Scenes from Sorrento

I used Sorrento as my base while in Italy. It’s about an hour and a half south of Naples by train, and perfectly situated for day trips to Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and the Isle of Capri.

I had an AMAZING time in Sorrento, and this was hands down because I stayed at such an amazing hostel. For one thing, it was actually part hotel, part hostel, which meant it had a pool! Perfect for the those sweltering Italian summer days.

It also had a lemon grove out back! Gold star award.

The following are some snapshots from life in Sorrento:

Welcome to Italy!

Sunset on the coast.

Old men sunbathing. Because the coastline is so dramatic in this area of Italy, there aren’t a whole lot of traditional white sandy beaches. Rather, short piers are built along the rocks that go out to sea, and sunbeds are placed on top. Voila! Instant beach.

Pretty flowers in my hostel’s garden.

My feet after climbing Mount Vesuvius.

The Shannon, an Irish pub in Sorrento. There’s always an Irish pub.

A souvenir from Pompeii – a “Cave Canem” magnet! “Cave Canem” means “Beware of Dog” in Latin. The original mosaic was at the entrance of wealthy Pompeii resident’s home. It was the thing I was most looking forward to seeing at Pompeii, but unfortunately when I made it to the mosaic, which was guarded by steel bars, shadows were obscuring the mosaic almost completely from view and all my attempts to take photos were useless. So I bought a two euro magnet instead.

Pool life at my hostel. Do you see how all the sun beds have adjustable visors that shield your face from the sun? Take notes, America.

Dramatic coastline.

I made a friend! Actually I made quite a few friends – yet another perk of staying in a friendly hostel!

YUM.

Pompeii e Vesuvio

On Saturday, I spent the day clambering around two thousand year old ruins. And then I climbed a volcano!

I’ve been wanting to go to Pompeii since I first learned about its existence in my seventh grade Latin class (Thanks, Mr. Hill!). So it was definitely one of the those dream-come-true moments when I finally made it there myself!

The ancient town of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Interestingly, it wasn’t lava but ash that killed most of the town’s inhabitants. The ash acted like a plaster mold, preserving much of Pompeii’s structures and even entombing residents.

I went through the site with a tour guide, and I was really happy I did! Pompeii is huge, and going with a guide ensured I saw all the main attractions.

My guide in the amphitheater, which sat 5,000 people (crazy, no?).

Ancient Latin script (and my shadow!).

Of course it was blisteringly hot – I don’t think I’ve stopped sweating since I got to Italy. But one of the great things about Pompeii is that is still has the original water fountains free for public use!

Ancient Italians could sure teach modern Italians a thing or two about free water – in most restaurants, a glass of house wine is actually cheaper that a bottle of water!

I spent about two hours with the tour guide viewing the main sites of Pompeii.

My selfie skills could use some work…

The above picture shows ancient crosswalks, aka huge stones in the road that the residents of Pompeii could step on to avoid the sewage flowing freely in the streets. If you look carefully, you might even be able to see the rut-marks from ancient chariots.

Completely coincidentally, I wore my “Domus” Eiiot housing day tank to Pompeii. So when I saw this sign saying “Domus” (Latin for “house”) I had to take a picture. Floreat Domus de Eliot!

The forum, or old town market.

Columns on columns.

After lunch, I headed to Mount Vesuvius! I went with a company that drove us through the Mount Vesuvius National Park to the hiking trail in 4x4s – the wheels were nearly as tall as me, and good thing too because the ride was a bumpy one! But the National Park was lovely, and towards the top was covered in marigolds (or at least I think that’s what they were! Not a horticulturalist here). They made the whole Park smell divine.

Vesuvius was originally around 4000m tall (that’s about 13000ft to us yanks!), but its many eruptions over the years have taken some of its height. The volcano now stands about 1300m high, and we only had to hike a short bit to reach the top. It must have been all the pizza and pasta I was eating, but the easy 15 minute walk was more like a 25 minute hike with much huffing and puffing.

Luckily, the day had cooled down quite a bit. While this made a much-needed change from the blistering heat of Pompeii, it also obscured most of the view of the Bay of Naples. You can just about see it over my shoulder in the photo above.

 

View of inside the volcano.

On the climb, I met an Irish family from Country Galway! Small world, huh? As we got higher and higher, we actually passed the clouds! The dad said, “This is as close to heaven as you’ll ever be.”

 

And it felt like it, too.

La Costa d’Amalfi

Driving along the Amalfi Coast is not for the faint of heart – or stomach.

The road wraps around the rugged coastline for over 50km, dipping in and out along the Mediterranean Sea. Cars, coach buses, and plenty of vespas make hairpin turns at alarming speeds, beeping as they turn corners on too narrow stretches. There was more than one occasion when our bus would come face to face with another bus; unable to pass, one would be forced to back up until we reached a wider stretch of road.

Needless to say, it was with a roiling stomach that I got off the bus in Positano (I fared better than some other passengers, however; two little kids lost their breakfasts on the way). But the beautiful view of Positano was more than enough to make up for the hairy drive!

The town of Positano is built into the hollowed curve of two mountains that make up the coast. The houses are built terrace-like into the cliffs and slope downwards to the sea.

The beach itself is tiny, but so so gorgeous! Like most “beaches” around here, there is no sand, just pebbles. When you put your head underwater, you can hear a crackling sound as the pebbles are gently swept in and out with the waves. And the water! Deep blue and totally see-through.

I don’t have many pictures from the beach itself, because my iPhone is not in the best of shape and I was worried about water damage. But I think Positano is quite possibly the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to. In one direction, across the sea, you could see the distant island of Capri and stretches of deep blue water dotted with yachts and motor boats, while in the other, you were treated to the tiled dome of the town church’s cupola against the steeply rising cliffs. Bellissima!

I spent a few hours at the beach, packed in on the pebbles with the other Italian tourists. In the afternoon, I continued down the Amalfi Coast towards the town of Amalfi. A similar-sized town, Amalfi seems to cater more towards tourist. I spent the afternoon roaming the town with a new friend, lusting after pairs of homemade leather sandals, stopping for a picture on the pier, and eating gelato.

A note on my hair: it has become wild here! The water is so salty in the Mediterranean – you can actually hear it by rubbing your fingers together after a dip. The saltwater turns my hair into a crazy curly poof, so I’ve just been throwing it into a giant pile on my head.

Because this is the height of Italian tourist season, the drive back to Sorrento from Amalfi was laden with traffic and took twice as long as it should. So it was gelato to the rescue again! Instantly improved the state of my stomach after the harrowing two hour drive along the coast.

This may or may not have been my second gelato of the day….

Positano and the Amalfi Coast were absolutely breathtaking. It was the perfect way to end my time in Italy.

Ciao for now, Italia!