Capri in the distance
We could not have asked for a better weekend to do this trip. Although weather in central Italy in October is nothing to complain about, it has its rainy and cloudy moments and this weekend was clear as day and sunny, sunny, SUNNY!
The Beautiful Island of Capri!
After getting off the ferry in Capri, we booked a boat tour of the entire island-a recommended activity from a friend of ours at school. If you ever make your way to Capri and aren’t the sea sick/motion sick-type then I would say that this tour is a must. The tour starts off on a small boat fit for 20 or so people and makes its way around the entire island, giving you a chance to see all that Capri has to offer. Apparently we learned the hard way that although the waters appeared calm, they were in fact quite rowdy once we made our way out…there were moments when I felt like we could have been pulled from a scene from Perfect Storm. It definitely made for a more adventurous and memorable tour though. We got to see the entrance of the blue grotto (which was closed due to inclement weather), several other grottos where the boat backed into and we had the chance to touch the rocks, Sofia Loren’s ritzy island residence and so many other beautiful parts of the island. In the end, the tour was well worth the money and bouts of nausea (kidding…kind of).
Rough Waters!
The rest of the day in Capri was spent wandering its winding streets and hills, dipping our feet in the water and relaxing on the rocky beaches. The trip to Capri as well as the remainder of the weekend in Sorrento was a much-needed break from the “go, go, go” mentality of traveling to capital cities and trying to fit in as many sites as you could- Capri chilled us out and let us just sit and take it all in.
Now, I must include a comical moment of the day: When I was part of an attempted mugging by a 12 year old...on a Vespa…in Capri. There are many parts to this incident that are laughable. First and foremost, the key word was “attempted” so none of my stuff was actually taken…case in point that this story is something I can joke about now and not something that should worry you. Secondly, my mugger was a chubby, 12 year old boy-not someone in dire need of my cardigan and sandals (the two most expensive items in my overnight bag). Thirdly, this is all happening in Capri-my question to that kid is if you live in Capri why the HECK do you need my overnight bag worth less than the collar on your polo t-shirt?! Lastly, this was clearly his first attempted mugging and something that was so poorly executed you almost felt bad for the kid. He drove by on his light blue vespa (doesn’t really give off the “watch-out-for-this-rebel” vibe, does it?) and then turned around, ever so slowly, passing me and trying to grab my bag (Which since I arrived in Italy I hold on to like a first born child). He seemed to give up before he even started and just scooted away down the road. Five minutes later he drove back up the hill, without looking any of us in the eye-embarrassed by his lack of mugging skill. Better luck next time, kid.
How dare he try to steal this baby!
With overnight bag still in hand, I boarded the ferry to Sorrento. We had booked a bed and breakfast for that Saturday and we planned to explore Sorrento restaurants and bars that night and then see the city that following Sunday morning, before departing from Naples train station. We checked into our B & B at around 8 that night. The man at the front desk recommended Il Pepino- a restaurant in the city that was off the beaten path, cheap and had great food. What more could we ask for?! The restaurant was packed with Italians when we arrived and it provided both a cozy and familiar atmosphere. The inviting feeling and cheap prices helped to make this meal both a memorable and BIG one. Usually we will order a pasta dish each, some wine and some bread, but tonight we weren’t joking around. We each ordered our own pasta dish and then three of us (oh gluteny) ordered the ½ Roast Chicken as our main course. We also got a side of French fries, bread and drinks. This was an eating extravaganza. Everything that we ordered was out-of-this-world tasty, but my Spaghetta alla Bolognese was on a level all is own. Writing this now even makes my mouth water. I may return to Sorrento and Il Pepino solely for that dish. I think the plate was licked clean in under 3 minutes…it really was THAT good. After a solid 3 hours of eating, we were worn out and our plans of checking out the city’s nightlife didn’t seem so tempting anymore.
We spent that following morning and afternoon exploring Sorrento. The city is quite tiny which makes it easy to manage and see a great deal in a short amount of time. We spent the day wandering with no set plan, but to see as much as we could before having to take a train to the Naples station where we would then be able to head back to Rome. We traveled up a hilly road to get some great views of Sorrento.
I think I could handle living here...
It was a beautiful day and a beautiful end to a great weekend…until we got to Naples (post to follow!) Let’ s just say I don’t know if I love pizza enough to venture around the streets of Naples to find it-I’ll stick to pizza in Rome.
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