The only problem is that to get anywhere you have to drive through the centre of Sorrento which is a nightmare. One, it's a package tour destination and there are people of all nationalities strolling along and across the road at will and two, there are scooters everywhere! Those of you who are familiar with driving in an Italian city will know what I'm talking about. Scooters behind you, hugging your bumper, at each side of you clinging on to your wing mirrors and coming towards you - on your side of the road!
We really enjoyed our few days in Sorrento, it's vibrant, exciting and very pretty. The manager of one of the restaurants asked us where we came from, turns out he was the manager at Pinocchios in Harrogate, obviously before the fire!
We were up early on Wednesday, on the ferry to Capri. Oh man, was that sea choppy and me with my vomiting problem! The waves were high and the troughs were very deep. There were lots of white, and green, faces. Luckily mine wasn't one of them. Capri pays homage to everything designer. After a long, and very steep walk up to Piazza Umberto in Capri town (we decided to forgo the funicular on the grounds that we are fit, healthy, have two feet and aren't American) we were met by every designer shop you can think of. It reeks of money. The villas, owned by private individuals, are glamour epitomised. Taxis are white convertibles, with leather seats in pastel blue and pink. Very tasteful - not!
We found a path which took us away from the shops, Jim's idea of hell, to Faraglione Beach, a very steep path - is there any other. We spent a pleasant hour sitting on the rocks overlooking the rock formations watching the tourist boats.
After plodding back up the hill we took a bus to Anacapri, on the other side of the island. It is delightful, no designer shops just meandering little streets and real houses. We took the most charming chair lift up to Monte Solaro, it was so peaceful gliding above allotments, gardens, trees and wild flowers. The views were fabulous, and all you could hear were birds singing. Just perfect.
How do you beat that? You go to Pompeii, that's how.
It was hot, hot, hot. Temperatures topped 28 degrees. The site is enormous, really interesting though, loved the fish Market, the temperariums, or take-aways where people picked up ready meals to take home, the laundry, the baths and the grotesque plaster casts of people caught in the ash complete with terrified expressions on their faces. We wandered round for about 5 hours, ending up with the amphitheatre, then, saturated with information and very hot, we called it a draw, having only scraped the surface really.
Plans to spend the day in Naples on Friday were ditched, it was too hot to wander round another manic Italian city so we meandered round Sorrento, then spent the afternoon on a sun lounger!
Another day, another challenge, 6 hours on those Italian Autostradas where everyone thinks they're a racing driver, where they overtake you at 100 mph then immediately cut you up to take the next turn off. However, I am pleased to announce we have forgotten our natural British reserve and inherent politeness and begun to drive like an Italian. In fact James today bullied a couple of Italian drivers. I wasn't proud of him, but I was quietly impressed!!
We took the ferry to Sicily, we were loaded on in a somewhat organised manner but on arrival there was a free for all, four lanes of cars had to perform a U-turn to get down a single lane ramp to exit the boat. Because we were nearest to the ramp the only way Jim could perform the U-turn was to push through 3 lanes of cars which he duly did much to the consternation of others. We met the owner of the apartment we are staying in near some tolls and followed her through Giarre and out to Fondachello. A guy in a black estate car tried to push in front of us. Jim wouldn't let him so he blasted his horn at him. My husband simply retaliated, sounding the horn loudly back at him, followed by some sort of hand signal! Whoops, this doesn't bode well.
I just wanted to draw your attention to the black car park we are parked on, it is not gravel as I first thought but ash from the latest eruption from Mount Etna on Thursday!
This is Mount Etna, our Sicilian apartment is just outside a town called Riposto, on the east coast, overlooking the volcano. That is smoke coming from the top!
PS
There has just been a report on BBC World News about cyclists holding a protest in Rome about the number of serious accidents and fatalities involving bikes in Italy. WHAT SANE PERSON WOULD RIDE A BIKE ON THE ROAD IN ITALY
- Posted using BlogPress from Annie & Jim's I-pad
Location:Fondachello, Sicily
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