Sorrento, Italy

  After our week in Amalfi we took the bus back over the coast towards Sorrento and were dropped off on the side of the road to wait for another bus to bring us to our small village, again in the hills about 6km from Sorrento. We waited and waited but no bus so we stopped a taxi who took us to our  new accommodation for the next week.

We are staying with a family who live on 4 acres of land overlooking the sea, no one speaks English so the father, Franco talks to us using Google Translate on his phone. He is very welcoming sharing some of his homemade liquor and jams with us. 

This liquor is made from fennel.

Our little apartment is attached to the main house but still private, here is our patio...

And that evening our view...

Franco's patio was filled with flowers and herbs so there was basil, rosemary and whatever kind we wanted for our cooking, or should I say Don's cooking.

This is a very rural area so lots of greenery and small gardens...

We were about 1.5 kms from the small town of Sant A'gata where we walked to get groceries or a coffee. And sometimes a treat...

This pastry is called sfoglietella and is unique to this area, it is made with many thin layers of dough and filled with a custard...it was yummy!

The church in town...

Some houses and gardens...

The region has a lot of trails comprised of old footpaths so one day we left our apartment which was fairly high up in the hills and started a walk down to another town. Unfortunately there weren't many markets so we ended up going through people's gardens, abandoned houses and who knows where? But we enjoyed the sights along the way....

We could here the church bells ringing across the fields...

Love the colours on this old house...

Looking down on the town

Lots of lemon groves...

The town square...

Speaking of walking we also decided to do The Path of the Gods which is the most popular hiking trail on the Amalfi Coast. We took a bus way up in the mountains and then walked to the trail head...

 

It was so named because the gods used it to come down to the sea and meet the sirens who enticed Ulysses with their singing. It is about 3 hours over awesome terrain and views to the ocean...

Lots of terraced farms at the beginning...

There were a few hikers on the trail ahead of us...

Coming to a signpost, we are turning right...

A town below...

We are going this way...

Some parts I looked the other way when I walked by...

Almost halfway there...

Some parts were rough...

Some didn't make it like the lady in the middle of the picture, the men were trying to lift her over the rocks but she couldn't make it. We passed her so don't know how she got out.

The picnic table with a view...

We even made it in less than three hours and we were quite proud of ourselves!!!

Now will we walk the 1500 steps down to Positano, no we took the bus,and as usual there was no room....

Positano

Since we were close to Sorrento we went in for a day to have a look around, it is a large town of 16,000, overlooking the Bay of Naples and is a very popular tourist destination.  

Overlooking the bay and a view of Mount Vesuvius 

A beautiful promenade and gardens...

Lots of cafes...

Little squares...

Beautiful churches...

 Loved the colours on this one as well, how they fade with the heat and age.

And wondered what these kids found so interesting 

Sorrento is located on top of a high hill with a harbour down below...

Getting some sun...

This is where the ferries dock and one day we took a ferry over to the island of Capri about 40 minutes on the water.

The island is not very big and is very popular with day trippers from Naples and Sorrento as many ferries go there every day. It is very craggy with several small harbours. 

We took a very small bus over the mountains to Anacapri which is one of the 

larger towns, this was the view looking back and down to the harbour. 

Anacapri wasn't  quite as touristy as the town of Capri and very pretty...

They have a church there that when you enter the first thing you see  is the marvelous hand painted ceramic tile floor. Every inch of it is covered with a grand scene showing the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The dramatic scene takes place in a lush setting surrounded by trees, plants and all types of animals. This wonderfully preserved floor dates from 1761 and was created by Leonardo Chiaiese, one of the best ceramic artists working in Naples in the 18th century. 

 You walk on boards around the floor and then climb a spiral staircase fro a better view, it was quite lovely! 

We visited old villas and beautiful gardens...

This sphinx from 1200 BC was overlooking the bay and the island...

Took the bus back down the hill to the town of Capri which was filled with large hotels and lots of upscale shops...

Thought this matching outfit might look good on us, but Don was not convinced!

Went to the point to see the faraglione which in Italian means sea stacks, and are one of the iconic views in Capri. By this time it was raining so not a great picture, we also think NL have way better ones!

A sea view...

Overall we weren't impressed with Capri as it was too touristy and overpriced, but glad we saw for ourselves as the natural beauty was worth the visit, despite the cold and rain. 

We loved our time on the Sorrento peninsula as well as Amalfi, so much we have moved Southern Italy to the top of the best places we have visited so far this trip, another place we would loved to visit again. One more stop in Italy and then on to Slovenia!  

Our favourite memory...