As I sipped strong Italian coffee, the sun played with the clouds against the Neapolitan sky. Breakfast was served on the terrace of our hotel, hemmed in by lemon trees, laden with fruit, which made the experience enjoyable. Now and then a stray sunbeam would light up the huge mosaic dome of the basilica.

The sun was in its elements. We had planned a visit to Costiera Amalfitana, arguably the most beautiful coastline of Italy and bad weather wouldn’t do at all. The day before, we had taken an hour’s train ride from misty Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale. Normally left out of the tourist triangle of Rome, Florence and Venice, Naples is a potpourri of beautiful churches, like Santa Chiara and Cattedrale di San Gennaro, budget shops, designer boutiques and amazing street food and pizzerias.