Yesterday, 2nd June was the Day of the Republic of Italy. We had originally planned to visit the Colliseum but thought we would check with the garage staff where Jeff had left the car, that we could collect it around 1pm and make our departure from Rome then. That was when we discovered the garage would be closed after 10am until that evening as everyone was going to the National Day parade. This was to take place just in front of the Colliseum! A rapid change of plan was called for. We decided to load the car there and forego the visit to the Colliseum. This worked to our advantage because all the roads were so quiet, we were able to leave Rome without any stress.

Once on the autostrade we were heading for Naples. To start with it was an easy journey and we decided to make a break and visit the site of the battle of Monte Cassino. This is where we first met traffic jams. These were not for the battle site and British War Cemetary but because Monte Cassino is in a most beautiful valley and local Italians were taking advantage of the holiday and were visiting the abbey at the top of the mountain. We went to the Military Cemetery, which was very similar to others around the world, except that this has Monte Cassino as it's backdrop. What amazed us most was the number of Commonwealth soldiers who are buried there. We spotted some from India, Pakistan, Canada, S Africa, N Zealand, Cyprus etc. So many of the old regiments I have been dealing with over the years were also represented there.

Moving further south using the main roads and autostrade we eventually reached the Gulf of Naples. Due to a misunderstanding by both of us on how the road system was on the peninsular, we travelled cross country, down little lanes and villages until we reached Sorrento. A popular holiday spot with many hotels, we had booked one that described itself as being located 5kms above the town of Sorrento with uninterrupted views of Vesuvius and the Bay. They offered a shuttle bus service to town and this gave Jeff peace of mind regarding the car being interferred with. We found a sign pointing us onto the winding cliff side road and drove up and up and up until we were almost in the cloud base - oh yes, I forgot to mention that as soon as we hit Naples and that most beautiful of coast lines, the heavens opened and we were in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm!

Eventually we found our Hotel Il Nido. It is in a most fabulous location. From our room and the restaurant we can see the whole of the Bay and we look directly across to Vesuvius. We woke this morning to gloriious sunshine and the view from Capri all the way around to Sorrento below us are simply breathtaking. Well worth the effort of finding this hotel. We have come into town on the shuttle bus and while I write this Jeff is watching his smalls go around in a Laundromat. Then we are off to explore a bit of the coast.