At primary school I did a project about Pompeii. I was totally fascinated by it and swore that one day I would visit and see it for myself. So when I found out that my job application for Full On had been accepted and I was to join the team for the coming season in Italy you can image my excitement. I couldn’t believe my luck, that one of my first jobs in the outdoor industry was going to take me somewhere I was so keen to visit.
The start of the season was busy with staff training and learning the job. We would work for four, five or six days at a time then get between two and four days off. Our blocks of time off were always with a few other staff members. Most of us were very keen rock climbers and those days were spent doing a mix of climbing and sightseeing mostly around the area as everything was new.
Then a block of time came up where I was the only person to have four days off. The perfect opportunity to go to Pompeii. It was a long way from Assisi and I didn’t think anyone else would be as enthusiastic as me to travel that far in the heat and anyway I was happy to go alone. The day arrived and I packed my backpack with everything I would need: my sleeping bag, camera, togs, travel towel, one change of clothes, toothbrush and the little bit of cash I’d saved up. That was it. No phone, this was early 2000s, phones were a new thing but I didn’t have one. No wallet or cards, they had been stolen the day I arrived in Rome. No passport, as I didn’t want to loose it. It didn’t occur to me until years later that nobody in the world knew where I was for those four days and I had no ID.
I caught the bus down to the train station then the regional train to Rome. It was a long slow ride in the blistering heat of full summer. The train stopped at every little village and took hours. Eventually we pulled into Rome’s central station. It was excruciatingly hot, dirty, and loud. Whistles as trains came a went, people yelling and running as they hurried not to miss their train, people stressed and lost, pickpockets and scammers lightening the baggage of unsuspecting tourists and vendors calling their wares. It was a relief to pull out of the station on the train that would take me to Naples.
Once in Naples I left the station to find a bus to Pompeii. It was like the Rome station but hotter, dirtier and more hectic. I’d had enough, I was overwhelmed and claustrophic in that space. I just started walking not knowing where I was going but just had to be moving. My backpack had a rip in the top and twice someone tried to put their hand in and tug it from my back. I was well and truly at my wits end. Then I spotted the ocean at the end of the street. All other plans were gone. I needed to be by the sea. I was disappointed to find myself at a sort of port full of fishing boats and ferries. There was nowhere I could swim and get some relief from the heat so I went to the nearest ferry and asked where they were going and how much it cost. My Italian wasn’t great at that early stage but I understood it would cost four euro to go to wherever they had told me they were going. It sounded good to me.
The ferry ride ended at a wharf on the island of Procida. By this stage the sun was about to set so I found some food then wandered along the coast until I found what I hoped was a secluded beach. I was asleep as soon as I was in my sleeping bag on the sand. I woke up with the sun and quickly packed up. At the end of the beach were some rocks which looked like I could clamber over to the next bay. I passed a few secluded bays then came to one that had no beach but tall cliffs surrounding a big flat ledge. The ledge was about three metres above the sea with a ladder leading down the vertical drop to that iconic Mediterranean turquoise water. Trees lined the tops of the cliff above making it fell totally isolated and secret. There was no one to be seen so I stripped off and dove in. The perfect place to go skinny dipping… Until a fishing boast chugged around the corner into the bay. I swam for the ladder but by the time I got there the bay was getting busy. Turned out it wasn’t such a secret spot.
I quickly got dressed and packed up. Once I’d clambered around the cliffs for a while I was ready for another swim. The only problem with living in the center of Italy in summer was the lack of swimming so I thought I’d make the most of it. I found another rocky bay and and spent the day lazing on the rocks and swimming. There were a few other people around and later that day I met two Dutch girls who were staying in a house on top of the cliffs. We chatted away and I ended up sharing their accommodation with them. The owners of the house came to see us that evening and invited us for dinner. We sat on the roof watching the sunset and ate the best spaghetti I’ve ever tasted.
The next day they took us scuba diving and cliff jumping. The jumps got progressively higher until the last one which was about ten meters. It was into an cavern enclosed on all sides but open to the sky. I didn’t think to ask how we were to get out until I was in the water looking up at the shear walls surrounding me. I then found out the only escape was to dive down and swim through a small tunnel. I’m terrible at holding my breath so I was very relieved when I emerged on the seaward side of the rocks. One evening we borrowed bikes and rode around the island. I found out on a very steep cobbled street that the brakes on my bike weren’t attached. I went straight through an intersection. along a wharf and into the sea!
Three days flew by and before I knew it I had to start making my way back to Assisi. I retraced my journey back, catching the ferry then the two trains and the bus. Lastly was the hot and dusty walk up the hill to our staff accommodation. I arrived home just as everyone was about to start dinner. They were all pleased to see me back safe and asked, “so, how was Pompeii?”.