Our trip....
Vietri is alone on AC in having a train station, which - along with the plentiful
local buses - makes it a good base for exploring, not only further along the AC (to
Amalfi, Positano and eventually Sorrento) but also on the 'mainland': southwards to
Paestum and the Cilento, or north for Pompeii, Oplontis, Herculaneum, Naples etc.
Long renowned amongst Italians for ceramic wares, it made a pleasant visit - proving
to be less touristy, and more genuine, than previous experience of the area had led
us to expect!
Coming from Ischia, the beaches were of little interest to us, so no photos but -
unusually for the AC - there is at least some sand to be enjoyed, not just pebbles...
At the end of this gallery there's a map; click on individual photos for larger version
24-SEP-2010
The view from the upper parts of Vietri
From the Vietri sul Mare station, looking over the lower part of
town - with the road that leads along the Amalfi Coast to its
adjacent suburbs of Raito and Albori
02-SEP-2004
Vietri sul Mare... from the sea
A bit too much like 'coals to Newcastle' for us - so we skipped the beach, but
there are several good sandy stretches for those interested in such things!
Higher up, first the coast road to Salerno, then the rail lines used by the
Naples/Salerno Metropolitana, and finally the A3 autostrada...
Taken in September 2004, when passing on a 'Metro del Mare' hydrofoil.
02-SEP-2004
Raito and Albori
Two outlying parts of Vietri, spreading along the next hillside, towards Cetara
24-SEP-2010
Just in time!
To catch the 8AM commuter hydrofoil to Mergellina we had to be down in
Ischia Porto good and early...
24-SEP-2010
Mergellina's station
After landing at Naples' second and smaller hydrofoil port, on the waterfront at
Mergellina, there's then a walk of some 10 minutes up to the attractive art-Deco
rail station.
It's very much simpler that going from the Beverello quay in the main harbour to
the one in Piazza Garibaldi - but also on the route of the frequent Salerno-bound
Metropolitana trains!
24-SEP-2010
Our train - the 09:10 Metropolitana
Scheduled to leave from platform 4, and make a host of stops before
reaching Salerno, the 2nd class-only train number 21307, is operated
by Trenitalia as part of the Naples area Metropolitana system.
After Mergellina, it then runs underground for most of the trip thru'
the city - to emerge into the daylight again soon after leaving the
mezzanine platforms of the Piazza Garibaldi station, below the
mainline one known as 'Napoli Centrale'.
As singles, the tickets cost 4 Euro each.
24-SEP-2010
Passing Vesuvius...
As it rounds the Bay of Naples, the track runs close to the coastline.
Near Torre del Greco, the 'Camaldoli della Torre' - home to Benedictine
monks of the Camaldolese order - stands alone on its green hilltop.
For a better photo of it, taken from a train on one of the Circumvesuviana
24-SEP-2010
Harbour at Torre Annunziata
The place to get off if visiting the remains of the ancient Roman villa,
found at Oplontis and said to belong to Poppea - Nero's second wife
24-SEP-2010
After Torre Annunziata, heading inland...
.... through a densely-agricultural landscape, made super-fertile
by materials thrown out by the volcano's successive eruptions
24-SEP-2010
Big, red and Angri
Only a few minutes from Pompei, the base of a major local employer in the town of Angri.
They're specialists in conserving and packaging the famous "San Marzano" tomatoes, many
other fruits and vegetables and pestos and sauces made from the excellent local produce.
The importance for the town of this particular variety - perhaps the best of all 'plum'
tomatoes, and awarded DOP status back in the 1990s - is celebrated in the annual
'Sagra del Pomodoro' that's staged in Angri each September, once the harvest is over.
