Sorrento

The second part of our trip was a drive from Roma to Sorrento, where we stayed two nights. We were headed south to visit Lynn's family in Calabria, but decided to break up the trip. I wasn't prepared to try driving in Naples, but Lynn had previously visited Sorrento, so we headed there. It was a wonderful decision.

This is the basic feel of the area - houses, villas, restaurants, and whole towns clinging to granite cliffs that plunge into the Bay of Napoli.

A little bar (a sandwich and snack shop that serves beer and wine) down the street from our hotel offered this view. It seemed to be the piazza for folks living in the area. In the evening it was crowded with young families chatting and chasing kids. The villa appears to be unoccupied, hmmmmm.

We're looking over Sorrento from the bar.

"Downtown" Sorrento.

We were amazed with the road to the harbor. It's carved into a slot in the granite that's barely two Fiats wide.

These homes and shops line the side of the valley that holds the road.

There are two or three streets through Sorrento, the rest are these alleys. Naturally the Vespas use them, but so do the Fiats and Peugot 206s. No SUVs need apply.

La Dolce Vita. Peroni Blue Ribbon beer, a nice acqua naturale, and probably an octopus salad. What more could anyone ask?

The hotel was charming and comfortable, and had a lovely pool, but we were accompanied by three busloads of German tourists. On their last night they had an evening of music and games that lasted till midnight in the bar area in the background. Our room is the last on the right on the second floor. Needless to say, we "enjoyed" every minute of their party.

The view from our hotel room looking inland.