Day 8: Naples to Naples

Tonight we're in Naples again -- the first time we've spent 2 nights in the same place. We took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. Our plan was to climb Mount Vesuvius and go to Pompeii today, then drive the Amalfi coast tomorrow. Well, we didn't realize that there are several roads that go part-way up Vesuvius, but only one leads to the hiking trail. After driving halfway up the volcano on the wrong road and driving around trying to find the right road, we decided to drive the Amalfi coast today. We drove as far as Positano and got some great pictures, but the steep inclines, the hairpin turns, and the fearless Italian drivers whizzing by, were making me nervous (even more nervous than Alice), so we returned early (7:30 pm) to our hotel. Ahhh, air conditioning. After cooling off, we walked to our new favorite restaurant around the corner. Last night, we shared the best pizza ever. Tonight, we shared the same kind of pizza as well as a local ziti/ragu dish. The ragu was heavenly -- I think the "Ragu" company in America ought to be ashamed to use that name. Picture 1: Mount Vesuvius from across the Bay of Naples; Pictures 2, 3, and 4: The Italian coast between Naples and Positano.