Last weekend Tom and I flew to southern Italy for one last weekend getaway before the move back to the United States. I've mentioned it before that Tom moved back to the States in October, while I remained here in Germany. I haven't mentioned on this blog that in early June I got a job offer with the U.S. Air Force at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. So, I'm in the process of moving back to the States
Tom arrived here in Stuttgart on the 16th to help me with the move and we left for Italy the morning of the 20th. We flew into Naples in order to reach the Amalfi Coast. We spent three nights in Sorrento, using the town as our base to explore the region. There was just one thing that I wanted to do in Naples and so we did that the afternoon of July 23, just before our flight home.
Just before our trip I told Tom half jokingly...I'm going to Italy and I'm going to eat pizza, pasta, gelato and put on five pounds! Fortunately I didn't put on five pounds. Although, I was prepared for the shock of doing just that, cause I wanted to eat anything and everything I wanted to on this final trip to Italy. My totals were three pizzas and four gelatos. I think that's respectable.
From the airport in Naples, we took a bus into Sorrento. After we found our hotel and got checked in, we still had the whole afternoon and evening. We went out exploring but the first stop was obviously something to eat. That evening we took an early evening swim in our hotel's pool and watched the sunset from one of the hotel's two rooftop decks.
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| Sorrento - great location to explore the local sites |
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| Sorrento |
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| Fun streets to explore - lots of shops and restaurants |
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| First meal...First pizza |
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| My kind of sunbathing...don't have to worry about getting burned. |
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| Going |
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| Going |
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| Gone |
The next day we did a driving tour of the Amalfi Coast. Got a chance to visit Positano, Ravello and Amalfi. Nice small tour...only three other couples. One couple was from Ireland, one was from England and the other couple was from Italy.
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| Tom was surprised at how mountainous the area was. It was beautiful. |
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| Positano |
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| Pottery is everywhere |
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| Ravello Town Center |
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| Now that's some advertising! |
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| The flowers were gorgeous. |
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| View from Ravello |
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| Amalfi - had my first gelato here |
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| You drive right along the cliffs - crazy and beautiful. |
We've been to Italy several times now and this is the first time I've EVER seen a vending machine that makes pizza. Had to take a picture.
The next full day we decided to go scuba diving. Tom is not certified but he has been scuba diving before. I have never been. We met up at the marina in Sorrento with a mish mash of folks. A father and two sons were all certified divers and two couples were going snorkeling. After everyone got dropped off in their respective areas it was time for me to give scuba diving a try. The master diver started me with just putting my face under water with the regulator to get used to breathing. It took me about 10 minutes before I got the courage to submerge totally. There was a moment there when I thought I'd just go back to the boat. Thankfully I didn't and we swam under the water for about 30 minutes. The master diver stayed with me the whole time. Tom and I will probably look into getting PADI certified once we are settled.
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| On our way out to the diving location - Capri in the background |
After a successful first dive we walked into Sorrento and found a great restaurant on a side street for lunch.
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| My man and my food look delicious. |
We went back to the hotel and freshened up and then headed back into Sorrento for dinner. We decided to get a pizza to go and sit on one of the several park areas overlooking the Med and watch the sunset.
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| Looking towards Naples |
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| Dinner - had Tom to help me eat this one |
The next morning we got up early to have breakfast and then head down to the marina to catch the ferry to Naples.
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| View of Mount Vesuvius from the ferry |
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| Coming into Naples |
Several years ago I was watching a travel show about Italy and I learned about the "Veiled Christ," an amazing statue that can be found in the
Museo Cappella Sansevero. Ever since learning about the statute I have wanted to see it with my own eyes. The statue is of Christ in the tomb, following the crucifixion. The statue is phenomenal. Under the veil, which is part of the same single piece of stone, you can see incredible details, such as the veins in his hands, muscles and the holes in his hands and feet. I have always been fascinated with stone sculptures that include a veil. How do they carve a face and yet give the impression it is under a veil? They don't let you take pictures in the museum so I had to find a couple pictures on the web. There is another fascinating sculpture in the collection. It is called Disillusion and the intricate fishing net is also incredible.
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| Sitting across from the museum's entrance |
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| There are signs that help you find your way |
Can't say that I'll ever go back to Naples but I'd definitely enjoy going back to Sorrento and spending more time along the Amalfi Coast. Naples is pulsating with life and I loved all the side streets. The city could be more beautiful but the city is pretty run down and there is graffiti all over everything, including churches and museums.
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| I liked this glass domed shopping area. |
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| One final meal and one final pizza before the flight home. |
Good-bye Italy! Hopefully we'll see you again in a couple years.
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