Tag: Vesuvius

Amalfi Coast 2.9.26

3 September 2026 / admin

ETR 090 at S’Agnello Station 2.9.26

The group welcome meeting is in Sorrento which gives me an opportunity to take the train from S’Agnello into Sorrento, which is only one stop and in this temperature far preferable to walking (about 30 minutes) and the bus timetable seems not to have heard of regular interval service and seems to be a complex set of routes. It is a climb up to the central part of the town and the station itself is up steps. The ticket machine works in English and accepts payment by phone at the bottom of the steps, so I make some guesses. When I get upstairs I find there is a staffed ticket office and then a delayed train. I almost certainly overpaid.

The railway is narrow gauge, 950mm, with 1500v DC supplied by overhead catenary. At S’Agnello the line is single towards Sorrento (one stop) but parts of the line which commences in Naples have been doubled. ETR 090 as pictured is an FE220 unit and dates back to the 1970s I believe with replacement rolling stock now being delivered.

The train is 11 minutes late but it is the service prior to the one I needed to catch, so time is not a concern. There is nowhere to scan the ticket to open the gate and so I wave at the individual in a uniform who motions me to come towards the gate and it magically opens – does no-one actually care about ticket validity in Italy as I remember it being the same in Turin?

ETR 221 at Sorrento station 2.9.26

The more modern ETR211 units were delivered between 2008 and 2009 and this one has the number ETR221 on the solebar – so not sure how the numbering actually works! These are rather more modern as can be seen and they provide the limited stop services.

Sorrento Harbour 2.9.26

I then walk through the town to the top of the cliffs above the two ports, one is for leisure use and the other for trade use as far as I can establish. I return to the café near to the station and listen to the instructions for the week, sending edited highlights to Jackie. I also mention our concern over the food and potential walking distance tomorrow in Pompeii. It appears there are no benches on which to sit within the area so it could be difficult.

Sorrento Old Town 2.9.26

The day is hot and I decide that I am not keen on exploring Sorrento any further and decide to take the train back, it is a different design but an incoming train has even more graffiti than usual.

Graffitied trains Sorrento 2.9.26

Once back in the town of S’Agnello I stop and pick up a large quantity of water, some of which I am keen to consume once back in the hotel. We lie on beds by the pool, but in the shade, for a while and then retreat for an afternoon snooze.

Vesuvius from Vesuvkio Sky Bar 2.9.26

In the evening we wander down to the top of the cliffs to survey the waterfront which is at a much lower level. We then enter Hotel Vesuvio and visit the Sky or in reality the Ruiart Bar where the DJ is already pretty loud but the views of Vesuvius are magnificent! After starting a bottle of Ruinart we descend one floor to the restaurant where we are shown to the prime table from which to watch the sunset. Dinner is excellent. I have venison tartare and then rabbit. The rabbit had a very colourful presentation which I found distracting but it was great to eat even if it did not delight the eye.

For the record the Newmarket description of the day:
Today you’re free to rest and relax, either enjoying the facilities of the hotel, or perhaps venturing into the centre of delightful Sorrento. The town, perched upon its cliff-top, seems built between the sky and the sea, and offers everything you might need for an enjoyable stay. Its colourful heart is the Piazza Tasso, pedestrianised in the evenings, when the bars and cafés that surround it become a perfect place to watch the locals meeting friends and strolling through the city on their nightly passeggiata.
On the shore, Sorrento’s two tiny ports are backed by even tinier beaches and several boardwalks dotted with beach huts and sunloungers. Out on the water, pleasure-craft of all shapes and sizes (and the occasional cruise ship) add to the colourful scene.

Amalfi Coast 1.9.26

2 September 2026 / admin

T5 Pod Parking 1.9.26

Up early to get loaded and depart for Heathrow T5 via the wonderful Pod parking. We are early so have a wait which is extended due to our aeroplane having undergone maintenance overnight and in consequence was at the wrong end of the airport.

We board and take off at 08:50 so should not be too late on arrival. BA524 and G-NEOP which is an Airbus A321. It is not quite full and yet we hear BA staff moaning about suitcases again within our earshot, I despair at the training being delivered these days, no consideration of passengers at all, simply just customers not passengers going on a journey with the airline.

BA524 flight – data from Flight Aware

The flight is smooth and the lost time recovered with touch down 5 minutes early. That was the end of the good news as it then took a shade under 2 hours to complete passport control. We pointed out that we are registered but apparently all British passports are being rejected, hence the queue, which snakes around a large holding pen and which has clearly been in place for sometime so this is very much not a one off. It seems that once the queue exceeds 45 minutes they revert to manual processing and stamping of passports. To be honest it now looks as though it is purely and simple a device with orders from on high to prevent British entry as plane loads of Americans are waved through rapidly. Most of the others in the queue have also registered before – so why not get us through the e-gates?

Vesuvius 1.9.26

Some 2.5 hours after landing we are finally on the coach, driving past Vesuvius which dominates the landscape. Then through three tunnels and then a drive down towards Sorrento (which I must have traversed in the opposite direction and of which I have no memory) and we are delivered to Hotel Eliseo Parks in the adjacent town of S’Agnello. Book in and unpack.

Sorrento Peninsular 1.9.26

This is from the coach window as we wind down a twisting road into the five towns which occupy the coastline with Sorrento being in the far distance.

After a shower and then it is time to eat the dinner requested as we booked in. Yes it is the little known cost reduction philosophy or phenomenon of having to know what you want to eat hours before dinner time. Normally we are told that on future days we have to decide at breakfast what we have to eat in the evening. I do realise that some cost control is necessary but somehow my brain just rejects the rationality of making such decisions. How do I know what I might fancy some 8 or more hours hence.

When dinner is served we are not exactly impressed. The initial linguine is not too bad but the hake delivered to Jackie looks like nothing on earth and certainly not some form of fresh fish caught overnight and delivered to the hotel this very morning. My piece of pork is not too bad in itself but the accompanying vegetables probably saw better days once upon a time, before they were cooked to near inedibility. Not a wonderful start. Given that the hotel is an upgrade on the three star in Sorrento we are a little surprised. Visually the hotel is attractive – but the food does not feel 4 star style.

Not being amused with dinner an online search brings up Hotel Vesuvio with a sky bar and impressive looking restaurant where a booking is made for tomorrow night.

For the record the Newmarket description of the day:
Arrive in Italy, meet your tour manager and board our coach for the scenic journey to the Bay of Naples, and on to your chosen hotel, in or close to Sorrento.