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| Seaside in Sorrento! Notice anything about the shape of the sea foam? |
From Rome, it was on to Naples. I doubt the Naples Tourism Department would use my description in their literature, but a word I often associate with Naples is “gritty”. It’s a bit more run down than many of the other cruise ports, but still has a lot to offer by way of history and good, authentic Italian food.
Naples has a close proximity to Pompeii, Sorrento and the beautiful Amalfi Coast. We were still feeling a little tired from the previous days adventure in Rome. We knew whatever we did, it wasn’t going to involve a lot of walking.
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| Sorrento from an overlook just outside the city |
A cab driver approached us outside the terminal and offered to take us on a tour that included time in both Sorrento and the city of Positano along the Amalfi Coast. The price was reasonable ($65 per person), but there was a catch. His cab was an eight passenger van and understandably he wanted to fill it for that price. Fortunately, a family of four came along shortly thereafter and they joined us for the day’s adventure. They wanted to see Pompei and although we had been there before we certainly didn’t mind adding a brief visit to the site to the day’s itinerary.
We were soon on our way, with Sorrento being our first destination. Sorrento is a coastal town of around 20,000 that is perched on a cliff and overlooks the bay. It’s a really beautiful small city that is all about lemons. If there is a food or drink you can make with lemons, you’ll most likely find it in Sorrento. If it’s clothing or hats with lemons on them that you’re looking for, again you’ve come to the right place! It was fun to be back in Sorrento, and a good reminder that there’s plenty of good things to do with them when life gives you lemons!
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| First order of business…..a lemon slush! |
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| Need a lemon apron, shirt, underwear……Sorrento is the place! |
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| There is a nice marina and small beach below the city. There are a number of ferry boats that operate out of the marina. |
After leaving Sorrento we headed for the small town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast. Although it is only 9 miles from the bayside city of Sorrento to the coastal town of Positano, it took close to an hour. This was due to a minor accident on the narrow winding road, as well as heavier than normal traffic because it was a holiday in many of the European countries.
Positano is a small, incredibly scenic village of 4,000 people that is famous for its narrow streets and crystal clear water. We enjoyed walking down the narrow passageway to the beach, sharing it with a few thousand fellow fun seekers. We had not been to Positano before, we agreed it was spectacular and that it would be even more spectacular in the offseason when the crowd would, we assume be much smaller.
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| Positano from above….. |
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| Positano from below….. |
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| Along a narrow passageway inside Positano |
We finished our tour with a little time at Pompeii. The ancient city provides the best glimpse of what life was like in 79 AD. The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius buried the city of 15,000-20,000 under volcanic ash in such a manner that it was well preserved when it was discovered in the 16th century (major excavations didn’t start until the 1800’s). Beth and I enjoyed roaming around the shops and cafes. Our taxi companions tried to get a peek inside which wasn’t successful, but nonetheless they seemed quite pleased to have gotten to see it. All the while Mt. Vesuvius, which is still considered an “active volcano” sat quietly in the background. It last erupted in 1944 and geologists believe it’s overdue for another eruption. According to what I read, a sudden volcanic eruption today of the same magnitude as the one in 79 AD would wipe out over 600,000 lives. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen! Thankfully the technology to predict eruptions has improved significantly since 79 AD!
We had all worked up a pretty good appetite by now so there was one other place to check out. Naples is considered the birthplace of pizza, and is home to the world’s oldest pizzeria. Antica pizzeria started selling pizza on the streets of Naples in 1738. The pizza oven was said to have been lined with volcanic rocks from Mt. Vesuvius. In 1830 they moved indoors and have continued serving the masses since then. Of course, we had to check it out. Our really kind cab driver/guide dropped us off in front of the restaurant. It was about 30 minutes before opening but a line had already formed. We waited patiently and soon after opening we were seated and served. Tradition is everyone gets their own pie (they’re big, but thin and the cost was around $6 each) Once the six pies were on the table, there wasn’t much table left to be seen!
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| Anticipation! |
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| Where the magic happens! |
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| We almost needed a bigger table! |
With full bellies we made the short walk back to the ship, grateful for another day of making new memories and new friends.
