From Florence I took the train south to Naples and the ferry to Capri, where I spent three days hiking.

It’s a small island, so the trails aren’t long, but they are vertical. The views are spectacular, with rock cliffs dropping to bright blue water.

Returning to the mainland, I hiked up Vesuvio and explored the ruins at Herculaneum.

I finished off southern Italy by hiking the Path of the Gods from Positano to Praiano. The trail itself is relatively easy, but one must climb 1500 steps to get to the trail from Positano, then descend 1000 steps to Praiano, then back up the 1000 steps and down 1500 to return to Positano. But it deserves its name and is worth the climb.

I’m in Rome for a few days, then London and home.

I finished my stay in Feltre with a birthday party on Sunday and more hiking on Monday. Tuesday I returned the rental car, then spent a rainy day in Lido and Venice.

The weather still did not look good for walking across Italy, so I headed back to the Dolomites for four more days, this time to Levico Terme near Trento. Two years ago I went through this area on the train and thought it would be a great place for a bike trip. It turns out there is a 50 mile bike path through Valsugana along the Brenta River to Bassano del Grappa. So on Saturday I took a break from hiking, rented a bike, and had a fantastic ride through countryside and villages to Bassano del Grappa.

Sunday I spent the morning in Trento, and after lunch took the train to Bologna, home of the University of Gelato. I decided to spend an extra day there as one can only eat so much ice cream per day.

Yesterday I stopped in Florence, and now I am on my way south.

I’ve decided to spend the rest of my time here hiking on Capri, along the Amalfi Coast, and on the Via Appia near Rome.