We spent our last day in Sorrento just strolling the pier, the town, and the fragrant lemon groves, and killing time reading in little trattorias over a bottle of wine. The last of Sorrento's winter closures happened yesterday, so the town is even more quiet than when we first arrived.

After a relaxing day, we caught an afternoon train back to Naples for our 10pm flight home to Barcelona. After Sorrento's rather, shall we say, sedated atmosphere, it was almost a relief to be back in the life and noise of the big city.  We had an early dinner in a tiny family-run ristorante near Napoli's Stazione Centrale, where a bottle of Napoli wine was just 7€ and Grandpa hogged the best table to watch TV, then headed to the airport.

After waiting my entire adult life to see Pompeii, I'm happy to say it was worth it. It's up there with the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo and Ephesus in Turkey as one of the greatest sites of antiquity I've ever seen. I had been urged to visit the Amalfi Coast for its stunning beauty, but I can't say I loved it- I am not normally a fan of beautiful places that have completely given themselves up for mass tourism. But that bus ride was certainly memorable.

Hasta pasta, Italy. I'm off to warmer climes.