An American Abroad: Oh Sorrento, dear Sorrento...

As I was going through my pictures, I noticed that although Sorrento was a stunning coastal Italian city, the tourist overload made us want to stay up in our hilltop Bed and Breakfast and take in the views, rather than fight the crowds.

The drive into Sorrento was interesting, to say the least. It involved a lot of very slow traffic through very tunnels, along cliff-side lanes of speeding traffic; mopeds whizzing in and out of their own lanes and other lanes. I think my parents lost a few years of their lives entering into and out of Sorrento. As we entered into the town, itself, it appeared to be an average beach town you'd find in the states. Clothing stores lining the streets, with the occasional trinket shop dotted here and there. Restaurants were tucked down small alleyways (well, the restaurants that served amazing authentic Sorrentine cuisine were down the alleyways; the over-priced, crowded, crappy seafood joints lined the plaza). Throughout the week in Sorrento, we had a chance to sample some amazing Sorrentine and not-so-Sorrentine cuisine. They were all either recommended by the host of the B&B or through the Rick Steves Italy guide we faithfully used in each city. If we looked hard enough, we did find some off the beaten path spots and were lucky to do so.
We did, however, venture of every so often to take in some of the more well-known sights. Our visit to the Capri and the Grottoes was our first trip out. Our host at the B&B suggested a few 'must-do' trips, and this was one. We opted not to do the 8 hour tour (heehee), so we instead found a tour company to take us out to the Island of Capri and then found another company to take us on a water (coastal) tour of Capri. The island itself was full of people, full of traffic and full of tourist traps. We were much more interested in the flora and fauna of the island, so the boat tour seemed a better idea. We hopped on, my Mom hoping she could hold it together (me, happy I took my Dramamine pills). After a few minutes of waiting for the boat to fill up, we headed out into the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Our first stop was the famous Blue Grotto. Well . . . after waiting 45 minutes in a swaying boat to watch others pay even more money and enter into the grotto for a few minutes and head back to the boat, it is possible the famous Blue Grotto can now be referred to as the 'infamous' Blue Grotto. It was a beautiful area, but the tourist influx really does affect the experience. Now I remember why a majority of my travels were done in the Fall and Spring seasons. After heading out, and comforting my boat sick mother, we were taken around the rest of Capri Island. We saw the other grottoes, a beautiful 'Lovers Arch' and a few famous cliff-side homes. Overall, the experience was not quite as amazing as many would believe. The natural beauty of the island was astounding, the man-made beauty was not quite astounding...
The other memorable excursion was visiting the town stuck in time, Pompeii. Unfortunately my Mom was not able to join us, but it was a nice visit with my Dad. After 30 minutes on the Pompeii train, we arrived at the station, which was luckily only 10 minutes from the site entrance. From the moment we entered into the town of Pompeii, stared in amazement. The town is truly frozen in time. This is what we came to Sorrento for. Rick Steves has a free app that provides subscribers with free walking tours of various sites around the globe. Luckily, Pompeii is one of them, and as long as you follow the directions clearly and rewind when needed, you will get a great tour that streamlines this massive village. The homes, temples, roadways and shops all had remnants left behind from the disaster and even before the grand Mt. Vesuvius erupted and buried the city in ash. It was crazy seeing the chariot tracks left behind, that had been carved into the enormous street cobbles tones; the grist blocks that ground the wheat, the fast food stalls; even the brothel used by the well-off men living in Pompeii. Everything was just so remarkable, that as you walked around the village of Pompeii, there was an eary quiet that most everyone observed. It is a must see to say the least...
The rest of the visit in Sorrento involved a few walks around town in the evening, enjoying the weather and shops. My mom, dad and I all enjoyed Sorrento however I can't say that it is a repeat visit that we'll be taking. Enjoy the pics...