This post wasn’t planned to be the next release but I felt like I needed to drop it while it was still fresh. My journey to Pompeii started with a 7am alarm, I thought that if I gave it 2 hours from Naples a 25km journey I would get there in time for the archeology park to open. How wrong i was!
I left the hostel and walked 20 minutes to the central station.
Proceeding to the ticket machine I selected a ticket to Pompeii costing 2.80€. Looking up at the boards I couldnt find the train anywhere listed so I asked at the info desk and was told to go outside to get a bus to another station.
I went to the bus station and a worker hurried me onto a bus I tried to check with him that it was the right one and he nodded francticly. After following it on Google maps I saw it was going completely the wrong way. So I got off and got on the metro back to where I started.
After this I looked on Google maps and found that infact departures go from the station downstairs. I went down and discovered that it was closed for maintenance.
By this point it was already 830am.
Looking more on Google maps I found another station a 25 minute walk away which seemed to head towards Pompeii. I had already racked up 9000 steps so I decided to get a taxi which would take 7 minutes. Asking how much the driver quoted me 15€. At this point I was like ok I just want to get there.
The next fail, I got out of the taxi and he drove off for me to discover this station was closed too!
I couldn’t believe he had dropped me at a closed station. There was no one in sight.
Back on the maps, I found another station 15 minutes away so I walked there. The sun was getting hotter by the minute. I reached the station to find it was open was called Via Gianturco it had no information screens, no ticket machines and no staff. I asked someone on the platform which way is towards Naples. So I knew to travel the oppisite way. A train finally arrived and I jumped on 2 stops to Barra where I could see the track splits.
I was making progress finally!
I got off and went to the ticket office asked for a ticket to Pompeii, 2.80€ the officer asked for. Great! Then the next hurdle…. Cash only.
I only had my bank card as I had given my cash to the taxi driver. Asking for a bank machine or an atm just returned a blank stare. Then the officer said ohhhhh bankomat. Out of the station I went and another 20 minutes walk I was back at the station with cash in my hand.
By now it’s nearly 1030am. I got on the train and it was heading to Pompei.
Perfect, the train was slow but it was going the right direction.
Arriving towards Pompeii I decided to check what time the park closes so I could plan how much time I had.
Then came the final hurdle…..Closed on Mondays.
I couldn’t believe it, I was broken. So I decided to book a hotel in Pompeii and book a ticket for when the park opened the next day. I took a visit to Castellammare di Stabia to get a view of the volcano Versuvias.
Then headed back to relax round the pool and enjoy some much needed down time.
As a result I didn’t get a chance to go to Sorrento, but I will be sure to include it when I return to visit the Amalfi coast.
Travel sometimes doesn’t go the way you plan it but it’s also part of the adventure and it becomes a story to tell.
Pompei was also well worth the visit I didn’t have very long to explore but I will release a post on this in the near future.
Looking back on the day now I can laugh at it, at the time the 35 degrees heat and an empty stomach it wasn’t the best journey of my life. But never the less greatful for the adventure. Have you had a crazy travel day? Drop a comment below!
To travel is to live… 