Procida
Heading south from our marina near Rome we did an overnight (diesel) run down to Naples Bay, arriving at the island of Procida (Isola di Procida) on the 25th. We approached from the northeast and anchored in the main bay on the south side of the island, just around the corner from our direction of approach.
When you look at the town from the bay
there is no obvious way up the hill between
all the colorful houses. 
However, you find the stairs hidden
back among the buildings.
The views going up are very nice but
after recent events it was initially rather
frightening. Suddenly there was profound
and unexplained dizziness. I wasn’t sure
we could go on without stumbling or falling.
I stopped several times and reluctantly
confessed my concern to Janet. Finally, at the
top, we stopped for an espresso and
considered. Oh, duh: we had spent 24 hours
in the boat, pitching on the open sea. We
didn’t yet have our land legs. I’m not dead yet!
Looking down at the bay and the
Hanse Sailor anchored outside the
breakwater.
We were well guarded!
Hidden back among other buildings
was this little 10th century church (above)
Town planners did not adequately
consider needs related to modern
vehicles. 
These are not alleys, they are the
main streets of the upper town. The
old city-centers in larger cities are
often no different.
There is not as much room as it may
appear for the bus below; you can’t see
the mirrors here. Of course this is as
big of a bus as they can use.
There are main streets on which pedistrians
must stand back-to-the-wall for a bus this
size to get by. Fat guys beware!
One of many churches
serving the town. 
Looking south to the Isle of Capri at
the opposite end of the Bay of Naples
Looking west at Isola d’Ischia
To the left, a lovely landing and stairs,
to the right, 21st century Italian Art
We happened to notice a darkened doorway
blocked by a grate. Using flash, we could see
inside. How many years since this little
chapel has been used?
Above, waiting for the blogger,
looking at the map in a patch of shade
We were anchored at the eastern
edge of the south side of the island. On
one of our trips we got around more to
the northeast and looked out at the
Naples suburbs to the east.
Back up and over to the south
Having become known for our tequila foo-foo
drinks, Kim Jackson, a crew
mate, presents us with a prize lemon.
Procida is not a very well known or developed
tourist area but was certainly one of our
favorite stops on the trip.
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In the Shadow of Vesuvius
From Procida we went south and across the bay to Porto di Torre del Greco, literally in the early morning shadow of Vesuvius. We kept an eye on the mountain for signs of eruption but unlike some of the others we were soon to visit, Vesuvius lets loose only rarely but sometimes with considerable fury.
Leaving Procida (above) and passing
some interesting real estate
(below – click on picture to see better)
Below is as close as we got to Naples
Below we approach Porto di Torre del Greco…
…with a statue just inside the
breakwater that faces Vesuvius
(click for a better view)
From Torre del Greco we took the train to the famous old Roman city a few stops south…
Here are some of the inhabitants as their day
ended on 24 August, 79 AD. Not a good day.
The town goes on and on and they
are still excavating. 
This is the arena, for sporting events,
if you can consider gladiator fights or
prisioner executions sporting. Later we’ll
see the theater used for drama, more in
the Greek style.
Below, a restored vineyard with the
volcano behind
Several pictures following show a
private home and courtyard. Nice digs,
so to speak…
There were several murals in the dining area Moving on, it was hot work in the summer
sun so we stopped for a drink: old
drinking fountain, updated plumbing
On a commercial street, we stopped
at several of the many restaurant counters.
Service was slow.
Below, everyone loves their dog.
Sometimes you felt like you were violating
people’s privacy: folks got up one morning
and before daylight returned again
their home was on display to the public,
all be it 2000 years later.
Baths:
Theater for drama (not sports):
…end of the road – we had arrived at the forum…
And Vesuvius watches still…At the end of a hot day we indulge in some
“original” Neapolitan pizza (and some wine)
and then took the train back to the boat
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Salerno – Medieval Powerhouse
This city is south and west of the Bay of Naples but we visited while still docked in Porto di Torre del Greco so it was another day-trip by train while staying in that area. Salerno was an indendent principality in the early Middle Ages. In the 16th century, under the Sanseverino family, among the most powerful feudal lords in southern Italy, the city became a great centre of learning, culture and the arts. It is also distinguished as the site of the first medical school in the world.
Our day was dominated by transportation challenges: buses that never came and trains that were delayed and cancelled. Still, we had a wonderful lunch and it is an interesting town, so here are a few pictures from our day there:
We arrived at the train station and walked a
couple blocks to the waterfront…Turning up into the town, we found “The
Virtual Museum of the Medical School of
Salerno”. This was an underwhelming video
display serving only to confirm how
backward and tragically silly medical
concepts were at the time.
But the Roman aqueducts were really cool…
These are old stones…
As so often happens in this country, we
came upon an old church hidden along
the tiny back streets of the town…
Below, a spring flows down the old city walls
Above is the site of our excellent lunch
The cathedral or “duomo”
We were chased out of the duomo
rather quickly for reasons, explained in
Italian, that we didn’t quite understand.
However we did get a good look and we
decided this other nearby church may
have been even more impressive.
Janet really liked the looks of these cakes:
The Isle of Capri
Ah, the famous, the beautiful Isle of Capri! What a high end tourist trap this was. It was lovely but hot and crowded and, as an example, to sit down in the shade of an umbrella with a couple Diet Cokes cost us €14.00.
We approached from the north…
Almost as soon as we went ashore we
took the Funicular to the main town. 
Great vistas…
Yes, by now you’ll know the above must
be the Hanse Sailor, anchored in the bay.
From the harbor we headed west along
the north coast to the “Blue Grotto”The following photos were copied from
the web since we did not have an under
water camera…
While not really familiar with this before
our trip, this is apparently pretty well known.
We anchored the boat offshore late in the
day (after the commercial boats cleared
out) and swam into the grotto.
The eerie blue light results from
deeper, underwater cave entrances
that let in much more light than the
relatively small above water entry.From the Grotto we motored east and then
southeast around the eastern coast of Capri.
Looking along the south coast we could
view offshore rock structures, including
“the Arch” as we left the Bay of Naples behind.
