Sorrento

  Sorrento, Campania, Italy
Monday, May 19, 2008

May 19 - It's Monday and we're leaving Rome to drive down to Sorrento. Museums and other attractions are closed on Mondays (at least in Rome) so it's a good day to be traveling. Gary has pre-arranged for a rental car, and I'm glad we're just driving it out of town. I would be very nervous about driving much around Rome. People and cars (and lots of scooters) seem to share the streets pretty well, but driving may be a special skill non-natives have to develop. Sidewalks are narrow when they exist at all. It seems like the right of way goes to whoever takes it, whether you're on foot or in a vehicle. It looks to me like Smart cars are the most popular, followed by Fiats and several models of Mercedes, Peugeot, VW, Opel, Ford, Chevy and others you wouldn't see in America. All of the cars are small by US standards; if I am converting right a liter of gas costs about $2.50 or $2.75 or $10 - $11 per gallon.
Unfortunately, I developed a cold or flu or something yesterday and last night was not good. Lynnette suggested taking some cold medicine along with us but I said no need to so we had to go to a Farmacia to buy some last night.
We have a fine B&B in Sorrento, Villa Anna (tag line "Rooms to Let"). It is inside a stone walled compound with a solid metal gate. We have a nice room with a large private balcony (next to Gary and Bonnie's balcony) with masses of purple bougenvillea all around and overlooking a swimming pool. The weather is a little cool here so we probably would not use the pool anyway but it is a little irritating that the owners (who live here with extended family) are the only ones who can use the pool according to a sign they posted which blames it on some local health law. The property has spacious, nicely landscaped grounds, but they have posted a "no picnicking" sign next to a shady area with a picnic table. They don't cite any health laws on that one. Sorrento is south of Rome on a little peninsula and it overlooks the Bay of Naples. We can walk anywhere in town that we need to go and plan to leave the car parked until we leave town. After we arrived in the mid-afternoon we walked around downtown Sorrento, which is quaint and picturesque, and features locally grown lemons, some the size of grapefruits.

Lemons in Villa Anna yard

Lemoncello, a liqueur, seems to be a very popular souvenier that is sold everywhere in a variety of fun shaped bottles. They served it to us at a couple of Rome restaurants after coffee and desserts, and I think it's pretty good. We bought some local wine and cheese and took it back for a happy hour on Gary and Bonnie's balcony. Then we walked back downtown for another great 4-course dinner at a restaurant recommended by our hosts and walked back home to fall into bed around 11:30.