After spending hours schlepping to (Piano Di) Sorrento, we threw down our bags, got back on the train and schlepped back to Mount Vesuvius. Climbing to the top of Mt. Vesuvius has been a pretty big dream of mine, ever since seeing Zoolander, and it did not disappoint.
First we took a bus halfway up the mountain, and then an intense 4x4 up the next quarter of the mountain, and then we hiked the last 500 meters or so to the top. (Hey, even those who summit Everest start from base camp.)
Mount Vesuvius is the only mainland, European volcano to have erupted in the last 100 years and is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. Also, it's around 70 years overdue for eruption.
While the top half of the mountain is brown and ashen, the bottom half is completely covered in trees and flowers, producing a really cool duality.
From on top of Vesuvius, you can see most of the region of Naples, from Sorrento all the way down towards to Amalfi Coast.
At first we thought the sky was hazy, but then we realized we were above some clouds |
Inside the crater |
After exhausting ourselves with a full day of traveling and volcano exploring, we headed home to our elderly hosts.
Up until now, we'd only really been in Rome and Fregene, where every shopkeeper or bus driver spoke at least a little english, but not so in Piano Di Sorrento. Luckily for us, we picked up a little Italian from this extremely helpful video, and we've been getting by okay.
On Monday the plan was to wake up early, head to the real Sorrento, and take a boat to Capri. Capri is a beautiful island, with all types of stuff to do. (Boat tours, swimming, etc almost all of which cost money.)
After getting off the train, we got directions to the port which was a "10 minute walk" from the station. Of course, that's assuming that you don't walk in the entirely wrong direction, and wind up on the complete opposite end of Sorrento as we did. In that case, the 10 minute walk was closer to 2 hours.
But no worries, because Sorrento is quite beautiful, with some amazing views of its own.
And HUGE lemons |
The bus ride there was only 40 minutes or so, but nauseatingly winded up and around an entire mountain. When the bus stopped, we realized we'd been let off about halfway down the mountain, and needed to get down to the beach.
I should pause to mention it was swelteringly hot, somewhere around 95 degrees. Having said all that, by the end of the day, we could not have been happier that we decided to go to Positano.
The whole town is gorgeous, with canopied walkways and lots of cafes and art galleries, built into a cliff that overlooks the Sorrentine Peninsula.
Fun Fact: Mick and Keith wrote "Midnight Rambler" in a cafe in Positano |
View of Positano, from the bottom |
...ereh ffo s'gnihtemoS |
Fairly tired after the transportation, hiking, swimming and more hiking, we headed home to pack up and get ready for our trip to Florence.
Even though we thought we'd be staying in Sorrento and swimming in Capri, the 2 days in the South were nonetheless, unforgettable.
*Didn't actually see any "Capri Sun" or fruit filled tornadoes
About time the Family Guy clip made it in there. Buy this post is all about the Hansel. Well played.
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