After an hour flight, we landed in Naples, picked up our luggage, and found the bus to Sorrento. Driving through Naples gave us a quick glimpse at the city and confirmed our decision to spend as little time there as possible. After another hour on the bus, we were dropped off at the Sorrento bus station. We made the very long and confusing walk to our hotel, got checked in, and took a second to rest our tired feet before devising our plan for the next two days.
Our first stop – a centuries old orange and lemon orchard in the heart of town. The owner was on hand to give us samples of her family’s homemade limoncello and to give us a brief history of the orchard and the town.
We strolled through the orchard, surrounded by the sweet smell of ready-to-open blossoms, until we came to the family’s gelato stand. The. Best. Gelato. Ever. The tart lemon gelato was even better will a little drizzle of sweet limoncello on top! We may or may not have shared the first helping and then each ordered our own to go. Maybe.
Gelatos in hand, we continued back toward the town square to start our Rick Steves walking tour through the historic town center. We walked down ancient Roman streets, past a neighborhood shrine to Mary, and peeked into the courtyard of the city’s men’s club before ending at a park with a stunning view of the Sorrento harbor. We arrived just in time for sunset – perfect timing!
Once the sun had set, we made our way through town and down to a small fishing harbor that was supposed to be home to several good seafood restaurants.
Restaurants that were closed for the winter. So, we walked all the way back up the steel hill and found a nice place tucked back into the neighborhood just a few blocks from our hotel. This restaurant's menu was centered around buffalo mozzarella. Chris is all about ordering whatever the restaurant is known for, so of course, we had to sample a big ball of buffalo mozzarella… and the smiley-face-shaped chocolate cake.
Day two in Sorrento was an action-packed sightseeing whirlwind. We started the day with a ferry ride to the island of Capri and a trip to the world-famous Blue Grotto. According to our research, getting to the Blue Grotto was half the adventure. From Capri’s harbor, we boarded a small boat for the ride to the cave’s entrance.
Once at the cave, we stepped from our boat into an even smaller boat. With expert timing, our guide squeezed us through the tiny cave opening and into the Blue Grotto.
The Blue Grotto gets its name from the amazing blue color of the water inside the cave. The cave walls are made up of light-colored limestone, so when the sun shines through the cave opening, it reflects brightly off the submerged cave walls causing the water glow.
The cave wasn’t nearly as breath-taking as we expected (our guide said the summer is the best time to come – if you can stand the crowds), but it was beautiful. We were even treated to a short serenade compliments of our guide.
Back in the town of Capri, we decided to follow another Rick Steves walk through the town. Capri is obviously built around tourism and high-rent tourism at that. The streets were squeaky clean and every major designer from Gucci to Prada had a store lining the street the locals call Rodeo Drive.
Our best find of the day was a small bakery that made the best lemon shortbread cookies I have ever tasted. I bought a couple because they looked good, and then we went back and bought more because they were so amazing. I’ve been scouring the internet for a recipe, but no one seems to have one. Darn adorable Italian grandmothers and their secret family recipes!
We eventually made our way to the bus stop for the short ride to Anacapri (creative name, I know). Anacpari is located at the foot of the island’s tallest “mountain”. A quick ride up a chair lift, and we were on top of the island, with views of the Mediterranean and the Amalfi coast stretching out in every direction.
We stayed at the top of the hill for quite a while before making our way back to the bus stop and then back to Capri’s harbor. A short ferry ride later, we were back in Sorrento and headed to the bus station to catch a bus to the town of Amalfi. One of the “must do” activities in the Sorrento area is drive the road along the scenic Amalfi coast. We’ve both been on narrow, winding mountain roads before, but nothing prepared us for this bus ride. I have no idea how our bus fit down the roads, let along how it made some of the corners along the route. Many times I looked down, out of the bus window, only to see nothing but blue water hundreds of feet below us. It was well worth the anxiety for the unforgettable views.
Two American college students, on a spring break trip to Rome, ended us sitting behind us on the bus ride. We got to talking and they mentioned that this was the first outside the US for both of them. They had really wanted to come to Europe, even if it was only for a week, but their parents had told them it was a crazy waste of money. They had been saving all year to be able to make the trip, but just two days in, they had no regrets about their decision. I couldn’t help but tell them a little about me. How I’ve been traveling since I was in high school; at every opportunity, for any reason, and yes, even against the wishes of my parents. How I’ve never once regretted a single dollar I’ve spent to just go somewhere. Have I spent too much on a hotel or a souvenir - sure, but on an experience or a chance to see someplace new - never.
Our travel companions got off the bus several stops before us. Their tight schedule didn’t allow them time for the bus ride all the way to Amalfi, but ours did! We were able to spend just enough time in Amalfi to make a walk through downtown, stop in a couple little shops, and take some pictures on the beach before getting back on the bus back to Sorrento. On the way back, we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the ocean.
Entirely too early the next morning, we walked through the eerily quiet streets, suitcase wheels clicking on the cobblestone sidewalks, to the bus station (again). Destination: Rome!
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