Capri

Capri- Tuesday October 31
This morning we got up at 7am with an alarm(ouch!). We had to get up early so as to eat breakfast and get to the boat to Capri. From our hotel we had a brisk five minute walk into the center of Sorrento and then we descended down several flights of steep stairs to sea level and walked to Marina Piccola. The ferry ride to Marina Grande, Capri cost 24euro round trip per adult and 15 for Sarah. The ride was about a half hour and, despite the wind, fairly smooth. We had a nice view of Sorrento from the water. The hotels really sit right on the edge of the cliffs that plunge right into the water.
Arriving at Marina Grande

Once off the boat we really had no idea what to do other we knew we wanted to get from the town of Capri to the town of Anacapri. Not having a clue as to how to do this, we bought a map of the island and started walking up and up and UP. Winding our way higher and higher through narrow streets and cobbled walkways we arrived at the town of Capri. From here we were instructed to take a bus to Anacapri. Little orange buses provide the public transport for the island. Our 30 minute ride to the other side of the island was truly death defying! Down from one mountain village to the top of another and a frightening part in the middle. Nick and I were all the way aft and on the starboard/water side of the bus. When we drove on the part of the road next to edge of the land, looking down you knew if the bus swerved even slightly too far to the right first of all, the guard rail couldn’t hold a moped, let alone a bus and second, if you did go over, it WAS over for you!! The road is just wide enough for two of these buses to pass one another with hardly a hand's width between them! We were truly relieved when we arrived in one piece and decided not to ride the bus back to the ferry!



In Anacapri, we found a quiet little enclave of tourist shops selling local pottery, Limon cello, t-shirts and postcards and little cafés and restaurants selling pizza, coffee, pastries and drinks. I loved the way this shop arranged their tiles. Nick decided to have a coffee (although he probably needed a scotch to take the edge off our hair raising bus ride!). One difference about the shops in Capri is that you find, and we were searching for, the sandal shops this area is famous for. You go into the shop, choose the style and type of leather you want and someone makes sandals exactly for your feet. We went into several shops but didn't really find what we were looking for, didn’t like the attitude of the shop keeper or didn’t like the prices.

We wandered around town a bit and then Nick set off on an interesting chairlift ride to a high peak above Anacapri while I stayed behind with acrophobic Sarah. The chairlifts were only single seaters (as you can see here) and she didn’t want to go alone. He said that it was a fantastic ride and the views from the top were spectacular.




This view is looking East. the town of Capri is in the forground and the land mass in the distance is the Sorrento/Amalfi Penninsula.





While he was gone, she and I went through a sort of high end designer mall and looked at the Armani, Henry Cotton, Prada, etc collections. With Nick back on the ground, we were headed to the bus when we found a great looking little sandal shop, La Bottega Caprese, right on the main square. After watching the young man at work for a few minutes and looking at the styles we decided to go meet him and check it out.

The proprietor, Francesco, was an adorable, 27 year old, Capri native who is passionate about his profession of sandal making. He proudly showed us his different styles of sandals and assured us we could do no better anywhere else. While we were there we learned that he had been making sandals for 6 years and had learned this trade from his grandfather. He made each of us custom fit sandals and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He and Nick got to talking about poker chips after he informed us of his love of playing Texas Hold ‘em! He will probably be on the Nevada Jack’s website tonight deciding which chips to buy!

We took a 20euro cab ride all the way back to Marina Grande(avoiding all buses) where we just barely made the 13:50 boat back to Sorrento. Had we missed that one we would have had to wait 2 hours. Nick thought 20euro was cheap compared to what we would have spent to entertain/feed ourselves while we waited for the next boat! Many of the launch boats that take the tourists out to the famous Blue Grotto were at the dock. It was a slow day either because of the heavy winds that morning or the off season. Nick really liked them. We rode back topside on the ferry, as the weather was warmer and the wind had died down since the morning.



We talked about our day and the plans for the rest of our trip on our walk back to the hotel. We decided that we were ready to leave Sorrento a day early and reworked our itinerary. We'll go to the Amalfi coast tomorrow as planned but continue on our way north to Orvieto, rather than coming back to Sorrento for a third night.

We went out about 7:15 for our last dinner in Sorrento. We decided to go back to a spot, La Lanterna, where we'd had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed the waiters. The restaurant is on the via S. Cesareo,23/25 Tel. 081 8781355, just a short walk down from the main Piazza T. Tasso. There are lots of little shops and restaurants in this area. Tonight, we realized as we were walking, was Halloween! Everywhere were families with little witches, goblins and devils. Here, it seems, they trick or treat at the stores, not the homes. We were in one shop and several groups of kids came in to the front desk for their little piece of candy while Mom and Dad waited just outside the door.


La Lanterna is built on top of ancient Roman baths and the excavated site can be viewed through the plexiglass covering floor in one of the dining rooms-fascinating! It’s up a little alley and has outdoor tables but we went inside as it was chilly out. This was the first night we’d really needed a sweater or coat to go out. Sarah and I decided to share a meal of Caesar salad, calamari and muscles which were all delicious and Nick had their special “pepper and cheese” spaghetti which he liked so much he asked for the recipe and wants to make for us soon.
We got back to the Hotel Grand Royal did a bit of packing and went to bed.

Arrivederci Roma, Ciao Pompeii

Rome to Pompeii - Sunday, October 29

We all woke up this morning at 9 which was really 8 after daylight savings. Had our coffee, packed up, did the once over walk through and said arrivederci to the apartment. Nick walked down to the parking garage to get the car and when he got back Sarah and I had most of our things downstairs ready to go. Beautiful morning and quiet out on the cobbled streets of Rome…..We felt like we really had a better chance of getting out of Rome with more ease than we got in…..WRONG!! We did our best but somehow all roads kept keeping us back into and around Rome!! Finally we found an ‘exit’ and got on the A1 south. Soooo much traffic, where were they all going on a Sunday morning?!? Road finally opened up and we thought we were on open road but as we neared Naples traffic struck again!

Arrival in Pompeii and finding the Hotel Villa dei Misterie was a quite easy and this time the Via Michelin directions worked! The place looked pretty deserted and somewhat like a ruin from an earlier era…..not as quite as long ago as Pompeii, thankfully, but it was clean and just up the street from an entrance to the ruins which was why we’d chosen it in the first place-not to lie around by a (frigid) pool! After practically waking the staff, we checked into our small, room overlooking the frigid pool. Nick was hungry and we rustled up a few more of the restaurant staff that cheerfully opened the kitchen and prepared Sarah and Nick’s staple lunch of gnocchi and spaghetti Bolognese and a caprese salad, which even included a large sprig of fresh basil, for me. Fortified by our stellar lunch we got water, sunscreen and hats and set off down the street to the ruins. Once again we wished we had EU passports for free entry for Sarah and discounted for us. They just say “American??” we nod and they say “gimme your money!” The entry folks at all the places we’ve visited and paid our 8, 10 or 12 Euro don’t seem to particularly like Americans. Sarah doesn’t even get a discount and she’d be free if we were in the EU! Annoying!
As it was late in the afternoon and we wanted to get started right away, we opted for the audio guides rather than wait for a personal tour. We actually liked this way of seeing Pompeii as we could just wander and explore where we wanted at our leisure and not follow someone else’s agenda. All we can say is Pompeii is amazing!!! Nick had been here 35 years ago, but felt as though he saw different things or maybe the same but with new (older!) eyes. One could spend hours/days here and still have many questions, but we did our best to see as much as possible in the time Sarah’s 11 yr old legs could handle. We found the roman houses, baths and the Teatro really interesting. Sarah was especially intrigued with the plaster casts showing the Pompeiian victims of the erruption, frozen in position, as they were covered in ash and lava. Grim but quite realistic. Trying to imagine the life these people lived all the way back to 74 AD became much clearer as we wandered this excavated village. We would gladly visit here again.

Once back to the hotel we all bathed and dressed for a casual, simple dinner in “new” Pompeii. The evening manager at our hotel gave us a suggestion of a pizzeria/bar called Jerome’s. We found it located on the main drag into town just before the train station. This spot lived up to its description and we had a delicious dinner of calzones, pizza and salad. We had a sweet, young Italian girl who waited on us. She spoke a cute version of English and described the dishes perfectly. On the way home, we stopped into a gas station/minimart for chocolates to eat with our movie back at the hotel. We all got into our jammies, climbed into mom and dad’s bed and watched “The Incredibles” on my computer. Good fun and we all turned in early.

Saturday in Rome

Saturday, October 28
Nick-"Today we experienced the pilgrimage to the Vatican. Wanting to beat both the heat and the expected crowds, we left the apartment at 9am, caught a cab and were in St Peter's Square within five minutes. No sooner did we get in line when the thought of a bathroom started to linger in the distance of my mind. Well, once we get through security (never had to do that in the past) and go through this tiny church, we'll find a bathroom. My first experience here back in 1972, I arrived at the Basilica like an idiot in a pair of shorts. I had no regard for others and the sacred grounds I was about to visit. Yet, I was not the only one in the 70's to arrive dressed improperly. In fact, the church in those days would give you plastic raincoat to be worn while in the church. Today, they require that long pants be worn and I saw no one in the raincoats so maybe the world is better forewarned about proper dress or they were turning people away, but didn't see any. Susie said she saw a woman in a sleeveless top, with bra straps showing no less. Maybe she came in covered up and took off her coat?....


I will not try to relate the beauty and the goose bumps felt entering the largest and most beautiful church in the world. Yes, I was in awe of my surroundings and made a point to thank God through prayer for being so instrumental to the world we know. This church is probably the most humbling spot I have ever visited and yes, you feel God reaching down and sitting momentarily in your skin. What a pleasant feeling....

Evening in Rome

Friday, October 27
After a jam packed day we went back to the apartment to rest. Nick, who'd managed a good power nap, was raring to go again by 5. Sarah and I were moving a bit slower having played games instead, but we eventually rallied and headed out on foot again to go uptown and visit the Pantheon before dinner. We are after all, the "walking" Three Musketeers. The Pantheon was yet another unbelievable architectural relic from imperial Rome. The current building was probably built between 120 and 125 A.D. We enjoyed our time inside looking at the art work, sculptures and the interior itself. When the lights came on the dome was very dramatic.
Bust of Rafael, who is buried in the Pantheon.


It was very dark outside and unfortunately, the photos are rather dark too. It really changed the look of the place. We thought about what it would be like to have the opportunity to see each of the places we've visited here in both day and night light. Things look so different in each. There was quite a crowd inside and out on the Piazza as well. Everyone just seemed to be enjoying looking at the impressive structure or eating a pizza or having a cafe or playing on the steps around the fountain.



Nick and Sarah spotted a restaurant on the piazza that they liked and made yet another reservation for 7:30 (bringing our total to 3 at 7: 30 for that evening!). With an hour yet to go, we set off to stroll around until it was time for dinner. Eating late lunches, it is easy to see why Europeans can manage to eat as late as they do…..you have to wait that long just to be hungry again! We window shopped and even went into a few stores but found no ‘must haves’. Ballet flats for Sarah still elusive. This store was filled with all kinds of mouthwatering goodies....
We really love all the fine paper stores all over the city. Sarah enjoyed looking at the Advent Calendars here.

We went back for our meal which, unfortunately, was a disappointment but at least we were in a nice outdoor piazza setting and the Chianti Classico was delicious! While we were strolling home from dinner, we found ourselves walking alongside a very elderly Priest carrying a heavy briefcase. Nick patted him on the back and asked if he could be of assistance since we were going in the same direction. He was somewhat startled at first but when Nick assured him he meant no harm and just wanted to help, he agreed to let him carry his load. Little did he know that it was as heavy as can be, maybe 20 lbs or more of “books”……Who knows what was in there!! Well, the weight gave Nick an immediate list and so he switched the valise from side to side as he really was “heavy laden”! After a few blocks, the priest indicated he was headed in a different direction than we, perhaps the Vatican? Anyway, he was most appreciative and we went our separate ways. What we will never know is where he finally rested for the night and what was in that suitcase?!

Buongiorno, Roma!

Friday, October 27
Woke up in our apartment early this morning first to the sound of birds, maybe pigeons cooing, although it was still dark outside…..next came the garbage collectors and then the quiet noise of morning traffic--but I reminded myself, WE'RE IN ROME!! Once up, I couldn't wait to make/have some coffee but soon realized we had no milk! So, I got dressed to go find some. I thought I'd be walking for about 10 minutes, I poked my head into a tiny shop just steps down our little via and discovered not only milk, but yummy looking pastries , cheese, meats, candies etc. as well. Sarah and Nick got up soon after they smelled the coffee! While we ate our small breakfast, we looked at the Rome map and read a bit in the guide books to plan our day.
Out the door at 10:15am, later than we’d wanted, but finally all organized for our adventure. We crossed the Tiber River at the pedestrian bridge, Ponte Cestio, which goes right over Isola Tiberina and continues as the Ponte Fabricio to the other side where you are right in front of Teatro di Marcello. This stone theater was originally started as a temple in 431 BC, then as a theater by Caesar and finished by Augustus in 11BC. A real eye opening beginning to our first day exploring Rome and its long history.

We walked up to the Piazza del Campidoglio by climbing the steps Michelangelo designed and admired the intricate white mosaic floor of the piazza in the center of which is a statue of Marcus Aurelius. We descended some stairs to the backside of this plaza and immediately saw the whole area of the Roman Forum laid out before us. Amazing to see how relics of completely different centuries are found juxtaposed to one another everywhere.

We were in search of the Mamartine prison located beneath the Palazzo Sentorio. A friend from church had told us about this prison where the Apostles Paul and Peter were held captive prior to their martyrdom. We descended into this tiny dark cavern and listened attentively to the audio tape. We didn’t take any photos here as we all felt in awe of where we were and the significance it had in the history of Christianity. As Nick said, it was like sacred ground. There in the middle of the floor was the grate which we were told back then was the only way in or out for a prisoner and also the hole through which their food and water was given to them. Much later, stairs were put in so one could walk down into the cell. It was indeed a most depressing place for anyone to spend even 10 or 15 minutes! Daylight came in only trough the tiny holes in the grate mentioned above. As we left this depressing but powerful spot, we thought about the contrast we would see tomorrow when we go to the opulent, enormous, beautiful St. Peter’s Basilica! Wonder if while sitting in Mamartine, Peter could ever have imagined something like that one day being built and named for him.


We continued on our self-guided, self-directed walking tour of Rome by heading around the corner to the Il Vittoriano, where the tomb of the unknown soldier (WWI) was being carefully guarded by three Italian soldiers. We walked up Rome’s “main street”, Via del Corso, then took a right to the Trevi Fountain. This was on Sarah’s "must see" list as she’d seen it in the Hilary Duff movie "When in Rome".

As you can see, we weren't the only ones out sightseeing in Rome today!

From here we walked along until we reached the Spanish Steps. We wandered a bit along the streets just off the steps like via Condotti, della Croce and della Carrozzze. Lots of wonderful shops, ristorante and people watching.



There was a fabulous florist with the most intersting arrangements. I love the way he's cut these pumpkins in half widthwise and "stuffed" the arrangement in the middle!

We settled on lunch on via della Croce at a little pizzeria where we could get an outdoor table. We love sitting at streetside tables enjoying the fabulous weather and to watch all the people, dogs, strollers and motorcycles on the street.
The motorcyclists were all trying to see if they could ride down the street without being stopped by the caribinari. Some would obediently hop off and walk their bikes, while others brazenly rode along hoping not to get stopped. It was even better watching those that got stopped talking to the angry caribinari!

The pizza was DELICIOUS!!!


After lunch we did a little window shopping-this was definitely the high rent district! Sarah was looking for ballet flats but not by Prada or Gucci! We crossed back over the Via del Corso by the Borghese Palace, now the Spanish embassy and a museum, and walked along until we got to the Piazza Novona. It was bustling with people and tourists. We decided it was gelato time so we got our "flavor of the day".
So many yummy choices!
We went onto the piazza to sit and noticed that not everyone was eating gelato....

We listened to some lovely acoustic guitar music being played by a nicely dressed young man sitting out on the piazza. While he provided entertainment for our ears, this mime entertained our eyes...

As the sun moved across the piazza, we just sat there happy to watch the people and admire the three beautiful fountains.

During our short few months in france and now Italy, we've noticed Europeans seem to take more time to sit and enjoy life; especially moments like this lovely, sunny, Saturday afternoon. We felt very fortunate to be doing it as well.

Roma At Last!

Thursday, October 26


After our difficult drive into the city, We did finally make it to our apartment in the Trastevere. Boy were we happy to get there. Didn't even mind climbing the two flights of stairs with our luggage! We moved our car to a parking garage where we were leaving it for our four day visit. On the 10 minute walk back to the apartment, Nick stopped into a bar on the main street and ordered a shot of scotch!! I wasn't far behind him with a glass of chilled rose back at the apartment!

As for the rest of this day.....after we recuperated for a while, hunger got the best of us and we walked a short distance to a Trattoria in our neighborhood for dinner-unfortunately the name escapes me just now. It was located in a building built in the 1400's and the outside was lit by torches. Very exciting setting for our first dinner in this ancient city.




We had a wonderful table by an open window and we listened to some Italian musicians playing in the street below. We had a simple meal of bruscetta, pasta, pizza, salad and wine. Then it was really buona notte!!

Sarah's Lucca to Rome Report

Thursday-October 26
We were up and packed fairly early. Before we left, Villa Romantica served us a wonderful breakfast in a very pretty sunny little dining room-delicious cappacino not to mention all the things one would want to have at a continental, Italian breakfast. Sarah had a tought time getting her monster suitcase down two flights of stairs! We all agreed we would like to return to Lucca when we had more time to get to know this charming, little city but we were looking forward to getting to Rome.

Here's what Sarah thought of the day's adventures:
"Well this fall we went to Rome!! I was very excited because I love pasta. I also love to travel. The drive from Lucca to Rome was about a 3-4 hour drive. The last 30-40 minutes was NOT fun!!!!!!!! Dramamine was the key to success for me because I get car sick sooo easily!!!NEVER use Via Michelin directions , especially when you are going to Rome !!! Once we got to the apartment we all crashed on the beds as if we had just died.













The next morning I was a little cranky from waking to the sound of my mother typing. But after having my Italian latte I was set to go exploring! The places in Rome that we went to were:

- Mamertine Prison
- Colleseum
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Trevi Fountain
- Spanish Steps
- Pantheon
- Castello St. Angelo
- St Peter’s"

PS. Both Nick and I agree with Sarah on the Via Michelin directions...just awful as far as getting us to our apartment. It was a disaster made more so by the fact that we didn't have a detailed map of the city to find our way without Michelin. So, lesson learned and common sense: use your own map along with ViaMichelin directions. The trip you save may be your own! Once close to the city, we were stopping and asking store owners, cabbies and even the Hertz man(who saved us with a map!) for directions.

Villa d'Este-Tivoli

On our drive to Rome, Nick asked if I knew where the Tivoli Gardens/Villa d'Este were? Or had I ever been there?.....no and no.....
As it turned out, they were located just east of the A1 not a big detour from Rome, so he pulled a "Lucky Pierre"(that's a good friend's father's definition of "a surprise change of plans") and we went to see these famous gardens. boy, was I glad we did! It was stectacular and one of our favorite stops on our Italy trip.

The Villa d'Este was built by Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, son of Alfonso d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia some where in the mid 16th century. He moved to Tivoli after being given the governorship but a princely man such as he needed a magnificent palace to surround himself with artists and men of culture. What an incredible place he created!! We were truly overwhelmed by the splendor of it all:the palace, the sculptures AND the amazing fountains.

We could imagine the Cardinal and all his humanist friends strolling about discussing the works of the classical poets. We also thought it would have been the most wonderful place to play hide and seek! The estate remained in the d'Este family until somewhere along the way it fell into the hands of the Hapsburg and then Hohenlohe families. At the time of WWI, it was in a state of disrepair and was confiscated by the Italian government. They refurbished it and seem to be doing a great job of maintaining it today-most all of the fountains were operating at full capacity.

We felt like kids in a candy store not knowing which way to go and which fountain to oh or ah at more! Our favorite was probably the Road of One Hundred Fountains shown here below.



















The sound of the water rushing was overwhelming-but in an exciting way. Not only was it prevalent here, but everywhere throughout the gardens.



We also loved all the many different
spouts for the water...