Sorrento
Wednesday April 19, 2017
Sorrento is a quaint resort town, obviously very touristy and would probably be way busier in summer, but I have enjoyed my time here immensely. The town itself is not full of things to do, but the areas around it are what make it so special. As I type this, I look up from my phone screen to see the Gulf of Naples, all shades of blue with white crested waves, and Vesuvius off in the distance, and I can't help but smile at all the beauty around me.
After taking the train from Rome to Naples, I took the metro to the port and booked a ticket on the ferry to Sorrento. The signboard with all the departures wasn't working and as a result, I almost missed my ferry, but I did make it in the end. It took 30 minutes to get to Sorrento and I was immediately amazed by how picturesque it is. The streets are lined with orange trees in full fruit, and you can totally just grab one if you so wanted. I had an average dinner, but as I was walking back to my accommodation, I noticed people had lined the streets in anticipation of a procession. It turns out Sorrento is one of the few places in the world that has an Easter procession of this kind; dozens of people dressed in black hooded garb, chanting, waving incense, and carrying symbols of the crucifixion as they walked down the street. It was solemn and quite daunting, especially since the robes they wore resembled the kind worn by the KKK. It was an interesting experience nonetheless, and I'm glad I was there to witness this event, even if it was accidental!
On Saturday, I took a tour of the Amalfi Coast with a very flamboyant guide called Roberto, who couldn't stop telling us to kiss our wives at every romantic landmark. We visited Positano, Amalfi and Ravello; it reminded me very much of Cinque Terre, the whole "town embedded in cliffside" aesthetic. The natural geography of the area produces some amazing clouds that cascade over the mountains, covering the many terraces of orange, lemon and olive trees. We took a short boat ride around Amalfi as well, at Roberto's recommendation, and I enjoyed some of the local citrus desserts. Perhaps too many. I met some cool people along the way, and coincidentally some of them would join me on the Vesuvius and Pompeii trip the next day (I was just thankful that the Vesuvius/Pompeii tour wasn't a total scam.) It was quite late when we got back to Sorrento, thanks to heavy traffic along the way.
I was up early and off to some random car park to start the tour of Vesuvius and Pompeii. The forecast was for rain and thunderstorms, and sure enough, as we neared Vesuvius, the dark clouds began to roll in. We managed to stay dry, but you could see nothing of Naples and the gulf from the crater. Despite that, the terrain was interesting and had a slightly sulfurous smell. It's odd that you're on top of Europe's most dangerous volcano, and although the crater is a shadow of the mountain that erupted in 79AD and destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, it's still quite an experience to see it up close for yourself.
After a very average lunch at an obviously touristy restaurant that we were semi-forced to go to, we were taken around the ruins of Pompeii. I was amazed at how much was actually preserved, and with a bit of imagination, you could catch a glimpse into what the city would have been like before it was destroyed. Various murals, despite fading in colour over the past 2000 years, also gave clues to what Roman life was like. We visited a typical villa Romana, a spa, the central marketplace, a basilica, an amphitheatre, and even a brothel! There's so many little things that historians were able to uncover and deduce; with no sewerage system, people would throw waste onto the roads to be washed away. As a result, stepping stones were constructed to allow people to cross the road while still allowing chariots and horses to pass through, and sure enough, the visible grooves of where the chariots used to go remain today. Each major intersection would be marked with a fountain, and each fountain would be decorated with a face or markings; slaves who couldn't read could use these fountains to navigate their way around the city instead of having to rely on the signs around. Chips of marble embedded in the road acted as cats eyes for the weary travellers arriving from the port at night. There's so much history behind the ruins that I hadn't even considered how massive the city is, and of course, how the devastating eruption in 79AD changed it all in an instant.
It did rain a little bit during our walk, but we remained mostly dry. We headed back to Sorrento and after freshening up at my accommodation, I went to a restaurant recommended by an Australian couple I met on the Amalfi Coast tour. Funnily enough, they were there was well, and later on another couple from the tour joined us. It would have been past 11pm by the time I got home, I had such a good yarn with everyone there.
I had a bit of a sleep in on Monday, then headed down to the port to catch a ferry to the island of Capri. It was so busy that the latest ferry back was 3.30pm, giving me four hours to explore the island. From Marina Grande, I walked up to the central plaza then took a walking track to the south that went past the Arco Naturale and some other beautiful natural sights along the coast. I wandered around the central plaza some more after lunch, and then it was time to go already. I was feeling a little adventurous so I walked over to Sant'Agnello, east of Sorrento, just to claim a few spots in the Mystic Pokemon gyms, and was back in Sorrento for dinner.
Yesterday was quiet. I had another late start, and after taking away some food from town, I walked out to an abandoned fort on the west side of the peninsula. Magnificent views of the bay, and totally serene; there were maybe ten other people there exploring the area, some even so brave as to go for a swim in the chilly Mediterranean waters! I walked back to my accommodation for a quick break, but then it started raining and I lost all motivation to do anything, so I had a solid nap. And that was basically all I did that day! It's nice to relax once in a while, and after three full days, it was probably a good idea to just chill.
Now I'm just waiting for my ferry to Naples. It's slightly windy today but the sun is out, so it's quite pleasant when you're out of the shade. My time in Italy is almost up!
Posted by Jeremy at 9:31am on Wednesday April 19, 2017 :: 0 comments :: 