Italy, Days 3-4: Pompeii, Sorrento, & Capri


Days 3-4:  Pompeii, Sorrento & Capri

Some recovered artifacts and a plaster cast of one of the residents.

On our way to Sorrento we stopped at Pompeii.  It was definitely not as I had imagined.  The city was considerably larger, and they continue to excavate.  

It takes years just to uncover a small space.  I wonder how long it will be before the whole area is revealed.  According to our guide the inhabitants of Pompeii died from carbon monoxide poisoning and suffocation from the falling ash and debris.  Due to the way the city fell much more was preserved than originally thought.  We got to see the bathhouse, “red-light district”, and so much more.  The places where houses and businesses once stood are mostly in ruins, but the brothel (ironically) was quite well-preserved.  There were even paintings on the walls, not as pornography, but drawn so anyone who entered could point to the position they wanted and could be charged accordingly.  The rooms, no bigger than a walk-in closet, had built-in stone beds in order to speed up the process.  I am amazed at how much could be accomplished and built considering they had no modern conveniences.  .  .  and things lasted.    

One of the amphetheaters.

Part of a shop

A view from the top

This guy...the first thing that came to mind was, "FOR SPARTA!"

Gnocchi with fresh basil.

Not sure what this was, but it was tasty.

After Pompeii it was time get to Sorrento.  It is such a beautiful area.  Our group went to Positano and Capri.  They are quintessential Italy.  The only thing we have to compare Italy to are films, and we all know that films don’t often accurately represent an area.  While I knew it wasn’t all built on hills, when I initially thought of Italy, what I saw in Position and Capri were what I had imagined.  First, Positano.  Positano is a coastal town built in the hills.  It is absolutely stunning.  The streets are narrow, some with steep grades, and lined with wisteria and other plant life.  Most of the shops are geared for the tourists (of course), and since many of them sell the same thing, it is a good idea to browse different locations for the best price.  Positano is apparently known for its Limoncello and its lemons in general, which is why lemons are so prominently featured.  After taking a stroll and meandering through the shops, we stopped for a dessert and coffee/tea.

Lemons everywhere.
Some the size of footballs!

One of the local shops.

A coffee dessert from La Zagara in Positano.

And, tea.

Next up was the isle of Capri.  Capri is similar to Positano in that it was built in the hills.  We took a boat to the isle where we were greeted by a tour guide after taking a car (similar to Angel’s Flight in Los Angeles) up the hill to where our guide was.  He told us all about the history of the area and about the Carthusian monks who were known for their parfum.  Oh, we also had the opportunity to try granites (sp).  I had a blood orange & lemon mix.  It was amazing!  Light, refreshing, and just sweet enough to not make one sick.  I am a bit sad.  I’ve only just realized that some of the photos I took either (1) didn’t actually take or (2) were deleted somehow.  I have been uploading (over 3,000) pictures, and haven’t noticed until just now, about a week in (no, I’m not posting these on the days they happen), that some photos are missing.  Well, I guess I will just have to come back some day.  Where was I?  Oh yes.  After the beverage we walked, with the guide, through the streets of Capri.  The tour ended at a garden overlooking the water, and then it was free time.  We took  a walk, and had lunch at a hotel.  After our time was up we took the car back down the hill, and took the ferry back.  

A view from the hotel courtyard.

Another angel as the sun set.

The water was so beautiful!

Did someone say, "Granita"?

The view from the end of
the tour around Capri.

Capri.

This cat was roaming around
the garden in Capri.

We finished off our time in Sorrento with a trip to a wood inlay factory.  There was a demonstration, and the speaker discussed the process of making each piece by hand.  There is so much work involved.  .  .  no wonder the pieces are so pricey.  I opted for a few coasters since they were what I would probably use the most, and they were the least expensive.  The entire process to make the pieces can take days or longer, depending on the intricacy of the item.  They had a table that didn’t look like much more than an average table, until he opened it up.  The underside of the tabletop was a game board.  Under that was a house of games including, but not limited to:  Checkers, backgammon, roulette (complete with a wheel), etc.  It was thousands of dollars, but included free shipping.  There was a little bit of free time left, so we explored the street.  The main square was a busy intersection of cars, buses, motorbikes, and bicycles.  Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the bus.        

    

The name of the wood inlay factory.

A demonstration.

I love cats!

  

Somewhere below is a watermill.

It was full of gaming surprises!

The table I mentioned.

At night we had dinner on a farm.  Yes; it, too, was located in the hills.  There were some animals (cows & geese), fruit trees, and other edible plants.  We learned how mozzarella cheese is made as well as how to make pizza.  Not all of us got to participate in the pizza-making, and that was okay.  It was quite an entertaining moment.  After the demos it was time for dinner.  There were so many wonderful things: olives, various meats, caprese salad, fresh ricotta with red pepper flakes and oregano, bread, and pizza (of course!).  That was followed by a cake drizzled with Limoncello & a lemon cream plus two small squares topped with a lemon marmalade and an orange marmalade.   

Fresh cheese!

Fresh bread.

Asstd. meats, fresh cheese, and tomatoes.

More pizza!

Dessert.

The only negative was the hotel room.  There was hot water for maybe 5 minutes, and that’s being generous.  The tile and colors reminded me of the Mediterranean.  Was it clean?  Yes.  Was it as nice as the previous hotel?  No.  I will say that the view out the back was indescribable.  You could see the isles, and the sunset was spectacular.  If only the hotel lived up to the view.  Did I mention that it was my birthday?  Our tour director gave me a card and beautiful scarf on behalf of the tour company and our group, which was amazing and unexpected.  To add to it, our tour director told the people at dinner.  They brought me a special dessert and everyone sang.  What a special birthday it was! 

Cannelloni.

Meat & potatoes.

Pistachio dessert for my birthday!