Sorrento

Apr12

Come Back to Sorrento

(At Piazza Tasso in the heart of the chic city of Sorrento)

We had ear marked the next day for an exploration of the famous Amalfi Coast and the town of Positano. After breakfast, we discovered that the rains hadn’t abated one jot and another soaking day lay ahead of us. Refusing to be discouraged, we hurried off to the train station to catch the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento from where we hoped to catch the SITA bus to Positano which is supposedly the prettiest town on the Amalfi Coast. The journey seemed to drag on. Easter Monday is also a public holiday in Italy and the train was full of families and teenagers looking for a day on the town.
At Sorrrento station, we found that the SITA buses were plying despite the holiday. Purchasing our round-trip tickets for 6 Euros each, we hurried towards a café to buy ourselves a badly-needed hot chocolate. With our fingers warmed and the rain having let up, we walked towards Piazza Tasso to get a taste of the lovely town that has been immortalized in the song  Come Back to Sorrento.

And I could see why. Like Capri, Sorrento, during the summer, is mobbed by visitors who seek its plush air and gaily festooned shops that sell all manner of fancy goods. Boutiques hawking designer clothes, jewelry and bags made even window-shopping a lovely past-time.

The Square is dominated by the sculpture of a saint and the wisteria-clad patios of the Hotel Albergo Vittoria that cover the pink walled structure create a wonderfully refreshing vista (left).

One side of the piazza had a ledge that overlooks a deep gorge (left) which conceals a road that plies down to the sea. The streets radiate from out of this main square and seem to go far into the distance. On this public holiday, there were crowds everywhere bringing a vibrant energy to the area.

We did not have the chance to linger too long, however, as we were determined not to miss the bus to Sorrento. Hordes of people had gathered in the time that we had spent browsing through the town and everyone intended to board that bus. We were pleased that we had booked our tickets in advance and found ourselves seated right in the front of the bus allowing us sweeping views of the lovely hilly landscape.

The Stunning Amalfi Coast:
The Amalfi Coast came into view once we left the chaos of the traffic of Sorrento city behind. And I could see immediately why it is considered one of the world’s loveliest coastal drives. At each sharp hairpin bend and turn, your heart leaps at the sight of the emerald green hills that dip down sharply to the turquoise sea. Because the rain obscured the clarity of our views, we were forced to make do with vistas that were only half as good as they are in the best of weather. Despite that, I took many picture hoping to do the scenery justice—only to find that they came out dreadful. About an hour later, we were at the very pinnacle of the town of Positano and I can say that my very first reaction to it was one of deep wonderment.

To Follow Amy and me on the next leg of our travels to the Amalfi Coast and Positano, please click on the link below.

Amalfi Coast and Positano

Bon Voyage!