Blogs from Sorrento, Campania, Italy, Europe - page 2

Yesterday afternoon we returned to Sorrento after our 10-day sojourn in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the charming little piece of paradise we discovered on the Côte d'Azur in the south of France. To tell you the truth, we had become so enchanted with Saint-Jean during our stay that neither of us were particularly excited about returning to Sorrento. But when we opened the door to our apartment on Via degli Aranci, which had been vacant and shuttered during our absence, it did feel a lot like a homecoming! After all, we've spent more than five weeks here, so it really has started to feel like home. Our concierge in Saint-Jean, Jean-Pierre, had arranged for a taxi to the airport yesterday at 8:00 AM for our 10:45 AM flight from Nice to Napoli. Just before the taxi arrived, he came ... read more

The weather today in Sorrento started and ended on a high note, with the warmest temperatures (high 60s) we've experienced since our arrival at the beginning of April. It was a beautiful day to be outside (for a change), and for Dee to place sheets and other laundry outside on the balcony of our apartment to dry (there is a washing machine, but no dryer). We had no firm plans for the day, other than to go out for lunch, so we lounged around until noon. Late in the morning, Dee received a text message from a friend of ours, Cindy Pinizzotto (from Port Orange, Florida), with a recommendation for a restaurant she, her husband and son had enjoyed during their visit to Sorrento five years ago, the Tavern Allegra. We were not familiar with the ... read more

Throughout the past week, all of us had become aware of the local excitement that was brewing over the upcoming professional soccer match between the local favorite, Forza Napoli (a team from Naples), and a rival team (Salernitana) from the nearby city of Salerno. Many shops, storefronts and apartment balconies began to sprout banners and flags with the team's name and checkered-blue logo emblazoned upon them. Sorrento city workers even strung streamers on top of the streetlight poles, crisscrossing the streamers from one side of the street to the other. We decided to have lunch at La Maison Douce at around 1:00PM, two hours before the scheduled start of the match that was to be played in Naples. This was the first time John and Cindy had accompanied us to this restaurant on the Corso Italia, ... read more

Our guests have shown remarkable resilience in recovering from the rigors of their overseas flights yesterday. As we can attest from our own experiences over the years, the first day or so after arrival from the states is like being in a daze, with biological clocks and sleep cycles thrown out of kilter. But John and Cindy, our guests from Florida, are coping well so far. They managed to get several hours of sleep before waking up in the middle of their first night; sat for awhile on the balcony watching the "street action" below; then back in the sack for a few more hours of sleep. They awoke just in time to enjoy one of Chef Dee's robust breakfasts of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, toast and coffee. Since there was no strict agenda set for ... read more

The weather gods must be smiling down upon us (at last!), as we enjoyed yet another day of blue skies, sunshine and mild temperatures. We only hope the streak continues, as we're expecting two special guests (a couple from Satsuma, Florida) to arrive this coming Sunday for a 9-day visit. Since they are Floridians, their thermostats (like ours) are not accustomed to the chilly temperatures we have endured since our arrival in Sorrento almost three weeks ago. Our first order of business today was to walk to the pharmacy, the same one we had visited to purchase some blood glucose test strips for me shortly after we had arrived. It is a customer-friendly environment here, and the pharmacist on-duty today was very helpful in suggesting an over-the-counter cough medication that Dee was seeking as a replacement ... read more