We bid a sad arrivederci to Florence and embarked on a multi-train journey to Sorrento; which is just south of Naples, near the Almafi coast. For the most part, our train travel in Italy was comfortable and relatively easy to navigate. However the little local train from Naples to Sorrento was a bit sketchy… although we ended up with seats (albeit with our luggage in our laps / between our legs), and had friendly travel companions.
We navigated the streets and narrow alleys from the train station on foot to find our apartment for the next four days. While the apartment was OK, the bed was super hard and uncomfortable. After we complained, the manager was able to find a topper for us that helped somewhat.
Sorrento is central to many sights and activities in the region. The village itself is quite charming with many good restaurants, lots of shops and a nice harbor.
Our first evening at the recommendation of the gentlemen sitting to us, we ordered the ‘best caprese salad I’ve ever had’… which definitely lived up to the hype. Before our trip here, I was lukewarm on caprese salads, but am now a believer. Of course, it is best when accompanied by Hugo or Aperol Spritz.
The next day we embarked on a day tour on a mini bus to the Amalfi coast. Throughout our travels, I relied on a combination of Dramamine and pressure-point wrist bands to keep any motion sickness at bay, which worked most of the time. But, I struggled on this excursion: with lots of noisy, stinky traffic; mountain switch-backs; and no ‘fixed’ horizon to leverage.
This trip was both amazing and awful. The coast and villages were stunning. But…the traffic and crowds were difficult to navigate. Our bus driver was great, but it is hard to quickly maneuver in and out of that kind of traffic with a mini-bus. Our tour guide was also incredible and kept us entertained and informed, even while spending hours stuck in traffic.
We stopped at three different villages. Dan and I stuck our toes in the sea at the Positano beach, we ate lunch and visited a cathedral at Amalfi and soaked in the mountain-top vistas with a Limencello in Ravello (our favorite stop). Limencello is a lemon liqueur that is pervasive in this part of Italy which is known for its lemons. While it was a bit strong for me, it was fun to try. We learned that during the summer they offer world-class symphony concerts near that vantage point, with a stage that extends off the cliff. This pic is from Amalfi:
Later during our stay in Sorrento, we found a photography studio / gallery that featured some amazing black and white photography of the area. We had a chance to chat with the photographer, and purchased a lovely photo of the spot in Ravello that we had visited.
A real highlight of our time in Sorrento was a boat-trip to Capri Island. Despite a few miscues getting started (a delay with the food delivery and a passenger that left her phone on the dock) it was a fantastic day. On the boat, we befriended a solo woman traveler, Lindsay, who was on a sabbatical from her job. We hung out with her most of the day, and her positive energy was infectious.
We took the long chair-lift ride up into the mountains early in the day, and it was a great experience. Once we got to the top, we found ourselves in the clouds, so the views were obscured. But it was still fun to explore after which we grabbed some beverages and chilled.
At the summit, a trip to the restroom required a 20 minute wait and 1 Euro. It was fairly common during our travels that it was difficult to find bathrooms and we needed to pay once we found one. I kept that in mind during our travels, and made a point to use bathrooms when I had the opportunity. (TMI, I’m sure!)
After our return chair-lift ride, we ate our lunch, did some walking around, saw an incredible statue of a woman in a plaza, and then smashed into a super-crowded local bus to arrive back at the boat dock at the designated time. Our driver (an attractive and quiet young fellow) took us off-shore and we jumped in for a delightful and refreshing swim, complete with masks and noodles. He threw some bread in the water to attract fish for us to watch. It was fabulous!
We then had the opportunity to go into the Blue Grotto. Dan and I decided to pass and enjoyed some peace and quiet resting on the boat while our fellow-travelers jumped into row-boats and paid a steep price to see the grotto. They came back with mixed-reviews.
We shopped for souvenirs at the pervasive shops in the alleys of Sorrento, finding a few bargains –although I was unsuccessful in finding a lemon-themed shirt that fit me at a reasonable price. One-size-fits-all does not apply when you are a super-shortie!
It was time to say goodbye to the sea and jam everything back in our suitcases as we prepared for the final city in our adventure – Roma.
Please see the links to the other cities we visited on our trip: