After spending 10 wonderful days in Sicily, I was ready to slow down. Susan, Sharon, Randy, Mr. T and I left our fellow travelers with Sicilian Encounters at the Palermo Airport and took a short flight to Naples, Italy. I had arranged for a driver through Daytrip to take us from Naples to Sorrento, where we would be staying for the next six nights. It is about an hour drive from the airport in Naples to Sorrento, depending on traffic. And traffic can be an issue, especially as you get closer to Sorrento. And we were meeting our friends Tere, Jamie and Karen there, who were flying in from the U.S. – their first time in Italy!
Sorrento is a beautiful city overlooking the Bay of Naples. We chose it as our base city due to its proximity to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii, and I’m so glad we did! The shopping and food are outstanding, and the slower pace of life here really suited us.
We were staying at Palazzo Spasiano, a Bed & Breakfast that takes up one floor of a 19th century building. Beware, there are some stairs to get there, so if you have a bad back or knees, you may have some trouble. Melania, the owner/general manager/hostess/doer of all things, greeted us, and then proceeded to take both Mr. T’s and my bags and brought them upstairs. I definitely need to move to Italy and get in shape!
There are only three rooms at Palazzo Spasiano, plus a common area for us to gather in the morning or evening. The hotel is located only about a half of a block from Piazza Tasso, and it was very convenient to walk to restaurants, bars, and the train station.
After we got situated in our rooms, we strolled down to Bar Syrenuse for a pre-dinner cocktail. Dinner that night was at Ristorante Tasso.
The next day we had booked a private tour of the Amalfi Coast. We were picked up in front of our hotel, loaded into a van, and headed off. The Amalfi Coast was everything I expected and more – from Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello – everything was beautiful! And it was so nice to have an experienced driver to navigate the narrow and windy roads. We were also blessed with beautiful weather!
We arrived back into Sorrento after spending all day on the Amalfi Coast, and wandered until we found a restaurant that was open. Since it was technically not yet tourist season (we were there in March), many places were still closed. Luckily we found Ristorante o Parrucchiano la Favorita. It was beautiful and the food was super good!
The next morning walked to the train station and caught a train to Pompeii, where we had scheduled a private tour with Eliana, an archeologist who is currently in charge of one of the digs at Pompeii. Eliana’s mother was also an archeologist who worked at Pompeii, and between the two of them have discovered some really amazlng murals and facets of Italian life before Mt. Vesuvius erupted. It was a fantastic tour, and a great way to spend Mr. T’s birthday!
We got back to Sorrento and ate at Pizzeria da Franco, which came highly recommended by Melania. It was delicious and fun!
The next day we had hoped to take a boat from Sorrento to Capri “the Rick Steves way”. If you know me, you know how much I admire “my friend” Rick, but in this instance we probably should have pre-booked a tour. Instead, we arrived at the pier early, only to find out that it was too windy for the boats at that time – the earliest time we would be able reserve a boat to Capri was 1:30 pm, if the wind died down. I was worried then that we may not make it back from Capri to Sorrento, so we ended up staying in Sorrento for the day. Which wasn’t a bad thing! We all split up and went shopping for ceramics, in-lay wooden objects, limoncello, and other souvenirs. And of course there was the random breaks for wine or spritzes interspersed in between shops!
We scheduled a food tour for the following day. I usually try to book these on the first day in a new city, but this worked out just as well. We had delicious gnocchi, meats and cheeses, lemon delight, and of course limoncello. It was glorious!
The next day was our last day in Sorrento. We started off with some pastries from Gelateria Primavera (my third time there, and had come recommended by our Pompeii tour guide Eliana). After that we took off and wandered the streets of Sorrento, eventually ending up at Marina Grande, the smaller of the two marinas in Sorrento, which you wouldn’t know by the name 😂! It was so beautiful, with many restaurants lining the area around the pier, trying to get the attention of those walking. What got my attention was “Free wine with lunch!”. Ok, now you’re talking! We were very happy with our lunch at Ristorante O’Puledrone – it was delicious!
More wandering and shopping in the afternoon, and we ate our final meal in Sorrento at Inn Bufalito. If I had found this place earlier in the trip I would have probably eaten here every day! It was so delicious, and everyone there was amazing – I highly recommend!
All good things have to come to an end, and the next day we were headed out of Sorrento. Sharon and Randy had left for Naples a couple of days before, and Karen and Jamie had already left for Rome the day prior. It just left the four of us. Tere and Susan were headed to Rome for one night and a whirlwind tour of the sites, where Mr. T and I opted to stay in Fiumicino, the small town where the Rome airport is located. We all rode together through a driver I had booked with Daytrip. It is about a three hour drive to Rome from Sorrento, and it is probably quicker (and cheaper) to take the train from Naples. But we were opting for comfort and a direct route without having to switch trains or wait. It worked out great – we dropped Tere and Susan off in Rome, and about 45 minutes later we were in Fiumicino.
The next day we flew directly from Rome to Chicago. It was not without its bumps, as we almost didn’t make our flight even though we had arrived at the airport two hours ahead of time. So note to self – if flying out of Rome, get to the airport three hours ahead of time!
This was my second trip to Italy, and I loved every bit of it! The food, wine, and people are amazing, and the slower pace of life definitely appeals to me. So until our next adventure, ciao for now!
Tales From The Wine Store 