GETTING TO SORRENTO

Saturday, 14 May. We were up at 6:00 and had breakfast in the Lido. Our number for disembarking was called at 7:15. We went ashore and found our luggage. Peter and Marie soon joined us. They were taking the same train to Naples that we were. We were very lucky to get on the free shuttle bus right away. This bus was only supposed to take us to the entrance to the port, but the driver kept going and dropped us at the train station, about three blocks away. Most of us gave him a generous tip for all the hassle he'd spared us.

That got us to the station at 7:45 for our 9:17 train, but we didn't mind the wait. This was the only train that went directly to Naples without a change of trains. The train stopped for 20 minutes in Rome (at 10:22), and we were in Naples at 12:45, a few minutes early. From here we had to catch a privately-operated train (Circumvesuviana) to Sorrento, where we were to spend the next few days.

There were two different trains that we could take. They left Naples 30 minutes apart (1:13 vs. 1:43) but arrived in Sorrento only 10 minutes apart (2:23 vs. 2:33). Our original plan was to eat lunch in Naples and then take the later train. But the platform for that train was hard to find, and we wanted to make sure we knew exactly where to board before we ate. As we were heading for the platform, a free lance porter started trying to wrest our luggage away from us. Despite our physical resistance, he managed first to get Jane's carry-on, then my suitcase. He not only showed us where the platform was, but bought our tickets (with our money) and led us onto the platform. There he demanded a 10 Euro ($15) tip. When I refused to give him anything, he came down to 5 Euros. I finally gave him that just to get rid of him.
 
The platform was so jammed with people that it was hard to move. Trains were coming and going with no clear identification. We finally got on the 1:13 train to Sorrento by sheer luck, following other Americans who told us they were going there. The train was packed, too, but someone quickly got up and offered Jane a seat (because she was using her cane). The train made a total of 32 stops, not missing a single station. I got a seat about half way through the 70 minute ride.

Sorrento was the end of the line, and we got there at 2:23 right on schedule. Although we'd been told that the Casa Dominova B&B that we'd booked was only a few short blocks from the station, we wanted to take a taxi and approached the only one in front of the station. The driver declined to take us! So we started walking, towing three suitcases behind us. After little more than a block, a man in a Mercedes called out to us from across the street, asking if we wanted a taxi. I walked over to ask the price. He wanted €12 Euros but settled for ten. I thought that was still pretty high, but we were too hot and tired to walk. To our surprise, the driver took off in the opposite direction from the B&B. Since we had fixed the price, I didn't protest. He must have driven a couple of miles, twisting and turning down the narrow streets, before finally stopping. It turned out that our B&B was on a pedestrian street (Via Giuliani), really an alleyway, and no vehicle could take us to the door. The driver drove to the nearest point he was allowed, only a few doors from the B&B. We later learned that the cost of the taxi was very reasonable for Sorrento.

We wheeled our suitcases over to the B&B entrance. As we'd often seen before in Italy, the B&B occupied just one floor of a multistory building. We rang the bell repeatedly, but there was no response. I finally inquired at a snack shop next door and learned that I had to go to a nearby restaurant (da Gigino) to get the keys. There was no one on duty at the B&B. Leaving Jane, I hurried to the restaurant, and Ciro, the owner, had his daughter accompany me back with a key. It was about 3:15 and we were exhausted. Once inside, the daughter gave us the keys and we walked back to da Gigino for a very late (3:40) lunch. Afterward we took a short walk to explore the vicinity before going back to our room to rest. 

Our room was small and very sparsely furnished. I went out into the garden and brought in two lawn chairs so we could sit down. Our large window faced the Bay of Naples but a large luxury hotel (Imperial Hotel Tramontano) blocked the view. Nevertheless, the window opened onto a lovely garden with lemon trees, and the tall palm trees of the Tramontano were just behind that, so it was a very pleasant view.  

The location of the Casa Dominova was ideal, only a block from Corso Italia, the main street, and two blocks from Piazza Tasso, the main square. The area between those two points and the Casa Dominova included the principle tourist area of Sorrento. Yet, because we were on the far corner of that area, our room was very quiet. 

At 6:15 we walked across the street to the Villa Comunale, a charming little park full of exotic plants, trees, and flowers. Sorrento is perched on tall cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples, and this park is situated on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Bay. There were great views of the Isle of Ischia, Naples, Mount Vesuvius, and the Sorrento shoreline, including the Marina Piccola just below us. We also visited the cloister of San Francesco Church (14th century) on one side of the park. On the way back to the Casa Dominova, we stopped at the restaurant right next door and ate outside under a canopy along one side of Via Giuliani.  

Then we walked up Via Giuliani to Corso Italia, the main street. We discovered that in the tourist season the street is closed to traffic every evening and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. It was so completely mobbed with people that it was difficult to move. The noise of the crowd was deafening. We couldn't even talk to each other. We made our way over to the Cathedral (15th century) to see if we might still catch an evening Mass, but the last service was just letting out. We waited until the church emptied and then went inside. In contrast to the rather simple Romanesque exterior, The interior was quite elaborate, especially the ceiling. 

Next we walked over to Piazza Tasso to look around. Surprisingly, the square was still open to traffic, so it was not nearly as crowded as Corso Italia to the west. We saw the only road down to Marina Piccola, in a deep ravine that ran inland under the square. We also spotted a little tourist train (trenino), but it was closed for the evening. We decided to take it the next morning to help orient us to Sorrento. 

Looking at our map, we saw that there were half a dozen churches nearby and decided to walk by some of them to check the time of Mass the next morning (Sunday). Breakfast at our B&B was at 8:30 a.m. so we were looking for a 9:30 or 10:00 service. We checked four churches, but none had Mass at that time. In the process, we also strolled down some of the narrow streets, looking at the many shops and their varied wares. Those featuring Sorrento's famous intarsia (inlaid wood) and other wood products were especially interesting.  

By 8:30 p.m. the sun had set, and the warm day gave way to a cool evening. We got back to our room just before 9:00. It had been a long and tiring day.