After so much walking in northern Italy it was good to be back on the bike.  I pointed my headlight south and spent 2 solid days just riding, only getting off the bike for gas and a hotel at the end of the day.  I covered 1,000 km on a mixture of autostrade (interstate highways) and secondary roads.  The autostrades are very nice and fast but they are expensive.  Some days it cost me $35 just for tolls!  But the autostrades allowed me to cover the miles quickly and by the middle of the second day I was in Pompeii were I got a campsite and visited the ancient ruins.  I was somewhat disappointed by the Pompeii ruins.  They're not well signed and most of the best sculptures and frescoes have been moved to other museums.  Still, it was good to see this town that was frozen in time by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

 From Pompeii I rode along the Amalfi Coast on an amazing road that hugs the coastline south of Naples.  This road is built on the edge of the mountains and cliffs that drop straight down into the sea.  The views of the sea on one side and the cliffs and mountains on the other are incredible.  The quaint towns that the road passes through and also enjoyable and I stopped for coffee in one town overlooking the sea.  But not all was heavenly on the road.  The heavy traffic and congested roads made for some tense riding.  I was here in September - I'd hate to think what it's like at the height of tourist season in August!

 From Amalfi I headed over to the east coast of Italy to see what that's like.  I stayed one night in a resort town right on the water.  It was very nice with pristine beaches and crystal clear water.  And since it was September and after the holiday season, the beaches were mostly empty and I was given reduced hotel rates.  Good timing for this part of the trip!

 The next day I rode north past Venice, but didn't stop there.  After seeing so many cities in Italy I was anxious to ride in the mountains again, and I was headed for the Dolomites and the Alps.  After an overnight stay in Verona I was back in the mountains.