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| Very impressive |
It felt so good this morning as
we left the camp with the sun shining and we headed for the A1 Autostrada, the
toll motorway that covers much of Italy. Up till now we have used the lesser
roads but with wanting to get south and have got a bit over the potholes
decided to pay the money and have an easy drive. After making sure we picked up
our ticket as we entered and stored it carefully it was a breeze, three and
sometimes four lanes, smooth seal and not too much traffic.
The scenery was wonderful, with
high mountains rising on both sides of us and further on the change to poorer
looking land with houses that didn’t look dissimilar to Spain. After two hours
we pulled into a service centre for a coffee break and a stretch then back on
the road, skirting around Naples and before long we could see Mount Vesuvius in
the distance.
Obviously very fertile flats as
we passed so many plastic houses with crops growing and people working in the
fields. The paid section of the motorway ended after three hours of driving and
pleasantly surprised with the toll of under €20. By now the sky was looking
rather ominous and by the time we turned off the motorway at Battiplagia the
rain had started…again. And it turned into a real downpour making driving
really hard. Spotted a large outlet complex with a huge parking area so pulled
in for a late lunch break and to wait out the worst of the rain. It eased a bit
so with umbrellas up decided to check out the stores as Ian was looking for a
lightweight raincoat. Very happy to find one in the Nike store at a very good
discount.
With light rain still falling
continued south to Paestum, an archaeological site that is Unesco World
Heritage site, which was recommended to us by a friend of Hitten’s. Arrived at
a small camping area and the heaven’s opened again, we seem doomed. No point
exploring so feet up with a book and a lazy few hours. When the rain eased we
decided to walk the 500 metres to the site where there were a few places to
eat. Found a nice little family run restaurant and enjoyed a great meal and
some local wine.
And just looking at the scale of
the remains of these Greek buildings dating from 600 BC, was amazing,
especially as they were lit at night. So looking forward to an explore in the morning.
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| A real change of scenery on a great road. |
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| Mount Vesuvius |
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| Time to pay our tolls |
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| The sky was looking ominous. |
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| The cook! |
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