The Adventure begins

The ferry from Positano to Salerno provided us with a wonderful view of the picturesque towns of the Amalfi coast - a much better view than we would have had from the road. As a bonus, the trip took just seventy minutes, instead of at least, two-and-a-half hours.

The distance from the ferry dock to the train station is only about half a mile, but with no cabs in sight, we had to walk, in the unseasonable heat and humidity, tugging our three suitcases, two shoulder bags and the previously described camera bag. By the time we reached the station, my shirt was soaked through with sweat. A very patient and helpful agent described the options and with her little English and my little Italian, we managed two tickets from Salerno, direct to Taormina, Sicily. At Villa San Giovanni, the train is loaded on a ferry and makes the seven-mile trip to Messina, then on to Taormina.

I bought first-class tickets, hoping the car would be air-conditioned and that there might be empty seats in the six-seat cabin. There was air-conditioning, but the other four seats were occupied, amazingly, by four English speakers! Paul and Ingrid, a couple from England and Pat and Maria, a couple from Australia. Though Pat was born in Australia, his parents were Sicilian and he spoke passable Italian. A lively and animated conversation made the time fly. Paul and Ingrid, who were bicycling and train hopping through Italy, left our group one station before Villa San Giovanni. Pat and Maria departed in Messina, leaving Jane and I to spend the last hour to Taormina, discussing our options.

We had no hotel reservations in Taormina! We decided to find a cab and just hit hotels until we found an empty bed. This late in the season, we didn't think this would be a problem. We were wrong! Finding a cab was no problem; there were several just outside the station. We settled on a SUV style cab, for its' larger cargo area. It was a fortuitous choice! Not only did the driver speak passable English, he was patient, friendly and accommodating; admirable qualities at any time, but essential in our current circumstances.

Taormina was packed! The streets were awash with people. The cafes, bars and restaurants we passed were filled to overflowing. By the time we stopped at a five-star hotel, that Giorgio suggested might be our last, best hope, because of its' high cost, we knew we were in trouble.

Giorgio accompanied me inside and we immediately hit a bit of luck. The desk clerk and Giorgio were acquainted. They had worked together, at another hotel, years earlier. There were no rooms available, but after a brief discussion, he suggested a hotel on the seaside, a few miles away and gave Giorgio the number. Giorgio called on his cell phone and indeed, they had one room, for one night and would hold it until we arrived.

Giorgio knew that the desk clerk spoke no English; so again, he accompanied me inside and finalized our arrangements. When he turned to leave, he quoted a more than reasonable fee for his services and I added a generous amount to his request. He shook me off and tried to give me change, but I refused to accept. He gave me his card and told me to call, if we needed any further help. The next morning, as we were checking out, the manager told me that he had called her, to see if she could extend our stay. It wasn't possible, but she told us how lucky we were to have selected Giorgio's cab from the several available, since he was the most honest and accommodating driver she knew.