Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, the Isle of Capri, and...

 

Looking up the Amalfi Coast from the harbor of Amalfi

        This is part of our on-going blog about Jordan and Italy.  Find the parts about Sicily here. The complete series starts here, with Jordan.

During our travels over the last few years Paula and I have noticed something interesting: when it’s threatening rain, we always seem to arrive back at the house or car just before the drops fall. Any number of times we’ve been out for a little hike, we'll climb in the car, and as we drive out of the parking lot big drops start covering the windshield. Or we make it home just a few minutes before the rain falls.

In Sorrento we weren’t so lucky.

The bus ride from the airport in Naples to the coastal town of Sorrento was not unlike the ride from the Palermo airport into the city: along the coast, looking out at the water as the bus wound along the shore. We had a longer walk, though. We trudged through the modern city, dodging cars and other pedestrians, our suitcases trailing behind us, on into the very narrow streets of the old town. In these skinny byways we were dodging vender carts and racks displaying refrigerator magnets, bottles of limoncello and olive oil, and lemon-decorated aprons (and tablecloths, and dishtowels… we were at ground zero for the fabled Sorrento lemon). And, then, dodging raindrops.

Our lodgings were down a steep narrow alley. But which? There were so many… Eventually we found the right one and got the door opened, escaping the downpour. We entering our rental apartment feeling like drowned rats.

Oh, but what an apartment it was! This was a long-time family home, rented out when not needed. It’s always so much nicer to stay in someone’s home than a place intended only to house short-term travelers (like that horrid place for our night in Catania). Well equipped, nicely decorated, lots of room, and a wonderful terrace. Yeah, it was raining now, but the terrace would be a real joy in the coming sunny days.

Our terrace at dusk, with lemon trees!

When we arrived we had several things on the “places to go and things to do” list. Some got done (Pompeii, the Ilse of Capri, the Amalfi coast) and some didn’t (Herculaneum, the city of Naples). Overall, we liked Sorrento, but it’s not on our Must See list. It has a reputation as romantic and picturesque. With great lemons. Oh, it is. But then, so are a lot of places. (Well, not all with great lemons!)

 

A quick summary of what we did…

Amalfi Coast-- OK, so we live in California and have been up and down the Big Sur coast more than a few times. Is the Amalfi coast “better” than that? The YouTube videos of cars and buses negotiating the tight turns on the coastal road are amusing. What was it like for us?

Could be Big Sur...??

Decidedly NOT Big Sur!

Another photo from Paula's side of the bus.

It was very crowded. Our expectation that the four of us would be able to sit together on the bus ride down the coast quickly shrunk to hopes that we could sit at all: the aisle of the bus was filled with strap hangers. My seat mate was a petite Asian woman who spent the entire journey with her head in her phone; and why not? To her right she could see someone’s belt, and my shoulder blocked her view of the window. Yes, I got a window, but on the wrong side: I mostly saw the cliff face.

View from my side...

...and sometimes there was oncoming traffic.

The town of Amalfi was fine, if crowded. We had a good lunch and excellent ice cream. For the return trip, we chose to skip the bus and take a ferry back to Sorrento. Good choice! We enjoyed the boat ride and the view of the coast, with its many small towns spilling down the cliffs.

 

The town of Amalfi, from the harbor.

Duomo di Sant'Andrea, Amalfi. Broad steps leading up to a heavily decorated church!

From the ferry, just off the coast, on the way back (the town of San Michele.
.

And, just before we docked in Sorrento, Mt. Vesuvius across the bay.

Isle of Capri—I was a bit cynical, having heard the song, and the stories of the Blue Grotto, too many times. Turns out, there is far more to Capri than a song and a type of pants. The island is tremendously mountainous, giving many hiking opportunities and some fantastic viewpoints accessible via gondola. However, the day we were there the mountain tops were wreathed in cloud, so we opted for a funicular ride to the upper town where we had second breakfast and coffee; overpriced, but worth it for the view!

From the upper town, looking down on the harbor of Capri. See the funicular tracks, bottom center?

Back down at the harbor we took a boat tour around the island. And that was fantastic! Our skipper was very good, maneuvering the small boat into tight coves and caves, and pointing out (English and Italian) the sights and sites. (We did skip the side trip to the Blue Grotto—and the additional €15 charge; not worth it!)

 

Our skipper, announcing... something or other.

Yes, we went through that hole in the rock.

Not "the" Blue Grotto, but one of several beautiful blue pools we visited.

See that tiny cave where all the row boats are headed? Yup, the famous Blue Grotto, Grotta Azzurra.
Not worth an extra €15 (each) for us.

The central massif of Capri. The gondola with the fabulous views is somewhere
on that cloud-covered peak.

Pompeii— We figured this to be a must-see, and we did. (See it, I mean.) Pretty amazing, although I think it would take several visits to make any real sense of it. It’s huge, and rich in ancient culture. Still, if we went back, I’d want to see Herculaneum, as well. (Compare and contrast!)

The Forum, main square of Pompeii, crowded as it must have been back in the day.
What's left of Vesuvius broods in the background.

House of the Vetti: Villa of the richest family in Pompeii.

Lararium: Altar of the Lares, the deities of the home; at Casa Vetti.

A street, one of a very great many in this large city.
(Those stones in the street are a crosswalk: chariot wheels pass on the sides, horses down the middle;
 pedestrians hop from stone to stone.)

Don't know what's with this wall, but oh, that snake...!!

A modern sculpture of a centaur by Igor Mitoraj
(photo thanks to Paula)

Nothing says Sorrento like the fabulous lemons found there.

And what do you make, when given lemons?

Why, limoncello! (A delicious, very sweet liqueur made from lemon rind,)
We enjoy some on our terrace.

We came prepared! In keeping with the overall Sorrento lemon theme, we brought some special socks...

And after a few days, we were on the bus headed north, going to Rome. Our only hint of Napoli was the hour we spent at the rather industrial bus station there. We had coffee and second breakfast, and couldn’t wait to move on!

6AM and we're leaving Sorrento, on the road to Rome! And yes, that's Vesuvius in the distance...

  

We’re almost at the end of this series of blogs about our one-month trip to Jordan and Italy. One more, about Rome, and we can return to springtime in Montpellier…