Photo by C Klug
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Sorrento, Italy
After a leisurely day at sea we arrived in Sorrento, Italy in the morning. A fog was lifting from the coast creating a beautiful and unique view of the city and coastline.
We had scheduled an Amalfi coast tour with AP Tours and asked David and Lynn to join us. We spent the day driving along the coast stopping in Positano, Ravello, and Amalfi with lunch in the lunch town of Pontone di Scala. Our driver was memorable - mostly for two reasons - he managed to not wreck the car and he constantly said "Mama Mia"! We thought that was just an affect for us Americans, but yet in each town we visited, many of the locals used that as an exclamation of sorts.
The drive was beautiful, but scary. The road is so narrow it is amazing that two way traffic can get through. But there are places where you have to allow one car or bus through at a time.
Our first stop was in Positano, a beautiful place on the coast. The town is built on incredible steep grades of the side of the coast and requires strong legs for walking. We wandered through the town, enjoyed a cappuccino at a small shop and picked up a few souvenirs. On the way to Ravello we stopped in a little town called Pontone for lunch. The restaurant the driver took us to was Ristorante and Pizzeria S. Giovanni with a view overlooking the coast. So we ordered pizza, of course, and enjoyed some wine and shared several varieties. Next stop was Ravello. We wish we had taken more pictures there as Ravello is a very pretty place. We spent our time looking through the pottery shops and found an exquisite bowl with lemons. Some thought and discussion and we decided to get it and have it shipped home. A few treasures for David and Lynn and we were back on the road to Amalfi.
Amalfi is another town where you should really have more than an hour or so to visit. There are several interesting sites, but we only had time to relax along the waterfront with a refreshment and then head back along the coast to Sorrento. While a bit longer in the places would have been nice, we have a wonderful day and the opportunity to see some places other than Sorrento.
That evening was the "Dinner Under the Stars" on the pool deck, or as most call it "The BBQ"! BBQ on Silversea does not mean just ribs and chicken, but rather lobster tails, shrimp, and other wonders are also available. It's also crystal glasses and china! But still a very relaxed atmosphere. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and then the Captain recognized the crew and staff with some awards and kind of a "farewell" as we would be disembarking in two days.
The second day in Sorrento we decided to start the process of packing (very sad!) our things that morning so we would be able to enjoy the evening with our friends. It was also a bit rainy. After doing most of the packing we headed off the ship and went into town. Just as we got to the bus drop off it downpoured! Fortunately the store where they drop off the guests had plenty of items - inlaid wood, ceramics, furniture to look out while we waited. The rain finally let up and we wandered the streets until we reached the main plaza to look for a ceramic lemon tree we had seen two years before. We found the shop and looked at the piece again and decided we would rather have one of the music boxes we saw in the shop while waiting for the rain to end! So we walked back up and picked out a music box with the music of "Return to Sorrento" and made our way back to the port and the tender.
As I had mentioned on the day we visited Koper, Peter had requested that the Captain assemble us for a final dinner on the pool deck and provide Peter's requested zampone. And he did just that! In addition to the zampone he brought home made wine (in water bottles!), olives, antipasti of all sorts, and the side dishes. One of his crew's mother made a dessert that was shared with us also. So from plastic bags carried on to the ship by the Captain, to plates set up by the staff, we enjoyed an unusual dinner together and great conversation. It was a very special way to end the cruise. We much appreciated the friendship of the Captain and his warmth of extending the invitation to his table.
After dinner we met up with David, Lynn, and the rest of the folks for final drinks in the lounge and farewell to some, but not David and Lynn as they were also staying a few days in Rome and we would be connecting up with them "on land".
A short night's sleep and then disembarkation to Rome.
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Arriving to Sorrento - morning fog and mist |
Sailing Ship in port |
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Sun shines on Sorrento |
Seagull on railing |
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Tendering to port |
Along the Amalfi Coast |
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Along the Amalfi Coast |
Along the Amalfi Coast |
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Fruit Stand on the road! |
Carey |
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Randy |
David, Lynn, Carey, and Randy |
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Street in Positano
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Street to the Ristorante in Pontone |
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Vineyard on side of cliff |
Road switch backs |
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Entering Ravello |
Town Square Ravello - down the street ahead is the pottery shops! |
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Villa Rufulo tower |
Villa Rufulo - Ravello |
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Driving into Amalfi |
View from our table in Amalfi |
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Flavio Gioia statue - purported to be the inventor of the compass |
Street in Amalfi |
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Old Tile Map of the Mediterranean |
Church outside the road and on the cliff |
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Dinner under the Stars - AKA The BBQ |
David and Carey hold the table! |
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Crew Thanks - Anu, our "million dollar smile" Butler, is first male butler from center left |
Capatin expresses his thanks and recognizes the crew |
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Departing Sorrento on 27 May |
Captain's Farewell Dinner - 27 May |
Pre-cruise posts
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Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.
The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed. (From Wikipedia)
From Silversea website:
Until the mid-20th century Sorrento was a small, genteel resort favored by central European princes, English aristocrats, and American literati. Now the town has grown and spread out along the crest of its famous cliffs, and apartments stand where citrus groves once bloomed.
Basilica di Sant'Antonino. Gracing Piazza Sant'Antonino and one of the largest churches in Sorrento, the Basilica di Sant'Antonino honors the city's patron saint, St. Anthony the Abbot. The church and the portal on the right side date from the 11th century. Its nave and side aisles are divided by recycled ancient columns. Among the paintings, is the one on the nave ceiling signed and dated by Giovan Battista Lama in 1734. Piazza Sant'Antonio. Other sights to visit include Convento di San Francesco, Duomo dei SS Filippo e Giacomo, the Marina Grande, Museo Correale di Terranova. and Sedile Dominova.
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What We Plan to See:
On our 2012 cruise we traveled to Pompeii from Naples and spent a short time in Sorrento. This trip we will probably focus on visiting more of Sorrento and possibly another drive along the Amalfi to visit Positano and other towns. We may get in touch with Alberto from AP Tours who took us on our day trip last time! We have two full days to explore the area before heading into Rome.
There is also an option of going over to the Isle of Capri for one of the days.
