Sorrento
Sorrento - perched on a hillside, rising from the Bay of Naples to several hundred feet, is crowded with vacationers, tourist shops and restaurants.
On a short walking tour to orient ourselves, Paulo, our guide took us to a shop where marquetry is produced and we were shown how each piece is cut out and then inlaid into the object being manufactured. We then moved on down the many narrow streets until we stopped at a small shop where an artisan was carving cameo objects, and again we were shown how the work is done, and how true cameo is so different from the counterfeit items that are made elsewhere. Another stop was at a Limoncello shop where we indulged in samplesA gelato treat from Paulo and then we were on our own. We stopped in a small ristorante for pizza, a caprese salad (the buffalo mozzarella cheese and marvelous tasting tomatoes filled our stomachs.
Day 2 was for exploring on our own, and we again walked though the narrow streets to view the seascape and walked down the several hundred feet to the waters edge (and then up again) . Lunch is the ever delicious caprese salad - buffalo mozzarella and lucious tomatoes - mmmmm!!
Day 2 was for exploring on our own, and we again walked though the narrow streets to view the seascape and walked down the several hundred feet to the waters edge (and then up again) . Lunch is the ever delicious caprese salad - buffalo mozzarella and lucious tomatoes - mmmmm!!
The Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast drive - words can never describe the drive along this breath-taking section of the Italian coastline. The narrow, winding road, passing through the picturesque ancient town of Positano, a medieval fishing village made famous by John Steinbeck's published article in the '50's and locale for several movies, and Amalfi, once the capital of the maritime republic between 900 and 1100 CE. While the view from the road was heart stopping, a boat ride from Amalfi stirred our visual senses providing scenery far superior to anything an artist could render from his palette.
Pompeii
The ruins of Pompeii revealed a life that existed before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius altered the coast of Napoli. History we learned as children was brought to life within the walls of the old city and the decadent lifestyle that ceased in the blink of an eye 2000 years ago.
Returning to reality and life of a typical rural Italian family, we were treated to a home hosted lunch in a old house overlooking the Bay of Naples. Our hosts provided a traditional meal of salad and pasta, all of which makes franchised Italian fare in America pale in comparison. Much of what we were served came from the gardens and orchard on the property, and as a bonus, the daughter, a beautiful 14 year old, sang a melody from a play she was in, stirred our emotions with the sound that filled the room.
The Isle of Capri
Our last exploration from Sorrento, to the beautiful Isle of Capri, a paradise reached by boat, seven miles away, rises from the sea some 1900 feet and teeming with thousands of tourists. The narrow streets of Capri, congested beyond belief, are crammed with quaint shops filled with souvenirs. A shuttle bus ride higher up to Anacapri provides more breathtaking scenery and the only difference is that the store facades bear the names of high end merchandise - Ferragamo, Gucci, Tods, etc. - ripe to pluck Euros from the purses of the rich and famous. A chair lift takes you even higher to the pinnacle of the island, where taking in the 360 degree vista of blue sea, yachts, spectacular scenery, caps an exhilarating visit to the fabled Isle of Capri.