Southern Italy: Sorrento, Capri, & Amalfi!
Katie, Lauren, Amanda, and I had an amazing weekend in southern Italy. Amanda went with her mom and stayed in a nice hotel, so we didn’t see as much of her. But the other three of us stayed in a little cabin at a camp ground in Sorrento. The campground had a beautiful view of the city. Sorrento is a very cute, charming town on the coast. There is great food, beautiful views, and easy access to other places on the coast of southern Italy. We spent the first day (Friday) walking around the town. Katie and Lauren got their hair cut. We checked into the campground, and then later met up with Amanda and her mom for a delcious dinner at one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in Italy.
On Saturday we got up very early and took a trip to the island of Capri which was sponsored by our campground. The boat picked us up at 8:30 am, gave us a tour from the boat around Capri, and then dropped us off at a small marina to explore the island for 6 hours. The boat ride was really fun because we got to see the island from the water. As soon as we were dropped off we went to this little cabana-like smoothie place and soaked up the sun in lounge chairs. It was fabulous. Then we took a bus into the city centre to explore the shops, grab some lunch, and take pictures at the lookout point. After a few hours of that, we went right back to the marina and ordered cocktails from the smoothie place and layed out for another 2 hours. That was my favorite place on the island. We got back to our campground around 6:00… took a nap… and then went into Sorrento for dinner. We went back to the same restaurant because it was so yummy the night before. They waiters liked us so much that they gave us free dessert!
The morning after that (Sunday) we got up early again to check out and then take a bus to the Amalfi Coast. It took an hour and a half to get there, but it was the most incredible bus ride of my life. The views were absolutely amazing. You will see in my pictures when I post them. The water was so blue. We were literally driving up and down a mountain and very close the the edge of the cliffs. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but so beautiful that I didn’t mind. I gave me digital camera a workout. Once we got to Amalfi, we went straight to the beach and layed ou in the sun for 3 hours. I got really tan… I would have stayed out even longer, but Katie and Lauren were getting burnt. We went to lunch and had wonderful Capri Salad at a restaraunt right on the beach. Afterwards, we went walking around the town and browsed through shops. Of course, since it was so hot, we got gelato and then sat on the stairs at the duomo while we ate it. I was a wonderful day at the beach. We didn’t want to leave at all. But at 4:00, we caught a bus back to Sorrento, got on a train to Naples, and then caught another train back to Rome.
Southern Italy is by far my favorite place that I’ve been to since I’ve been here. The towns were just so quaint and charming, that it was impossible not to love them. Capri and Amalfi reminded me a lot of the Greek Islands… maybe even prettier, actually. But either way, I’m very glad we were able to go down there. That was my last trip in Italy. After I go to Germany this weekend, I will be in Rome for an entire month before I come back home.
Much love to all,
Jess
