Italy… Part 2

After our quick trip to Florence (post linked here), we took the train to Rome and on to Naples to Sorrento.  We used the Trenitalia service from Florence to Rome to Naples.  From Naples we took the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento.  The Circumvesuviana costs about 3.60 EUR and is a commuter train. There is no area for luggage and can get quite crowded during the “rush hour”; expect to stand.  Once to Sorrento we stayed at an AirBnB near the center of town.

We made Sorrento our home base.  From there we booked day trips to Pompeii and Capri.  We found a lot of good information and booked our tours (for the most part) through Sorrento Insider.

After our time in Sorrento, we stayed one night in Naples (just enough time for Neapolitan pizza) and to fly out early the following morning.

See the highlight from Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri and Naples below:

In Sorrento:

We stayed at a cute little AirBnB apartment right off the main square, Piazza Tasso (map), which was central to the Circumvesuviana and the Port.

L’Antica Trattoria (map): This was my favorite meal in Italy! The restaurant is down a quite alley and has very cute decor. I ordered from the “La Carte” menu which included 4 courses (appetizer, pasta, main, and dessert).  I got the Spaghetti  “cacio e pepe” which was served on top of a beef ragout. It was amazing!  Tagliolini Antica Trattoria was also a great dish; it is lemon pasta served in a half lemon!

Tavern Allegra (map): When I walked up to the door, I was greeted at the door by an adorable Italian man who showed me the highlights of the menu before seating me at my table.  During my meal there was live music (a man and his guitar) in one corner of the dining room which made for a lovely dining ambiance.

Limoncello: It’s everywhere! Limoncello is an Italian liquor made from the lemons of Sorrento. Try some at many of the shops and restaurants.

Pompeii:

We booked a Half-Day tour. I can’t remember where I found this tour, but it fit exactly what we needed.  The tour company picked us up at one of the hotels near our AirBnB off Piazza Tasso.  We traveled to Pompeii and met up with a larger group for the tour.  The tour was great and I appreciated learning more about life in Pompeii before and after Vesuvius erupted.

Capri:

For our day trip to Capri, I found the Gianni’s Boat Full Day Group Tour through the Sorrento Insider website.  The boat held up to 12 people, but since it was the low season, there were only 4 of us on the tour! It was amazing.  The boat picked us up in the Sorrento Port.

We started off with a guided tour of the coastline before heading over to the island of Capri where the tour continued.  The boat took us through one of the three famous rock formations off the coast, Faraglioni (map).

We were a bit disappointed that the Blue Grotto (map) was closed due to high tides during the low season (we went in late March). Our boat crew told us it would likely be open in about a month (April).

After the tours of the Sorrento and Capri coastlines, we were able to explore the island for a couple of hours before heading back to Sorrento.  Again, as it was low season, many of the shops on the island were closed. We enjoyed gelato on the plaza looking over the water. As gorgeous as it is in photos, it is even more amazing in person.  I hope to go back again someday!

Naples:

Because we had an early departure out of the Naples Airport, we stayed one night in Naples so we didn’t have to wake up super early.  And when in Naples eat Neapolitan Pizza!!

For pizza a went to L’antica Pizzeria da Michele (map) on the recommendation from my taxi driver.  When I arrived, I had to get a number  from the man at the door to get a table inside.  (Side story: I immediately googled how to pronounce “sixty-six” in Italian since the man at the door was calling the numbers in Italian).  Once inside there was only two types of pizza to choose from: Margherita and Marinara. I chose the Margherita.  It was everything I had hoped it would be… fresh, hot, delicious… and worth the wait!

Conclusion:

Overall, I am super happy we decided to visit Sorrento. I think it makes a wonderful home base.  I definitely would like to travel back to this part of Italy and take cooking classes (similar to my desire to go back to Florence). And there is still so much of the Amalfi Coast to explore!  Until next time Italy! Ciao!