Salerno, Italy

 I requested an early stop than the Salerno center bus terminal, to save 1 km walk, using my offline map. After checking in the hostel, I started exploring Salerno for 4-hr, including the Historical Old Town (it’s tiny little passageways and hidden corners reminding me the blue city in Morocco), Arechi Castle (300 meters above sea level, overlooking the city and the Gulf of Salerno, and I got in the castle for free at the last 19 min before closing), Duomo of Salerno, Lungomare（a boulevard with palmtrees and ocean views), Villa Communale, San Pietro a Corte (a Roman thermal bath re-used in Middle Age by the first Christians as a cemetery as well as an underground church), Piazza Flavio Gioia with the ancient city gate, etc.

It was a long day, and I cook chicken with vege and Italian noodles of Verizon’s shapes. Time to rest.

Amalfi Coast

 I woke up by 6 am train passing by the back of the hostel, and headed to the Sorrento bus station for 8:30 am SITA bus to Amalfi, after taking a motion sickness pill (that made me drowsy). SITA online bus schedule was inconsistent with local station bus schedule, yet the later controls. 

The sunlight softening sticker on the bus window made the 1st leg photos off. I waited in line since 8:00 am so to get to pick a ocean-side window seat. It was a pity that I couldn’t take good photo of Positano, the most popular town on the coast.

The Amalfi Coast lies in the southwestern region of italy, and is famous for its extraordinary beauty and its iconic medieval cliff-side Mediterranean fishing villages (recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site). I walked around Amalfi town a little to see Duomo (the cathedral) in Amalfi, and its cloister (Chiostro del Paradiso in Italian). 

After a 1.5-hr layover, I took another bus from Amalfi to Salerno (the end of the Amalfi coast), when I took better photos as the window had no coating. As the weather was too hot for hiking, I merely bused via the coast for the views.

Sorrento, Italy

 I took a direct bus from Pompeii 11:30 am to Sorrento 12:40 pm, instead on train transfer option like my new hostelmate. So I saved more time to explore Sorrento, and finished sights including Piazza Tasso, Villa Comunale, Duomo (Cathedral), St. Francis Monastery, Basilica di Sant'Antonino, Sedil Dominova, the Port (Marina Grande), and three beach areas, and Bagni Regina Giovanna (Queen Giovanna Bath), by 5:30 pm.

I walked 2.5 miles along a narrow shoulder of the costal road with spectacular views overlooking the coast, to reach Queen Giovanna Bath, a popular beach being part of a Roman Villa (Pollio Felice) ruins, where nature, sea and the past come together.

Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii ruins

 Fortunately I followed tourist info office advice, and booked the ticket to hike Mt Vesuvius (11€) one day ahead. I took 1-he local EAV bus (3.1€ one way paid on bus) there, walked around a nearby trail (more flowers/plants, and no other people) while waiting for my entry time slot to hike (full of people walking steeply uphill 860m, yet great view of the Bay of Naples, Pompeii, and the crater. It is a currently dormant volcano that occasionally emits streams of lava. 

After the 4-hr morning trip, I got in the Pompeii ruin (16€) walked another 4-hr in some shades or under hot sun. The entrance C was least busy and touristy. However, my hike return bus dropped everyone at Entrance B, so I started there. I usd Rick Steve’s free Audioguide, and the official website. My experience with Italian tour guides so far was that they speak slowly in English and not as efficient as online audioguide; however, they can answer most local questions. I Drank so much water and totally ruin-out. One site was plenty for me, although some people bought boundless tickets for 5 sites.

“Pompeii was a settlement since the Bronze Age. Romans took control of Pompeii around 200 BC and it grew to become a large town. On October 24, 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted, burying the nearby town of Pompeii in ash and pumice, killing around 3,000 people.”