Saturday, Sept. 17 – Today was a remarkable day. We hired a taxi driver named Pino to take us around Naples. He spoke a little English and Susan spoke a little Italian and very soon they became buddies. We had quite a day. Pino said he was a professional and he took us on a drive around the Amalfi Coast and because he was a professional he took the scenic route and not the long tunnel to Sorrento. We toured around Sorrento and Liz, Susan and I had a cappuccino at a restaurant in the busy square. We did some window shopping and then met up with Pino. On the way back to Naples he played music by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Pavarotti, Bocelli and Elvis. I can not describe how wonderful it felt to be driving to Naples with a fun taxi driver singing Italian songs. We even amazed pedestrians as we had our windows down and were singing very loudly. What fun!
Pino then took us to a beautiful church here in Naples and drove us to the old city center where the tour buses cannot go because of the narrow streets. They were very narrow indeed and he sped around like the professional he was. He dropped us off at our entrance and we paid him and said our goodbyes. He asked us for kisses and we all kissed him goodbye. It was a wonderful day.
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- Our driver, Pino and Susan, became buddies.
I read your post following a rigorous two-mile run in our not-so-scenic neighborhood. I can not express how happy your post made me feel, what a life! It appears your day with Pino was better than a day with “Pinot” and I’d go as far as to say it was better than “fun” but more equivalent to an amazing experience you’ll never forget – awesome!
A great day in one of my favorite areas: Amalfi Coast and Naples. Your experience with Pino is the one of the joys of travel, and you’ll rememember it long after you’ve forgotten the name of your ship and many of your ports. We had a great person-to-person experience in Rome, with our now “friend” (are you ready?). Fabio!