http://norman.walsh.name/2002/04/07/zungoli 5 10 2002-04-07 $Date$ Norman Walsh 2002 2003 Norman Walsh Zungoli, Italy There are two train stations in Florence. In retrospect, Marco had carefully pointed out that we were departing not from the closer, priimary station a few minutes away, but from Campo de Marte. Unfortunately, we misunderstood. How not to learn that Florence has two train stations: Get up at 4:00am, pull yourself together, and stumble down to the lobby at 4:45am. Check out and wait for the taxis (there were five of us). On the ride to Santa Maria Novella, marvel at the fact that traffic signs and signals, merely suggestions to drivers during the day, have no force whatsoever before sunrise. Spend five or ten minutes pondering why your 5:22am train isn't listed on any departure screen. Spend a few more minutes conversing with a friendly local who can explain your dilemma. Tear back out of the station at breakneck speed to find two more taxis. Heave your bags into the taxi. Explain your plight in broken English and Italian. Be reassured by your drivers casual agreement that you have plenty of time. You'd be slightly more reassured if he wasn't smirking. Have your reassurance dashed completely at the first traffic light when your cab driver says to the other, "cinqua-vente-due" and the other laughs so hard he nearly has trouble shifting. Tear through the streets of Florence from 5:12am to 5:20am at speeds causing the trafic lights (mostly red) to appear slightly less red due to the doppler effect Stumble into Campo de Marte at 5:21am and sigh with some relief (and shortness of breath) that your train is 20 minutes late this morning. Ah, yes, the train. The train. The dining car was a little man pushing a cart and serving instant coffee in small plastic cups. But that is probably a good thing because the train was spectacularly filthy. I've taken many trains in Europe (and I'll certainly continue to do so) and never have I encountered anything even close. Enough said. Mimo, our driver, was charming and provided a very comfortable van for the two hour drive to Zungoli. In Zungoli, a fantastic little village situated at the top of a small hill and dominated by an ancient Norman castle, we met a small group of men in the square and one of them kindly volunteered to give us a guided tour. It was thoroughly delightful to walk through the narrow streets and passages. Deb and her family recognized dozens of names familiar to them from Dobbs Ferry. After touring the town for an hour or so, we went up to the graveyard where we were able to find many more familiar names. Alas, the extant graves go back only about thirty years. Our ride back to Sorrento, including a short, beautiful stretch of the Alfi coast around the Bay of Naples was pleasant and we were back in time for dinner with the rest of our tour group. They had an all-day bus ride, so we didn't miss anything.