We left on Friday morning on a bus headed for Mount Vesuvius. After an uneventful 4 hour ride, we reached a midway point on the mountain where we left the bus, grabbed our lunches, and hiked the rest of the way to the summit. After the eruption in 79 A.D., Vesuvius is only about 4,000 feet above sea level, but before it erupted, it was closer to 7,000. After climbing the surprisingly steep gravel path to the top, we took in the sights (and smells) of the volcano. There were beautiful views of the Bay of Naples, but otherwise just quite a bit of rocks. We enjoyed a nice lunch and after a few hours, got back on the bus and headed to Sorrento.
The crater atop Mount Vesuvius
View of the Bay of Naples from the mountain
The majestic rocks
It only took about 45 minutes to get to Sorrento and after dropping our luggage off at our hotel, my roommates and I (we were all on this trip) headed into the main town in search of a beach. Sorrento is a fairly small town set atop a cliff on the bay. We walked down a series of narrow streets where the shopping was plentiful and we got some lemon slushy-type drinks--a very common treat in Sorrento which is famous for it's delicious lemons (and Limoncello). We finally made our way to a long stairway that led down to a beach. The views were incredible and since none of us had thought ahead to change into our bathing suits, we sat on benches and soaked up some Mediterranean rays. After enjoying the afternoon sun for a bit, we walked back (up the many stairs) to the hotel and ordered some pre-dinner cocktails (I had a limoncello mojito) which we enjoyed on the hotel's rooftop deck. Dinner was free at the hotel (so we didn't complain too much about the quality), and after we ate, we went back to our rooms and watched The Voice in some Dutch language before going to bed.
View from the rooftop deck at the hotel
These beautiful, aromatic flowers are all over Italy
Sea views from the city center
View from the stairway down to the beach
The coast and Sea from the port
My delicious Limoncello Mojito
On Saturday morning, we left the hotel bright and early to catch the ferry to Capri. The ferry only took about 25 minutes and upon arriving, we immediately purchased tickets for a boat tour of the island. The boat was a cute low-riding craft that fit about 15-20 people. We began our voyage around 10:30 and immediately agreed that it was the best 17 euro we had ever spent. The weather was beautiful and the tour guide only spoke up if there was something truly necessary to say (though we couldn't really hear him anyway, not that it bothered us). The captain took us in to several grottos along the island pointed out cool statues on the cliffs as we went along. The views were unbeatable and we found ourselves unable to keep from smiling--everything was so purely amazing! Near the end of the tour, we anchored at the Blue Grotto where small rowboats would take four passengers at a time into the cave (for a petty fee of 13 euro). We had to cram into the boats and lay flat to get under the rocks and into the grotto. Once we entered, the light and color of the water was overwhelmingly beautiful. Some of the guides were singing "O Sole Mio" which echoed throughout the grotto as we floated along. It was only about a 5 minute experience from the time we stepped into the rowboat to the time we got out, but it was so incredible--I found it well worth the money. Shortly after, we made it back to the Port of Capri where we got a quick lunch and went to the extremely rocky beach. Capri isn't known for it's beaches (mostly because with the exception of the port, the entire island is cliffs), but we found one nearby that was covered in pebbles. We waded into the water--which was freezing--and collected some sea glass before heading up to Capri Town, the "city center" of the island. This was about a 25 minute walk--all completely uphill--and once we got to the town, we realized we only had about 40 minutes until we left for the ferry. The town was nice, though we wished we had come upon it sooner, and we were able to see a few neat things before heading back.
Boats in the port at Capri
Boats similar to the one we took for the tour
The cliffs of Capri
The Blue Grotto
Capri from the city center
Once we got off the ferry in Sorrento, we immediately went to the beach. Once again, we waded in the cold sea and basked in the sun for an hour or so--a great way to spend the late afternoon. We headed back to the hotel for dinner and a few friends and I went out for a couple of drinks after before retiring once again for the evening.
The beach back in Sorrento
Sunday morning, we packed everything up and got back onto the bus. We left Sorrento and headed straight to Pompeii where we met a couple of tour guide that would show us around the ruins. The story of Pompeii is quite amazing--about 50 feet of ash covered and hardened over the city following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Apparently the residents of Pompeii didn't even realize that Vesuvius was a volcano and even when the top of the mountain blew off, raining rocks onto the city, no one evacuated. Our tour took us to some main sights including a couple amphitheaters, a mansion with still visible frescos on the walls and beautiful mosaics on the floors, the main bath houses of Pompeii, and the forum of the city. We saw the famous plaster casts of the bodies* as well as a surprising amount of pottery. I was a bit bummed we didn't get to see the brothel, but it was a windy morning and the city was a total dustbowl so we weren't incredibly keen on hanging out.
*Many people assume these bodies are frozen/mummified people, but in reality, they're just plaster casts of holes found in the ash layer. The bodies decomposed regularly but left perfect holes in the ash where they were covered.
The walls surrounding Pompeii
Forum area with Vesuvius in the background
Pottery and a plaster cast of a body
After Pompeii, we took the bus into Naples where we spent a few hours getting lunch and walking around. We found a cute local Napoleon pizza place (completely by chance) and my roommates ordered pizzas all around (while I got a delicious seafood salad due to my unfortunate stomach issues) and the consensus all around was that it was the best pizza they'd had thus far in Italy. Overall, Naples wasn't a very attractive city (which I'd heard), but it was nice to say we went I suppose. After Naples, we took the bus another 3 hours back into Rome.
A main piazza in Naples
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Mosaic of Libra's scales on the ground
Port of Naples and Vesuvius
The weekend was incredibly fun and filled with indescribably fantastic views. With only three weekends left in Italy, I'm certainly glad I made the trip to Sorrento, and would highly recommend that and Capri it to anyone interested in visiting Italy.
Thanks for reading,
Kasey Ann
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