Sorrento
We said goodbye to Barcelona and caught our final plane (for a while) to Italy. Going forward, we would take trains and buses to begin making our way north to the Netherlands and then Belgium for Tomorrowland. We landed in Naples and caught the next train south to the coastal town of Sorrento, where we would stay for only a couple of nights while we ventured out to Capri.
Capri
The next day, we set out for Capri. Savannah’s dad knew a guy named Gianni Tedesco who would take us around the island on his boat, so we caught the late-morning ferry out to the island and met Gianni at one of the local cafes. We enjoyed a nice lunch by the water while he arranged for our private boat tour with our captain, Antonio.
The island of Capri is an incredible sight. It had the clearest blue water we had ever seen in our lives. There are numerous sea caves and swim spots all around.
We stopped a couple times to swim and then got into a small rowboat to go inside the Blue Grotto, a magnificent sea cave on the island. Sunlight passes through the small cave opening and shines through the water. This creates a blue reflection that illuminates the cave. It is about 490 ft deep with sand at the bottom. Be careful with the old rowboat guy though. He charges extra and is not very fond of the word “no.”
We finished our day of boating by enjoying a couple of refreshing drinks and Italian desserts before catching the ferry back to Sorrento. Savy wanted her limoncello on the rocks and not a spritz, to the surprise of our waitress.
Pompeii
We caught our train out of Sorrento to make our way up to Rome. On the way north, you can stop right at the ancient ruins of Pompeii. As Pink Floyd fans (well, just Josh), we were really excited about visiting this place, especially the auditorium where the band performed for their 1972 film.
The sight was incredible. Pompeii was an advanced Roman city that was completely destroyed when nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The entire city was covered in volcanic ash and pumice, which allowed for its preservation for over 1,000 years. We thought the volcano might have erupted again because the heat was brutal. Luckily, the ancient water system was also preserved and spouts around the ruins provided fresh drinking water.
We roamed the ruins in the sweltering heat, enjoyed a couple of fresh frozen lemonades, and then jumped back on the train to continue north to Rome.
This entry was posted in Destinations
