Hello from Sorrento / Almalfi Coast

Friday, June 14, 2019
Sorrento, Campania, Italy
Boungiorno
We caught a 1 hour fast  train to Naples and then travelled two hours by car to Sorrento. Traffic here is crazy and the roads here have trouble coping with the amount of traffic. It was bumper to bumper and we travelled through the countryside and the road was lined with orchards of oranges, lemons and olive trees.
Sorrento is a coastal town in southwestern Italy, facing the Bay of Naples on the Sorrentine Peninsula. Perched atop cliffs that separate the town from its busy marinas, it’s known for sweeping water views and Piazza Tasso, a cafe-lined square. Tourism is big here with lots of shore tours from cruise ships visiting here every day. It is the beginning of the high season here. So if you want to go out here, it pays to go early or late because the crowds can be overwhelming. The shops here include beautiful ceramics, linen, leather, jewellery, local limoncello and souvenir shops.
Our hotel has a great view of the Sorrento bay and the weather has been ideal, between 25 to 32 degrees each day.
We are able to walk everywhere which is great. We have found some great eateries and little shops. The food is superb (the best pasta and pizza, grilled octopus) and they often provide 3 different tapas when you order a drink. The local wine is really reasonably priced and has always been good.  You can have a half or full litre carafe. Mark liked the local Nastro Azzurro and the red Peroni lager beer. The bruschetta is yum and the tomatoes are very red and juicy and drizzled in olive oil. Breakfast is very Italian with pastries and cakes ie chocolate, lemon, orange, apple, plum, pistachio and custard, I did taste a couple of the cakes and they were very nice. 
On Sunday we travelled 1 hour 15 minutes by car (we had a driver) to the little tiny village of Ravello. The road is something to experience. It very narrow and winding around the cliffs and tunnels. The views are amazing, and we saw lots of boats along the coastline as we travelled the winding road and glanced from the tops of the cliffs. The shops and houses are nestled in the cliffs and parking is a premium. Lots of the small cars, mopeds and motorbikes. The buses travel this road and it must be so stressful for the drivers negotiating the traffic and hairpin bends. People get impatient and like to overtake, we saw a couple of very near misses.
Ravello, a resort town set 365 metres above the Tyrrhenian Sea by Italy’s Amalfi Coast, is home to iconic cliffside gardens. The 13th-century, Moorish-style Villa Rufolo offers far-reaching views from its terraced gardens. It was just beautiful wandering the streets and taking in the terrace farmed hills and homes. Humphrey Bogart made a movie here in 1953 called "Beat the Devil". It was not too busy here which was nice.
As we headed  back to Sorrento the next stop was Amalfi. Amalfi is a town in a dramatic natural setting below steep cliffs. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, it was the seat of a powerful maritime republic. The Arab-Norman Sant'Andrea cathedral at the heart of town, with its striped Byzantine facade, survives from this era. We arrived and the cruise ship shore tours were in here already and the main centre was very busy. The pretty coloured beach umbrellas cover the black pebbled coarse sand. We walked the cobbled stoned streets with little local boutiques and commercial shops. After a hour we were happy to go the beach for a refreshment. The different coloured houses line the cliff side with terrace farming. Such a pretty place.
Driving onto the next stop 25 minutes away was Positano. Positano is a cliffside village on southern Italy's Amalfi Coast. It's a well-known holiday destination with a pebble beachfront and steep, narrow streets lined with boutiques and cafes. Its Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta features a majolica-tiled dome and a 13th-century Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary. Our driver dropped us at the top of the cliff so we could walk to the beach and take in the breathtaking views. So picturesque, with all the flowers/trees in bloom. The water a clear beautiful turquoise blue. The houses were different colours and it was just such a nice time to see it. We made our way through the narrow alleys to the beach. It had the same sand as Amalfi and lots of beach umbrellas. Mark was in ore of how many boats were close to shore and lots of ferries. We found a nice little bar that made a great bruschetta and had icy cold drinks. It is Sunday and a very busy with locals and tourists. The weather was hot and loads of people were swimming. We can see why everyone likes coming here. After a few hours and back up to the top of the hill (we are getting very fit#steps etc), you have to watch where you are going as sometimes the scenery captivates you and can trip and fall over. (I don't think they have WH&S here!!) What a great day and we loved the Amalfi coast and you can see why it is a big tourist destination and you have to expect the crowds.
The next day we had a private tour to the Isle of Capri. Capri is  an island in Italy’s Bay of Naples, it is famed for its rugged landscape, upscale hotels and shopping, from designer fashions to limoncello and handmade leather sandals. One of its best-known natural sites is the Blue Grotto, a dark cave where the sea glows electric blue, the result of sunlight passing through an underwater cave. In summer, Capri's dramatic, cove-studded coastline draws many yachts. Another big tourist destination and this place gets very crowded. By boat it is about a hour from Sorrento. It was relatively smooth and Mark was in his element. They have ferries going from Sorrento all day long, so the waterways are very busy. We had 4 hours on Capri so we got a taxi to Anacapri. This is the highest point of the two main towns on the island.  We caught the single person chairlift, which was quiet the adventure up to the  peak. The chairlift goes around quickly and you get knocked off your feet onto the chair. It was such a nice surprise how good this was, (not if you have a fear of heights!). We travelled up the mountain, it was so peaceful going over the houses, orchards, vineyards and we watched a man  farming his potatoes. Up the top we were in the clouds and visibility was a bit poor. The trip down was just as nice overlooking to the town of Anacapri. The streets had great little boutique shops, restaurants, cafes and it wasn't too crowded, yet! We then caught a little open-topped cab down the hill to Capri and the scenery was beautiful. Capri is just like Anacapri with lots more little shops, cafes and restaurants. This visibility was better here. We were just happy to sit with a refreshment and enjoy the view. We then caught the cable car back to the Marina. After 4 hours we were back on the boat and heading to the Grottos. Unfortunately the Blue Grotto was closed due to slightly rough seas and the tide, but we got to see the black, green, red coral and white grottos. The water was turquoise blue and reflected the the colour in the caves, this was just a spectacular site. Mark had a snorkel inside a cave that our driver knew personally of, but there were no other people or boats around so it was a bit unique. Just awesome! You can rent your own boat and sail here, (just like the Whitsundays). We also sailed through the famous  rock arch the "Faraglioni". Our day was wonderful and the weather was great, a special day to remember. 
Our last day in Sorrento and we experience the local market, which was like a factory outlet clearance (clothes, shoes, jewellery, bags) and very popular with the locals. It did have one fruit and vegetable stall and business was busy. There was also a Ferrari Cavalcade that consisted of 90 cars travelling through the beautiful roads in Capri. This was very exclusive event and by invitation only from Ferrari Maranello. It was a impressive site.
Our time in Italy has come to an end. We loved the Amalfi Coast. People are very happy and nice. The food was exceptional and reasonably priced and more so away for the touristy areas. The weather this time of year is warm and great for swimming. Rome was nice to visit the sites but you have to have your whits about you with pick pockets ready to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists.
 Today we have travelled a 1 hour and a half car trip back to Naples to catch a fast (298km an hour) train back  to Rome. We then caught a 40 minute express train to the airport. The trains and buses here are very good and relatively cheap. Our time away has come to an end and we are homeward bound. It has just been amazing. Looking forward to going home to see our families and friends. We apologise for any grammar and spelling mistakes!! We hoped you have enjoyed sharing our travels with us.
arrivederci
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Comments

Debbie
2019-06-20

Amazing photos so picturesque !!

2025-02-10

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