[Leica] Rome in May

[firkin at ncable.net.au (Alastair Firkin)]

> I would concur with Peter; do it on your own. Get
> some good guide books, and have some time to walk
> around Pompeii. You can get more out of that than
> with almost any guide, and you'll get to spend
> your time on things that interest you. We stayed
> in Sorrento when we were last in that area.
> Between Castellamare di Stabia and Sorrento there
> are a number of great places to stay, with views
> of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius as a backdrop.
>
> Capri can be interesting, but it's just about as
> touristy as you can get. Between the boat trips
> and time to walk around, it's about a day. My own
> preference now would be to skip Capri and get
> some similar views and sensations on the Amalfi
> coast, and add some time in Pompeii and Ercolano.
>
> Last time we were in Rome we stayed in a small
> family run place near the Forum. Don't know the
> name anymore, but if you use Google Earth and
> look for:
> 41?53'35.20"N, 12?29'17.39"E you'll see the
> building it's in. A good location, but then it's
> hard to be in Rome and not be in a good location.
>
> We were driving for a couple of months; picked up
> the car in Luxembourg and drove through France,
> Italy, then on to Greece and back up through
> Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and
> Germany. A variety of driving styles were
> encountered, but as usual we survived.

Lived to tell the tale :-) Thanks for the heads up. We did a big driving
tour in 1985 through Europe: I took a year off and have never regretted
it. Did not get far enough south to see Rome, so its time to redress. The
amalfi coast sounds wonderful. Friends have suggested staying in the
hinterland above the main rather expensive areas.

Cheers and thanks

Alastair