May 22 Day 8 Sorrento via Siena. Dietzio is very prompt and we arrive in Siena in good time but the Duomo is closed…I forgot about it being Sunday…so sad but we can peek in the door and see the incredible black and white horizontally striped interior and get a taste of the magnificence. We descend the hilly twisty streets but it becomes obvious that Tom might not make it back up the hill from the Piazza del Campo. I decide to worry about that later! The sense of stepping back in time is intense.
We stop in the lovely courtyard of the 13th century Palazzo Chigi-Saracini…my sense of déjà vu is strong and I suddenly remember Philip and his 8th grade classmates in this space having their picture taken. I am so glad we had that trip and that I have the wonderful memories. We arrive at the Campo and step into the brilliant sunlight – in very strong contrast to the narrow streets. It is as I remember and I am so thrilled to be revisiting. Tom and I find a seat outside a restaurant and have a mid-morning snack – pastry for him and wine for me to toast Philip and Jay Cheeseman – Philip’s 8th grade social studies teacher who led the trip but died a few years ago.
Dietzio arranges to pick us up at the bottom of the Campo (problem solved!) and we are on our way to Sorrento. We pull in to a highway rest stop to get a sandwich to go. Tom has prosciutto and cheese and I have a tomato and mozzarella with basil and they toast both! Fabulous fast food! We pass Naples and there it is – Vesuvius! It is just a two lane road along the Sorrento Peninsula side of the Bay of Naples - built by Mussolini in the 40’s it ended the isolation of the tiny fishing villages along the Sorrento and Amalfi Coasts and, ultimately, made way for the crush of tourism. The road moves up the mountainside giving incredible views of the Bay of Naples.
We round a corner and their it is – Sorrento! Bellissima! The Hotel Mediterraneo is excellent with a lovely garden and a pool. It is away from the center of Sorrento - much quieter. I can see Vesuvius from my window! We have a drink in the garden by the pool. An resident seagull has figured out that the cocktail hour means dropped bits of peanuts and snacks so he shows up every night, has a drink from the pool and waits for an opportunity…we name him Hector.
We have dinner on the terrace overlooking the Bay of Sorrento My Carpaccio of Salmone is outstanding dressed only in olive oil and local lemon juice on a bed of arugula – heavenly!
We stop in the lovely courtyard of the 13th century Palazzo Chigi-Saracini…my sense of déjà vu is strong and I suddenly remember Philip and his 8th grade classmates in this space having their picture taken. I am so glad we had that trip and that I have the wonderful memories. We arrive at the Campo and step into the brilliant sunlight – in very strong contrast to the narrow streets. It is as I remember and I am so thrilled to be revisiting. Tom and I find a seat outside a restaurant and have a mid-morning snack – pastry for him and wine for me to toast Philip and Jay Cheeseman – Philip’s 8th grade social studies teacher who led the trip but died a few years ago.
Dietzio arranges to pick us up at the bottom of the Campo (problem solved!) and we are on our way to Sorrento. We pull in to a highway rest stop to get a sandwich to go. Tom has prosciutto and cheese and I have a tomato and mozzarella with basil and they toast both! Fabulous fast food! We pass Naples and there it is – Vesuvius! It is just a two lane road along the Sorrento Peninsula side of the Bay of Naples - built by Mussolini in the 40’s it ended the isolation of the tiny fishing villages along the Sorrento and Amalfi Coasts and, ultimately, made way for the crush of tourism. The road moves up the mountainside giving incredible views of the Bay of Naples.
We round a corner and their it is – Sorrento! Bellissima! The Hotel Mediterraneo is excellent with a lovely garden and a pool. It is away from the center of Sorrento - much quieter. I can see Vesuvius from my window! We have a drink in the garden by the pool. An resident seagull has figured out that the cocktail hour means dropped bits of peanuts and snacks so he shows up every night, has a drink from the pool and waits for an opportunity…we name him Hector.
We have dinner on the terrace overlooking the Bay of Sorrento My Carpaccio of Salmone is outstanding dressed only in olive oil and local lemon juice on a bed of arugula – heavenly!
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