Blogs from Campania, Italy, Europe - page 5

The miserable weather that dogged us yesterday gave way to clear, sunny skies today, and the thermometer inched its way up to the mid-60s later in the afternoon. So we set out around 10:30 in the morning, walking to the nearby Parco di Villa Fiorentino, a small park toward the western end of Corso Italia. This park is the site of a villa that now houses a foundation where various cultural events and exhibitions take place. The well-manicured grounds are planted with a variety of plants and flowers, including some lemon and orange trees, and a children's playground occupies a portion of the site. The park was virtually empty when we arrived, and would be an ideal place to relax or bring a picnic lunch. After visiting the park, Dee wanted to find the housewares store ... read more

Yesterday was a day of rest and recuperation, as we're still struggling to recover our "mojo" after a tiring day of overseas travel. Our diurnal rhythms are way out-of-whack, with sleeping schedules completely disrupted. So we decided to lay low all day, occupying ourselves with unpacking, organizing clothing and personal items for a two-month stay, and familiarizing ourselves with the apartment. One of the benefits of extended stays when traveling is the lack of urgency to see and do everything as quickly as possible, so we have far fewer deadlines and time constraints with which to contend. Late this morning we finally ventured out, the primary mission being to forage for groceries. First we scouted out a butcher shop just a block away from our apartment, where Dee found some basic items and very friendly service. ... read more

Reminder: the panoramic photos at the start of the blog change every 7/8 seconds and there are more photos below the text if you want to skip the diary details; and if you double click on any of the photos you will get an enlarged, clearer image. You can return to the text anytime. Day 5 Friday 28th October: having become disenchanted with local travel following our experiences on the Amalfi Coast and Herculaneum we decided that the best thing to do would be to stay overnight in Sorrento town rather than being beholden to the hotel shuttle bus timings. So Jane booked a "luxury sea view room" in the rather opulent Imperial Hotel Tramontano, one of the grand hotels which line the cliffs above Sorrento's beaches and harbours. The hotel wasn't as grand as we'd ... read more

After sitting on the balcony drinking a couple of glasses of wine, we slept in super late after all of the travel struggles. The apartment was small but 2 sets of French doors leading to 1 long balcony opened the room up. We had nothing planned for the day except to go to Tazza d’Oro for the best iced coffee ever. Our room was just down the street from the Colosseum so It was a bit of a walk but we needed to get out and about. Along the walk we found a men’s shop and stopped to buy 2 new short-sleeve shirts for Dale as he only had the one, he’d worn on the plane. The Italian shirts were so nice and lightweight, perfect for the warm weather. After we each had 2 cups of ... read more

Naples was sure living up to its reputation - what I had seen so far was dirty, chaotic and intimidating, particularly leaving the central train station. It has been a while since I have experienced such hustle and bustle - perhaps not since I was in Iran - and it was all a little unsettling. Momentarily, I put a guard up that I hadn't used since I was in Latin America. Wow. Admittedly, my mind was in bit of a muddle at the time, having just put Britta on the airport bus - she wasn’t to join me for the helter-skelter in Naples, as she readily admits that high-octane sightseeing in a busy city is not really for her. Amid the unrest around me and after the wonderful time we had just had, it was a ... read more