Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Sorrento - Our Vacation In Italy

SORRENTO
Sorrento is a wonderful place. The people, the food, the music, the history, the weather, the limoncello, the fruits, the seafood, the sea, and the view all make up this paradise. I wish we could have stayed there longer and I wish I was there right now. The classic song "Come Back To Sorrento" says it all. Our host Carmine made us feel at home as his wife served us a breakfast of croissants, cereal, and cappuccino each morning.

Can you tell that I love this place yet?

 View of Lemon Grove From Casa Correale

Day Number 6:
From Rome to Sorrento. We walked from our apartment to the train station which was a small 20 minute hike through cobblestone streets and locals buying items from street vendors. The train ride was only an hour and fifteen minutes to Napoli. Our driver Fulvio (ask for him if you go!) from Benvenuto was awaiting us and promptly made our experience in the south that much more enjoyable. Fulvio told us about the history of Napoli as he drove us down the coast, about how it was richer than any country due to it's merchants and excellent location on the Mediterranean, and the sad story of how the Queen of England teamed up with forces in the north to takeover the land through the false pretense of the unification which destroyed the southern economy. This is one of the many reasons why my family immigrated from Napoli to America. Never had I felt such a true impact from history as I did while he told us this. Remember, the winners write the history books. He dropped us off at Casa Correale, our home for the next week, in Sorrento.

 Our room at Casa Correale

That first night in Sorrento, Heather and I went to a highly recommended restaurant called Basilica. I had some of the best ravioli of my life followed with a delicious cut of swordfish which was the first one Heather has ever tried. She may have been spoiled because that was the best I've had and now, no swordfish will taste like that for her! For dessert, a rich sponge cake covered with limone froth and of course limoncello. We then walked to a piazza in town overlooking the Baio di Napoli. What a view. Maybe the most romantic place we have ever been.

 Heather drinking wine at La Basilica in Sorrento

Day Number 7: 
Our first full day in Sorrento, we made our way down the the beach. 60 Euro, pretty steep, got us lounge chairs on the pier and a private beach. I got a tan for the first time in like 5 years and we spent the whole day there. That night we met up with our cousins Enrico, Maria, and Giacomo. Enrico treated us as we got gelato at Primavera which was the best gelato we had in Italy. The Italian I studied came through once again as we were able to communicate very well with our cousins. They brought us gifts from Enrico's linen factory that were beautiful. Again, Enrico and his family showed us the same kindness he had shown Gabe and I when we had visited in 2005. After our cousins left we went to a restaurant run by our host Carmine where I ate more delicious pasta, pizza, and limoncello.

 Sunset over the Baio di Napoli from Sorrento

Day Number 8:
Due to the heat, sunburn, and traveling from the days prior, Heather and I decided to take it easy and sleep in late. We got lunch at a delicious place called Pizza Aurora where I had a pizza with arugula, prosciutto, and mozzarella. Wow. This was the second best pizza I had in Italy. Heather had pineapple on her pizza which was almost as good as mine. I doused several slices with their delicious spicy olive oil and red peppers.

Spicy Olive Oil from Pizza Aurora

We did a little bit of shopping after that and bought limoncello, candies, souvenirs, and figs. Then we went to a place called Inn Bufalito which serves different cuts of Buffalo as well as different Buffalo cheeses. The bread they served it with was homemade of course and the wine was excellent. The tastiest thing there was ricotta with a chestnut sauce. Unreal. I think Heather and I had dreams about it later on that night.

Different Cuts of Buffalo Meat

After that, Heather and I stopped at a place where they do legno intarsio. Intarsio is the inlaying of wood in a frame to form beautiful designs. I bought one with a sailboat on the water along the coast of Sorrento. Heather got a music box that plays "Come Back To Sorrento" when it's opened. After that, we had gelato and turned in for the night at around 7:30 which was by far our earliest night of the trip. We were exhausted and I think we really needed it.

 Fresh Figs from a Vendor in Sorrento

Day Number 9: 
We took a very long bus to Positano down the Amalfi coast. Very crowded which was not so pleasant. However, the view was stunning. The peninsula where the Amalfi Coast is as well as Sorrento were formed do to volcanic eruptions long ago and the water is pristine. The approach to Positano is awesome because the town is built up the cliff side down to the water. We did some shopping as well as picked up some lunch for later in the day.

A Dome through the Trees in Positano

We went to the beach in Positano which may have been the hottest beach I have ever been to. The rocks burn if you touch them so I had to wear my sandals in the water. It was also a public beach and I will say that in Italy, there is a lower level of respect for people and rules are not followed. People think New Yorkers are rude. When parents let their kids run over peoples towels and personal belongings without uttering a word, you know something is off. All I know is we don't do that here in America. That being said we enjoyed Positano for the most part.

 Heather and I overlooking the water in Positano

Carmine set us up with his friend who owns a boat so we got a free ride back to Sorrento by sea. The view from the water is a must see. The downside of this day was the intense sunburn that Heather got. I felt really bad for her but it seemed to go away pretty quickly. That night, Katie, Sarah, Heather, and I let my parents go have a night to themselves while we went to a delicious restaurant recommended by Rick Steves called Ristorante Pizzeria Lanterna Due where we had pizza with Mozzarella di Bufalo. It was the best pizza I had in Italy. Of course, the night ended with gelato.

 Beautiful View of Positano by Sea

Day Number 10: 
There are a few islands off the coast of Sorrento. The more popular/expensive/crowded one is Capri which is where Gabe and I went last time. This time, we decided to go to Ischia. The best parts of this island are the natural hot springs. We went to a beach club style resort that had all sorts of different hot springs and pools at varying temperatures. The baths are said to contain a certain healing attribute which is nice. We defintely felt very relaxed while using them. Heather and I intended on getting massages but they only had one person there the day we visited and they were all booked up. Still, my whole family enjoyed the spas.

The Beautiful Island of Ischia with Thermal Baths

After we got back to Sorrento, Heather and I went to a restaurant where Carmine's brother and cousin work. Her pork was raw but they brought out another dish afterwards with free limoncello and dessert on the house to make up for it. We had gelato then went to the discoteca after where they had a glowstick party going on. This is where we got this gem of a picture. Could the raw pork have had any strange effects? I joke, I joke.

After lo discoteca in Sorrento, here is the result.

Day Number 11:
Sigh, our last day in Sorrento. Heather and I slept late again knowing that the following day would be exhausting. We checked out the Correale museum which had a lot of cool artwork from the Renaissance and masonry work from the Greek and Roman empire. The ancient cultures used marble to build their structures in the same way we use wood to build today. Incredible. After that we had lunch outside of a church where a couple was getting married. Lots of tourists were waiting around just to see the bride.

Performers from the Sorrento Musical at Teatro Tasso

That night we went to Teatro Tasso to see the Sorrento Musical. What an amazing show! A cast of thirteen, the performers played classical Italian music from the south. "O Sole Mio" was so intense that people in the audience were weeping. The six of us enjoyed the show so much and I have to say that our time in Sorrento couldn't have ended in a better way. We stopped once more for gelato and turned in for the night. 

 
"Torna A Surriento" This is how I feel right now.

Continued in Venezia

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