana railway.
Pompeii is one of those places, that must be seen. It is a World Heritage Site.
The Anonymous Widower 