A big day exploring today so we were up and out the door to get our included breakfast from the cafe around the corner. It was only a coffee/juice & croissant but at least my cappuccino hit the spot. The first stop was the biggest- The Colosseum! We rounded the corner and there it was looming at the end of the street. The line up wasn't too bad & then we were free to wander the ancient stadium where 50,000 spectators watched gladiators fight to the death....

This morning we were getting out of Naples & moving on to Rome. Taking the regional train it took 2hrs to arrive into Rome, Termini from where it was only a short couple of blocks to our accommodation. Despite only being a little after 12.30 we managed to get our room pretty much straight away along with a big pile of keys as we were staying in a guesthouse which was pretty much just 'rent a room' style. As we got closer to Rome the clouds had got darker &...

Happy to be venturing out of Naples & with my leg somewhat healed we were off to Pompeii today. To get there it was a rattly ride on a clapped out suburban train for about 30mins. Once we bought our tickets we had to purchase a map as they don't give you one for free unless you get an audio guide- no wonder there are reports the mafia are involved in the Pompeii restoration as it certainly seemed like a money making enterprise! Once we entered the ruined city...

Most of the day was spent on the train from Venice to Naples- a long 5hr stretch even on the fast train. We did get a welcome drink in first class which was pretty much full of tourists. Eventually we arrived into Naples, confronted with rubbish piled up on the side of the street & plenty of unsavoury characters. My one single mosquito bite from Venice had become infected and swollen up the area just above my knee making it painful to walk so after stopping a...

My fair Verona, where this story starts. Only being restricted to regional trains with our pass we had to wait until 11.16 to travel the 1hr 25mins to Verona where we were spending just a few hours before going to Padua. It was almost 1pm by the time we arrived and only having had coffee & croissant for breakfast at the hotel we were already hungry. Just near the station we found a kebab shop, although what we thought would be a quick lunch stop ended up taki...