Naples and a lounge

Monday, September 23, 2024

Landing in Rome was a bit ahead of schedule, I made my way to Roma Termini station via the Leonardo Express. It was easy once I found a ticket kiosk that did not have a line. It turns out that everyone piles up on the first one they see. However, there seems to always be more kiosks as you get closer to the train.

When I made it to Rome, I had to change my ticket to Naples from 7pm to 3pm. This is where I learned the difference between ItaliaRail (a third party rail company with a nice website) and TrenItalia (the official rail company). I was worried at first that my ticket would not be transferable but when I called ItaliaRail they transferred it and I got a new ticket no problem. Scam averted.

Once I had my ticket sorted I took time to find the ItaliaRail lounge that I had access to. The directions had me wandering around the train station with no obvious way to get to track 25. I finally ducked through a door and got there. When I found the lounge I was buzzed in (super exclusive) and met by a lovely woman who staffed the lounge. I turned out to be the only guest there. Now this must be the luxury that one would experience in the Chesapeake lounge.

My time was short in the lounge but it was nice to take a few minutes and enjoy some quiet. 20 minutes before my train, I started my journey back across Roma Termini to find my train. I got one and made the quick trip to Naples.

To get to the hotel (Be Italian Flats) I took the Metro (after 7 escalators to get to the train) and it was pretty easy. The place actually a converted flat that had rooms that mixed old and new.

After settling in, I went to take in some sites and wait for my friend to arrive.

Then I parked at La Nova by Ba-Bar. It was on a lovely square where I could enjoy waiting.

My friend arrived and we got to explore Naples a bit and find pizza. We decided to go to Sorbillo which was well reviewed. We got pizza with corn and ham.