Bella Italia: Sorrento, Capri, Positano, and Pompeii

Southern Italy:  Sorrento

Day 1:  Arriving to Sorrento

We flew to Rome today and took a speed train to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana train around to Sorrento. A gorgeous coastline!  We arrived in Sorrento in time for a walk to this nearby terrace which has a 180 cliff-side view of the coast/bay and Vesuvius. Some wine, a gorgeous sunset, perfect weather again - we're so so lucky - wow!

Day 2:  Capri Island, Positano and Sorrento

We're loving the Florida hotel (with a lovely balcony) Jane found in Sorrento. Right after the perfect breakfast this morning, we walked to the Sorrento port and got a ferry to Capri. What a beautiful and active day today on the island of Capri and Positano!

First thing on Capri: A tour around the island.

The tour ending at the Blue grotto - which we had heard about 2 years ago from fellow travelers we met in Venice (I think). We had to wait about an hour to get in, but it was really cool once you did get in. (We learned from our hotel waiter this evening that we were 'really lucky' to have gotten in and he was glad to hear it was open).  You've never seen the color blue quite like this before...

This blue is a new color to my eye.  Although we waited to get in this grotto - in a boat on the sea where guides in row boats picked us up and took groups of 4 in the cave.  It was totally worth it.  (Notice the wave breaking at the cave entrance - so we had to time our entrance/exit.

Jane wanted to see Tiberius' Villa Jovis.  We took a furnicular to midtown Capri and then hiked another 40 minutes thought town, villas, vistas - beautiful up and over terrain to Villa Jovis.  Amazing amazing.

The tippy top/southern end of Capri at Tiberius' Villa Jovis. We hiked up 40 minutes - from the TOP of the funicular - through walkways in town and through villas. So awesome. 

Amazing views 360 degrees.

Then, we hydrofoiled to Positano - lovely!  One in Positino, we checked out some stores, had a frozen lemon and walked up to catch the bus back to Sorrento. Tough, rewarding, beautiful, amazing day!

Out the window of the bus - what an adrenaline rush riding from Positano to Sorrento!

There was at least 1 wedding in Sorrento - huge fireworks display at midnight that would any 4th of July!
Happy Solstice. We're Pompeii bound today.

Day 3: Pompeii

We took the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii this morning (Sunday). When we arrived around 10, we were totally bummed to hear the site was closed due to a strike. It wouldn't be open until 1 p.m.  We decided to walk around to the Amphitheater entrance so we could at least be on the far end when we got in - but as luck would have it... that entrance was OPEN!  :))  We saw very few people for about an hour  - how cool is that!



Last time we came to Pompeii, we hired a tour guide and ended up staying in a relatively smaller area of the excavation (the Forum, Theatre, Music Hall, a couple houses).  This time, we went on our own, armed with all the information Jane learned in her Roman Architecture class (that class covered Pompeii is great detail, and Jane even brought her classnotes to review before the visit).  We covered a lot more ground this time, and got to see the Amphitheatre (way out to the bottom right part of the town) and the Villa of the Mysteries (way up to the top left of the town), and a ton in between.

The Amphiteatre.  

with its unique stairway-entrances.  It also has the vomitariums (the standard lower entrances, so named because the "spit forth" spectators).

a colonnade and big plaza right outside the Amphitheatre

The forum, with the Temple of Jupiter in the front left, and Vesuvius looming behind.

The Caldarium (the hot room) of the Roman Baths 

An example of one of the many many houses we saw.  We had no idea there were so many that not only had their roofs reconstructed, but that also had the original wall paintings in tact.  (The Roman Architecture class talked in great detail about Roman wall paintings, and Kristi persevered Jane's explanations of the different ones we were seeing.

The most extraordinary example was at the Villa of the Mysteries.  To get to that Villa, you walk outside of the ancient city walls and through the city of the dead (a street of tombs).  The Villa of the Mysteries is named after the painting in one tiny hidden room depicting a cult ritual where a woman is entering into a mystical marriage with Dionysus.  There are a lot of men (satyrs actually) drinking, women hanging around, a phallus being gift wrapped, and more.

This was a great tour of Pompeii.  We definitely recommend learning a lot about it beforehand, and then touring it on your own.  At least that worked really well for us today.  (Also this June weather has been perfect for spending days outside.  A bit hot, yes, but with cooler breezes.  Really perfect weather.)

After our tour of Pompeii, we ate lunch and drank wine (abbiamo prensato e beto vino!)  at a little total shaded patio restaurant right outside the exit from the Villa of the Mysteries, and then took the train back to the Sorrento.  

Then....some well deserved time just laying out at the pool, talking with Charles, and working just a bit.  But mostly relaxing.  So lovely.   Our favorite waiters, Alfonso and Marco, served us our last dinner in Sorrento.