Napoli Pomodoro (tomato), anyone?

Naples Day 5

With limited travel time together, we decided to spend a bit extra (total cost $ 50 AUD each) on first-class tickets on Italy’s fast train. We boarded our lovely private cabin up the front and were chuffed to find we had complimentary charging facilities onboard. This was lucky as I wanted to film the journey in time-lapse and wouldn’t have had battery life otherwise. Travel Tip #9: Spend the extra dollars on first-class train travel in Italy. At $50 AUD, it's one of the best value upgrades you'll ever make.

Rome to Naples is a journey of around 200 kilometres at a speed of 300km per hour (with the potential for 400km per hour, but sadly it's not allowed), and it took us a bit over an hour to get there. No wonder the train is shaped like a rocket.

We scored a nice little air-conditioned cabin with food and drinks. The windows were large, so we enjoyed taking in the beautiful Italian countryside and farming districts.

What a great way to travel!

We arrived at the big Naples terminal and transferred into a cab at the station. Our driver was a young, good-looking, crazy-ass madman. In cramped traffic, with three lanes meant to be one, at high speed, and all while the madman was texting, we miraculously made it to the hotel in one piece.

Our room in Hotel San Francesco al Monte (a former monastery) was high on the hill, with magic views of the hectic city below, the Gulf of Naples, and the notorious Mount Vesuvius, which wiped out Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD. If you get the opportunity to experience the Italian ’ness of this place and its incredible views, I highly recommend it. Travel Tip #10: If you're visiting Naples, stay at Hotel San Francesco al Monte if you can. A former monastery on the hill with views over the city, the Gulf of Naples, and Mount Vesuvius, it was worth every cent to us.

With no time to spare, we dove into the next cab and headed for Herculaneum. In the searing heat, we walked through the ancient town, which looked like a small-scale ancient suburb. We wandered through their homes and the museum, which had jewellery, tools, art, an original boat, and all sorts of equipment.

Judging by the artwork, the Herculaneum people were less raunchy than their neighbours in Pompei. It’s clear these people were very intelligent and ahead of their time. They even had sewers, unlike Pompeii. In 79AD this was the coastline, and the caves at the bottom were where the fishermen kept their boats. The coastline is now 400 metres further out due to the eruption. At the end of our walk, we saw over 300 skeletons left as they were found in the boat storage caves beneath the city.

The skeletons in the caves were primarily women and children. The bodies found outside the caves were men. On the women, bags and trunks full of various valuables were found. This felt sad as their plans and fears were obvious. The only comforting thought was that it was over in seconds.

While Pompeii was burnt by ash, Herculaneum was hit with lesser ash clouds, but still enough to kill the people. A mudslide followed, engulfing the town, preserving and carbonising the timbers, and keeping them intact until their discovery 1,669 years later. This was a strange yet amazing experience.

We stopped for a delicious tomato-packed pasta lunch…because while in Rome, right…or Naples. Lunch did not disappoint; we couldn’t argue over their tomato claims. After a crisp, cold drink, we returned to our beautiful hotel for a swim. We stopped for a romantic drink on the terrace while watching over the city and out to the Bay of Naples, and the inlet of the Tyrrhenian Sea. We watched cruise liners leave and dock, which explained some of the town's chaos. Dinner was fabulous, and it was a restful treat not having to go anywhere. This day is etched into my memory, the perfect date night before flying in separate directions the following day.

I am heading toward a long, long overdue family visit in Wales, but first: London!