Most Inspirational Moment
The day we visited Vesuvius/Vesuvio and Pompei. We walked up to the crater with a specialist and very knowledgeable guide and he then took us away from the (school trip) crowds around the crater of Vesuvio. The views in all directions were fantastic, Naples Bay, Sorrento peninsula, Apennine mountains etc. Looking down into the crater was impressive and awesome with the thought this volcano is going to blow again at some time. Afterwards we drove a short distance to Pompei. This was very interesting and ticked of a long held wish to visit this world famous historic site. For me, it was the best day of the trip.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent! Our group leader was Veriano. Veriano had good humour, knowledge, patience and flexibility. With any group on a trip like this , there will be a mix of physical ability. No one was left behind. We were in good hands.
Advice for Potential Travellers
My trip began in late February. This is still winter in southern Italy too. We were gambling with the weather, dodging rain, from start to finish. We were very lucky and never actually needed full rain gear on the trail and had plenty of blue sky while on the trails during the week. The sky did however tend to cloud over in the afternoon. I found weather forecasts available on the internet were not entirely reliable. I'll put this down to the fact we were on a hill top location right on the coast. Temeratures were generally cool 14-16C during the day. The fact this time of year is low season was very apparent in towns like Amalfi and Positano. The advantage being we had the trails almost entirely to ourselves. The roads in the immediate area are narrow and winding. I don't think I was the only one that started to feel a little travel sick in the back of the mini bus.