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Gwendolyn, thank you! And I’m glad to know that my memory of the entry to the Blue Grotto is probably correct. It looked so small!
I had already decided we weren’t going to enter, but the decision was taken away as it was too choppy for any boats to go in that day, and with the in and off sun, I imagine it would’ve been somewhat uninspiring anyway. We’ve never been to Switzerland- something tells me that the chair lift on Mount Pilates might be one I would pass on! Not a fan of heights with my legs dangling freely....😉 |
progol..the thought of a chair lift at Mount Pilatus !! Actually the trip up is first in small gondolas to a platform where there is a change to a larger gondola. I'm not sure how I survived ... trick was not to look down. -:)
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We’ve never been to Switzerland- something tells me that the chair lift on Mount Pilates might be one I would pass on! Not a fan of heights with my legs dangling freely....😉>>
<<progol..the thought of a chair lift at Mount Pilatus !! Actually the trip up is first in small gondolas to a platform where there is a change to a larger gondola. I'm not sure how I survived ... trick was not to look down. -https://www.fodors.com/community/ima...ted/smiley.gif >> Gwendolynn - if this is the one I'm thinking of, the trip we did was firstly by boat across Lake Luzern to the bottom of the rack railway, which then takes you up to the top of the mountain, and then you get a succession of ever smaller conveyances down the mountain - a large gondola, a small one, and finally the chair lift, and then after a short downhill walk, a bus back into town. And there was an optional toboggan ride too, about half way down. You can of course do it the other way round! |
I'm enjoying riding along with you on your trip, Progol. Lots of lovely detail. Thank you!
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Gwendolyn, thanks for the clarification. Even those gondolas are a bit nerve-wracking! But if something is enclosed, I suppose it feels nominally safer. I’ll keep it in mind if we ever get there.
annhig, your description of the trip sounds like quite the adventure! Trophywife, I’m so glad you’re enjoying this! More to come.... |
Don't want to hijack your thread anymore... but for some reason (it was a long time ago) we went up and back on the gondolas. annhig... I saw photos of that train... I think I'd have closed my eyes in some places !
Back to my favorite places on earth -:) Thanks again, progol. |
<<Don't want to hijack your thread anymore... but for some reason (it was a long time ago) we went up and back on the gondolas. annhig... I saw photos of that train... I think I'd have closed my eyes in some places ! >>
Just a tiny bit more hijacking - the only thing that made me close my eyes on the way up was the way in which some fellow passengers were behaving; despite the clear notices saying "do not lean out of the windows" they kept doing it in order to take selfies and other photos and on several occasions came close to serious injury as we passed into various tunnels and got close to overhangs and trees. Apart from that it was lovely. |
And the final "word" on this discussion, before I leave for our next stop ;)
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28b31ad92f.jpg It was really not too bad - this is as we were returning to the base and getting lower. By this time, I was more relaxed and even moving a little! It did get higher off the ground than this, but it wasn't terribly high. Just high enough for me! |
Sorrento
Ahh, Sorrento! After a watery departure from Capri, we arrived at the Marina Picoolo (port) under grey but dry skies. A short walk to the lift (1 Euro) and we’re in the center of town. A10-minute walk took us to our B&B, Accademia 39, a lovely 6-bedroom guesthouse on Via Accademia, a street just off the main tourist streets. It was a great place to stay – for an expensive town, the rates were very reasonable, the location was perfect, the food was great, and the staff was as gracious and helpful as can be. Vittoria, the day manager and positively delightful host, baked many of the items served. Breakfast was a large spread as well as cooked-to-order items. It was a fantastic and I highly recommend it. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser..._Campania.html Sorrento is definitely a busy tourist center, and in early October, it was hopping. I had debated about whether or not to stay in Sorrento, and I was happy with our decision. It’s a very pretty town with great views, is large enough and has enough sights and restaurants to keep us busy and sated, and is a great base to see Pompeii and the Amalfi coast towns. And the best pizza of our entire trip! I had intended to have one day to explore Sorrento, one day to visit Positano and perhaps another coastal town, and one day for Pompeii. By the time we arrived in Sorrento, however, my poor foot was quite tender, so we ended up having 2 days taking it slow and easy in Sorrento. Despite the crowds in the main part of the town, we really did enjoy wandering Sorrento leisurely. Rick Steves’ guidebook was perfectly suited for our stay in Sorrento. I’ve no qualms in saying that it gives a nice plan for a few days here and along the Amalfi Coast. I rarely use his guides for food recommendations, though he also recommends our favorite pizza place, Pizzeria da Franco on Corso Italia. Mostly we strolled. We wandered down to the water and to the beautiful Marina Grande, passing through the Porta Marina Grande, the ancient Greek Gate, built in the 3rd century BC, and later incorporated into 16th C walls. The views as we walked down the steps toward the port were gorgeous. We ate lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the water. While the meal was not memorable, the location couldn’t be beat. We also visited the large and grand San Filippo and Giacomo Cathedral, with its charming nativity scene; and the Franciscan church and cloister by the Villa Communale park. There is a good photo exhibit off the cloister and its roof also has beautiful views. Well, there are beautiful views from everywhere near the water! As in Naples, we took the circumvesuviana to Pompeii. A relatively easy train ride there and back, though we did run into more crowds on our return. We thought it might be easier to travel by train from Naples, though I’m not sure. It felt like we were waiting longer for a train, but it’s hard to know. Pompeii to come... |
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From our room terrace at our guesthouse, Accademia 39 https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...db12da54f4.jpg |
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On the long stairway down to the Marina Grande https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...679a43caeb.jpg Lunch by the sea! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7822a39940.jpg From the Gallery Raffaele Celentano, above the cloister of the San Francesco church |
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The best pizza! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bca91220b1.jpg It's very casual! Long tables, unfussy decor. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1f04b65b2e.jpg Our favorite pizza of the trip - Pizzeria Da Franco, Corso Italia 265, Sorrento |
Around Sorrento
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...47e2bdb561.jpg Corso Italia https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1792f2f6cf.jpg Greek Gate https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d1fe6b2430.jpg Cattedrale dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fc1cb8cf05.jpg Nativity scene https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c5a0d0c31e.jpg Around town... who doesn't love this? |
Nice pictures of Sorrento progol. Too bad you sprained your ankle on Capri. That does give you some limitations.
What type of fish is that at your marina side lunch?! It looks like what we had in Corniglia long ago. Delicious! I was guessing fresh anchovies,but honestly didnt know. We still refer to them 20 years later as fish fries! |
Thanks, Dayle! My foot healed enough to be able to manage Pompeii. I realized that a visit to Positano was not going to be a smart move and having a leisurely and relaxing visit in Sorrento was not the worst thing in the world! It really does remind me to slow down and we really enjoyed our time in Sorrento.
Yes, fried anchovies! At least, I'm pretty sure they were - I didn't take a single note on the entire trip! They were delicious, though. |
Enjoying your excellent report and pictures. The plate of sardines (I think they are sardines) and the two pizzas made my mouth water. And the scenery is spectacular. What a great trip.
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Dayle, I think John May be right.- sardines not anchovies!
John, thank you! It was a spectacular trip! So many sights, sites and tastes! And that pizza in Sorrento was up there! This may be sacrilegious, but we liked it more than the pizza we had in Naples. |
Mmmmm; sardines. We had our fair share while in Naples and Procida. So simple, but so good. So sorry about your ankle, Progol, but I like you adjusted your plans and outlook.
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Thanks, indyhiker!
Fortunately, the ankle didn't stop me but just slowed me down a bit. We managed Pompeii! With 5 weeks of travel, we had enough time to see pretty much most of what we wanted to see and even have time to relax. It really was a great trip (and I'm proud of my planning!). |
Still following along! Love your photos of Sorrento! And you do have the right attitude about your injured ankle!
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And, after years of hearing about Pompeii, and having it on the "bucket list" for decades, we are finally off to see the site! An absolutely glorious day weatherwise, and an easy ride on the Circumvesuviana to the Pompeii Scavi and a short walk to the entrance. We did not hire a guide, but used our Rick Steves guidebook and hoped that tourist information would provide the same informative guidebook that we had in Herculaneum. It did not and while the RS book was descriptive, it certainly doesn't go into depth. This is fine for us but for those who want a deeper understanding of what they are seeing, you might want to hire a guide.
I won't go into any real description over the site as there is much written about the site; I was fascinated, though, by the differences in their preservation. Herculaneum was covered by the ash 12 hours later than Pompeii but the ash hardened and protected the city in a way that Pompeii was not. I had been concerned I'd need to prebook our entry, but it was not a problem as the entry lines went quickly. This is a much, much larger site than Herculaneum, and, to no one's surprise, it's also very, very popular. Lots of groups, crowds of people, and in contrast to Herculaneum, not nearly as intact. As M was still recovering from his flu, and I was still hobbling from my sprained ankle, we took it relatively easy, though we did manage to cover most of the main buildings within the site. There are several newer buildings that have been opened, which sounded interesting, but we didn't have the energy for extensive exploring. Then again, to see it all requires a lot more time than just a few hours, and it does get hot as the day wears on! |
Oh, yes, and the brothel! It was hard to miss the brothel, as the line was long and the tiny house was crowded!
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f0593241e.jpeg X-rated! https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dc5f146fa.jpeg Not so comfy room -------------- The ampitheater https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9146e27a18.jpg |
A few more thoughts before moving on...
I'm glad we saw Pompeii, but we LOVED Herculaneum. Pompeii is a large site, very busy with tourists, and certainly an important place - yet Herculaneum is intimate and we felt the presence of the ancients in a way that it's not so easy to do at Pompeii. If it's at all possible, I'd recommend seeing both. I certainly wouldn't suggest missing Pompeii, as it's part of what we've heard about for years....but Herculaneum really is special. Try to see it, too. |
Thanks for coming back to your TR, Progol - I was missing your lovely photos. Luckily that the second time I went to Pompeii I went with a group that had a guide which made it come alive much more than on my first visit 30 years earlier. My only gripe was that it took us so long to get round [we started at the amphitheatre] that by the time we got to the Forum area it was closing and we didn't get to see the House of the Faun. But we did see a lot in the MANN in Naples, which was terrific.
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annhig,
It’s all because of you that I’m getting back to this! I promise to TRY to finish this up soon! At least before I go on our next trip! Paule |
We enjoyed Sorrento a lot, despite the tourist crowds (and there were a few!). It's a beautifully-sited town, with enough to see and do within the city, as well as a very convenient location for touring Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. For us, it was a few days where we were able to get some necessary rest. We enjoyed our stay at the lovely guesthouse, Accademia 39, and highly recommend it as a very moderately-priced accommodation in an expensive area:
ACCADEMIA 39 | OFFICIAL WEBSITE | SORRENTO LUXURY GUEST HOUSE | SORRENTO LUXURY B&B Vittoria, the manager, is a gem - very warm and helpful, and many of the baked goods served are thanks to her! From Sorrento, we're off to Atrani, one of my favorite stops of the trip. The location is absolutely superb and our guesthouse, La Scogliera, is not only the most charming place we stayed in, but run by Pino and Pina, the most wonderful hosts. Truly warm and welcoming. I can't say enough. To be honest, this is one of those places that you want to keep secret because they're so good and it's such a great place, that you want to make sure they're available when you go again! Can you tell we loved this place? And the owners? https://www.lascoglierarooms.it It's a 3-room guesthouse, and La Ronnie (The Blue Room) is the prize, with its terraces on 2 sides. Pino serves our breakfast on our terrace, and as it's so bright and sunny in the morning, he puts the umbrella up so we can sit here and have the delicious baked goods that Pina made. And we can't eat everything that they serve us! It's heaven on earth, and I could've stayed there easily and not traveled far. Just an fyi - there are lots of stairs! The rooms are up a long staircase from the street, and there is a long set of stairs from the street level to the town and beach level. So your legs will get a healthy workout! But worth every step! Travel from Sorrento to Atrani was surprisingly easy. We took the Red tour bus to Amalfi which had availability; the lines for the regular SITA bus were too long and the tour bus was inexpensive enough that it didn't bother us. Even that bus was busy - I was able to get a seat, but not a window on the right side (which follows the water for most of the trip). Even at a slight remove, the trip was still beautiful. Once we arrived in Amalfi, it was a very quick ride to Atrani. Really, a 10-minute walk, but not knowing the place, and dragging our luggage, we got a small cart to drive us the short distance. When he pulled up 2 minutes later, I was sure he was wrong, but there was Pino coming downstairs to help us up with our luggage. And once inside, it was a big WOW. |
The bus ride from Sorrento to Amalfi
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ed9ce7daa0.jpg Passing Positano https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...877dba4d6.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...268224d551.jpg |
Progol, I have been following and waiting on your report on Atrani. We stayed at La Scogliera a few years ago and loved it and Atrani so much we planned to stay again this fall. (Unfortunately, will have to put it off until next year due to family medical situation.)
Atrani suited us perfectly because it quieted down in the evening after dinner, there were some very nice restaurants in town, and it was convenient to both Amalfi and Ravello (we walked up and back down). We had the Blue Room, too. Heaven. |
I love your photos of Pompeii! Did you visit Herculaneum on a different trip? I appreciate the tip about visiting both Pompeii and Herculaneum. We hope to visit southern Italy in a few years, and I will definitely put Herculaneum on my sightseeing list.
I appreciate that you are continuing with your trip report. I know you must be very, very busy because you are in the midst of planning your upcoming trip to northern Spain and Portugal. |
Our first view of Atrani from our terrace...it just got better and better!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3953d17866.jpg --------------- Eventually, we headed down to the beach and town for a light lunch and to explore. The town center consists of one small plaza with several restaurants and shops and a lovely church. The buildings are built up the hill but under the overhanging cliff. The beachfront is divided into sections with beach chairs that you can pay for and a section that is free. It's a pebbly beach but it's used and has a wonderful vibe. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d1bbcba161.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c90a5c1dfe.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8e7745832c.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88b83c9fe9.jpg Toward the beach https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13ac32f4fc.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fc9f6bf138.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...11cb29c6f2.jpg ------------- Further down the waterfront, past the beach, there are lots of rocks where many of the locals go swimming. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8dd88dcc07.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8f58dee2ed.jpg |
The evenings in Atrani are glorious...
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It was obvious at the time that you loved Atrani, Progol and that comes over very well here too. And as always your photos are great.
So glad I prompted you to restart your TR! |
Thanks for continuing.
It’s time we visited Southern Italy! Loving your photos and reading about your experiences. |
Oops, auto-incorrect strikes!
<<It's a 3-room guesthouse, and La Ronnie (The Blue Room) is the prize, with its terraces on 2 sides.>> It’s La Rondine, not La Ronnie at La Scogliera! |
Thank you, annhig and Aidelaidean! I’m glad you’re enjoying the continued words and pix!
Aidelaidean, I’m sure you will love Southern Italy! |
Thank you for restarting your TR, Progol. Re. your stay in Atrani: how did you decide on it rather than Amalfi or Positano?
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Originally Posted by Trophywife007
(Post 17065431)
Thank you for restarting your TR, Progol. Re. your stay in Atrani: how did you decide on it rather than Amalfi or Positano?
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I am enjoying your trip report and your gorgeous photos! We hope to visit southern Italy in a few years. We've only been to Rome and one day in Florence many, many years ago. I appreciate your tip about visiting both Pompeii and Herculaneum. In fact, I've never heard of Herculaneum until you mentioned it. Did you visit Paestum?
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