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Limoncello spritzer at the English Inn
This has become Dee's signature cocktail in Sorrento, and she ranks those served at the English Inn as the best.Today was the warmest day in Sorrento since our arrival on April 1st, as the temperature soared to 72° Fahrenheit by the time we went out for lunch, and to do some shopping in the early afternoon. This veritable heat wave, under mostly sunny skies, was a novel experience for us as we strolled along the Corso Italia with the other tourists, who were obviously enjoying the balmy weather after suffering days of torrential rain.
According to several locals with whom we've spoken since our return from the French Riviera, while we were away Sorrento and the rest of the peninsula were inundated with rainfall, so much so that one day earlier this week local schools were forced to close. We had seen wet weather forecasts for southern Italy on BBC television during our stay in Saint-Jean, but we had no idea there had been such a deluge. The unfortunate tourists who were in this area to visit Napoli, the Amalfi Coast towns, Pompeii and other sites must have had a miserable go of it.
In the early evening, on the day after our return to Sorrento, we decided to have dinner at the little restaurant across the street,
Benvenuti in Casa, where we've enjoyed some fine Italian cuisine during our stay. The husband and wife team who own/operate the place, Gianfranco and Sofia (the chef), are a cute young couple who work themselves to the bone, serving both lunch and dinner, 7-days-a-week, without a break. They have a 5-year-old son who, after school is over around 4 o'clock, entertains himself at a table in the restaurant with a laptop computer!
We shared the two dishes that have come to be our favorites here, Sofia's meatballs and her eggplant parmesan, both of which are delicious. Midway through our meals, we noticed that the tables in the dining area (which probably seats 18-24 people) were rapidly becoming occupied, which we were happy to see. We shared some
panna cotta for dessert, which reminded us of the "Junket" product we were served by our mothers as kids!
Today Dee needed some items from the pharmacy, as well as the kitchen supply store, so we walked there just before noon. On the way back, we decided to stop for lunch at another of our local watering holes, the English Inn (we simply refer to it now as the "pub"). The
cast of friendly characters who staff this place have now become familiar to us, with most of them scurrying to the upstairs terrace today in preparation for this evening's live entertainment that draws hordes of locals seeking a night of drunken revelry.
The very friendly and pleasant Filipino lady (Janet), who has worked here for 18 years, served us on the lower terrace of the inn today. She always has a smile on her face, and frequently chats and jokes around with us during our visits, so we had a very enjoyable and relaxing lunch. Dee's salad (which looked like a work of art), my fish and chips, along with a limoncello spritzer and draft beer, really hit the spot today.
After lunch, while walking along the Corso Italia, we made our customary rest stop on a bench next to the cathedral to engage in some more "people watching", which has proven to be quite an interesting pastime during our days in Sorrento. A couple sitting beside us, who appeared to be our age, must have overheard us speaking English. The woman soon asked Dee if we were from the states, and from that point we had a
Janet and Dee
The English Inn lengthy, pleasant and quite fascinating conversation with these cheerful folks from Devon, a county in the southwest of England.
We shared travel experiences and anecdotes, including their "washout" visit to Sorrento this past week, and they agreed with our sentiments regarding the way traveling has become more challenging over the years, primarily due to the hordes of tourists (ourselves included) straining the facilities and infrastructures everywhere.
As it quickly turned out, we had quite a bit in common, from the aches and pains of aging, to our mutual affinity for British-produced period dramas such as
Poldark,
Downton Abbey and
Foyle's War, all of which Dee and I have enjoyed viewing on PBS at home. This was their last day in Sorrento, and they soon had to catch a shuttle bus back to their hotel, so we had to say our good-byes. It is these types of chance encounters, with total strangers, that have never ceased to amaze us during our travels!
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Jeni
non-member comment
I was happy you weren’t in Sorrento while they had the rain. The northern region was hit very hard from what I read. Limoncello spritzers, sounds refreshing and dangerous, we must have some when you return. That eggplant looks to die for and one of my favorites. Hope the weather stays perfect as you continue exploring and people watching.