Chance of Sunny Spells: May 2008

Italy - Day 1: Sorrento

Today we flew from London Stansted to Naples - direct, except for that France's Air Traffic Controllers were on strike so we had to fly AROUND France! When we got to Naples, we peeled off our English layers of clothes and hopped on a bus direct to Sorrento in 1 hour. Sorrento is a touristy town with 20,000 residents and our hotel for the next 4 nights is just off this main square - Piazza Tasso.

First thing we need some lunch. I had gnocchi alla sorrentina (w/ tomato and mozzarella sauce) and Mike had Pizza Caprese and some local Campania wine.

We spent a lot of time wandering around and exploring the alleyways of Sorrento. This is one of the more tourist streets with lots of shopping opportunities.

Sorrento is the start of the lemon region. Everywhere we go has lots of lemon things!

Sorrento sits high on a ledge over the Mediterranean. We're at the main town looking down on the marina.

These type of musicians are all over Sorrento. Have a listen!

Italy - Day 2: Isle of Capri

Capri is a small island (4 miles x 2 miles) and a 20 minutes boat ride from Sorrento. We arrived in Gapri's Marina Grande, and made a bee-line to the boats to the Blue Grotto.

The Blue Grotto is an utterly chaotic Italian experience. You take a boat to the grotto, then queue for the men with the rowboats who eventually come to your boat, then there's a flurry of everyone jumping overboard into their rowboats (fit 3-4 people).

But you have to sit on the floor of the boat and then lie down COMPLETELY, and the guide does the same. They can't go in during high tide the entry is so small. Its really crazy rowboat traffic with a guy on a megaphone calling directions -- he lets a few in, then a few out... and your guide is elbowing his way towards the tiny (less than 3 foot high) hole where he pulls fast and hard on the chain at the low point of the swells to squeeze us through!

Then when you're inside, you look back toward the opening and know why its called the Blue Grotto! The cave is only 60 yards long and you're in it for about 5 minutes, but the sun reflects brillant blue on the limestone bottom. The guides row you around, singing different parts of different songs (O Sole Mio?)

This is a video of inside the blue grotto. My camera didn't pick up the bright blue water, but you can hear the craziness of a bunch of Italian rowboats in a cave (grotto) with Italians all singing over each other. Definitely worth a listen!

Safely out of the grotto, we hop a local bus to Anacapri (the second and only other city on the island).

We took a chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro. Single chairlifts for 12 minutes up the mountain - beautiful ride!

Looking back down at Anacapri.

View from Monte Solaro of Capri Town.

Have Insalata Caprese for lunch - we just had to! And some more of that gnocchi alla sorrentina...

After lunch we took the local bus down the hill to Capri Town. This place is teeming with tourists!

Capri Town.

View of Vesuvuis volcano in the distance (Naples) before we took the funicular back down to the marina.

Capri's Marina Grande.

Back in Sorrento for a nighttime stroll and some dinner.

Italy - Day 3: Amalfi Coast

Today we'll tackle the Amalfi Coast. I made Mike get up early so we can get on the first bus (6:30am) from Sorrento to Amalfi Town (arriving at 8am). I just wanted to make sure we're on the right side AND we got the 2 front seats with amazing views.

8am - arrival in Amalfi Town (the Almalfi Coast is for this town). According to legend, it was founded when the girlfriend of Hercules was buried here. After Rome fell, Amalfi was one of the first cities to trade goods (coffee, carpets & paper) between Europe and points East. In 1343 the town was destroyed by a freak tidal wave. Today it has 7,000 residents living off tourists...
We only have time for a cappucino because I want to get on the 8:30am bus up to Ravello.

Ravello sits 1,000 feet above the sea and is a bit out of the way, so less tourists (well at least before 9am!) Ravello used to be where all the rich and famous artists lived (Richard Wagner, DH Lawrence, William Longfellow & Greta Garbo). This is the main square with the cathedral on the left and Villa Rudolfo on the right.

Next we walked through town past the monastery to the Villa Cimbrone. We start wandering the grounds at the cloisters (below) and the crypt.

Next we walk through the gardens towards the sea.

This is the 'Terrace of Infinity' where Mike and I stopped for a mini-picnic to enjoy the view.

Now its 11am and we're back in Amalfi Town. This is the main square, best known for its cathedral, but we can't go in because there's a wedding in progress.

12:30 - arriving in Positano - the posh coastal town with cafes and clothing stores. According to legend, the Greek god Poseidon created Positano for Pasitea, a nymph he lusted after. Its a beautiful little town of 4,000 squeezed into a ravine with narrow alleys (and lots of stairs) going down to the harbor.

Enjoying some fried squid and tomatos with a view of the sea.

Back in Sorrento in time for dinner, a walk around town and a cappucino and delizia de limone. This 'lemon delight' dessert may be the best dessert ever with whipped lemon cream on top of layers of sponge cake. Yum!

Italy - Day 4: The Beach

After getting up early for the past 3 days, today is our lazy day. We had a lie-in, then strolled around, had cappucinos in a cafe on the square, a nice lunch and eventually made our way down to the marina.

We decided to pay the 11 euros to go into a private beach. We had 2 sundecks on the jetty with gorgeous views of the sea, and could just turn around and jump into the water without all the mess of a beach (sand, rocks, etc.) plus showers, food, bar...

Our last dinner in Italy - Jen has wine, calamari and washes it down with lemoncello!

Italy - Day 5: Pompeii

On our last day, we spent the morning being lazy in Sorrento before taking a 1pm train to Naples and stopping off halfway (30 minutes) at Pompeii. I'm sure you know the story, but to recap - on Aug 24, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius blew sending a mushroom cloud of dust, ash, cinders and rocks 12 miles into the air. It spewed for 18 hours straight and the wind blew it south, so the ash settled on Pompeii, collapsing roofs and floors, but leaving the walls intact. 2,000 of the town's 20,000 residents were entombed under 8 feet of powder.

The next morning Vesuvius' column of ejected material collapsed, creating a cloud of ash, pumice and gas, and a red hot avalanche of lava flowed down the mountain at 100mph and 4 minutes later engulfed the city of Herculaneum 4 miles away, burying it in 60 feet of hot mud that cooled into stone, freezing the moment in time. We did not go to Herculaneum, only Pompeii.

Before Vesuvius blew, the sea came to Pompeii's gate. We've entered through the chariot entrance and headed straight to The Forum - Pompeii's commercial, religious and politcal center and the intersection of the city's 2 main roads. It used to have a lot of statues but they are all in the museum in Naples now.

This is a collection of pottery they found as well as some plaster casts of victims.

Some of the frescoes on the walls inside the Baths.

This is the famous 'Beware of the Dog' mosaic at the entrance to the House of the Tragic Poet (seen below).

The 'Battle of Alexander' mosaic at the House of the Faun.

This is the most popular postcard from Pompeii. This fresco appears in the House of Vetti, the bachelorpad of 2 wealthy merchant brochures. This fresco shows that only with a balance of fertility and money can you have abundance (the bowl of fruit). Apparently, the brothers were successful, but they were thought to be moneylenders as well.

The bakery and mill. The stone towers are flour grinders where donkeys pushed wooden bars around (with grain inside) grinding the stones and powdered grain flowed out (with bits of rock in the flower!)