Alyson’s Italian Job, Part Two – Sorrento

Anyone who read my last post about our trip to Rome, would have noticed I was a bit negative about it. So much so I had to return later and add a postscript sharing all the good things about the city. That now done, I’ll finish off this two-parter about our Italian adventure by sharing some pictures from our time in Sorrento.

Like in Rome it was again very hot, and this being my first foray to the Mediterranean since my brush with skin cancer, I can no longer be the cavalier sunbather I used to be in my youth. Makes life a bit more challenging but at my age I’m not likely to be wearing anything too skimpy or revealing anyway, so not as bad as it could have been. Talking of skimpy and revealing clothing, I was envious of all the young, tanned, long-legged girls in their shorts. They look fantastic and have their whole lives ahead of them but, as Mr WIAA reminded me, that used to be me and my friends (minus the long-legs) so time for the younger generation to have their time in the sun (literally and figuratively).

Travelling to Sorrento from Rome had been organised for us by the company who put our trip together, and it went very smoothly indeed. A First Class ticket for Italia Railways meant we were whisked south at great speed, and we were picked up in Naples by the lovely Martina in her smart, black, air-conditioned car. She had fun choosing music for us on the journey to Sorrento as she was a great fan of British and American songs from every decade (bit like this blog). It was appreciated.

We only had five nights in Sorrento so technically only four full days which in retrospect wasn’t enough. I had already booked an excursion to Pompeii before we left home and we planned to buy tickets for a trip to Amalfi for another day so time had to be well spent. The swimming pool and gardens at the hotel were top notch and we both loved being in the cool water. The pool area was also remarkably quiet so we often had the whole place to ourselves, but time was short, so every day we walked the 20 minutes into the town centre to check out the bars, restaurants and shops in the Old Town. We fitted a lot into our short time and here are some of the pictures that prove it – Pompeii, Positano, Amalfi, another wedding, tourist shops, lunch, Vesuvius and Naples at night.

A surprising highlight of our time in Sorrento was stumbling across an exhibition of Sophia Loren photographs. The curator was British and was very knowledgeable about the star and her life. Sofia Scicolone (the Sophia Loren moniker came later) was brought up in a village on the Bay of Naples and one of her first films was quite racy for the times. Scandal In Sorrento from 1955 is a romantic comedy set right where we were. Donna Sofia (played by Sophia) plays an attractive fishmonger who is in love with Nicolino, a fisherman. True love never runs smoothly however and as is common in a rom-com there are many twists and turns before the pair end up together. I’ve found the full film on YouTube so plan to watch it soon. She certainly was one stunning lady and is still with us at the age of 92. If you look at the limoncello cart wedding photo in the gallery above, you might just spot Sophia (along with The Great Caruso) in the background – it looks like graffiti but the artist is apparently the Italian Banksy.

Am I doing ok so far? Nothing negative at all yet which is a tad different to my post about Rome. The only downside to the second leg of our trip was the food at our hotel. In their wisdom, the company who organised it must have looked at our ages and decided to place us in a hotel which is predominantly filled with retired British holiday-makers. Nothing wrong with that except many of them were quite infirm and came into the dining room with sticks and walking frames which sometimes made it feel like a care home (and probably why we had the pool to ourselves). Dinner was included in our package which I thought would be fine but again it was organised like in my mum’s care home where you had to make your menu choice at breakfast and always sit at the same table which correlated to your room number. You had to be there at 7pm sharp which is early for Italy and you had to be speedy, as the plates were always cleared by 8pm. Sadly it was British-style food in small portions but there was a lovely lounge and outdoor garden to sit in afterwards.

For our last night we decided to eschew dinner at our hotel and head into the Old Town. I’m really glad we did as it was Saturday night and a lot of locals also came out to play. We found a nice taverna, had a lovely meal and were treated to a chap with a keyboard serenading us in the background. The songs tended to be well-known international hits but then he went rogue and, mainly for the locals I think, launched into Quando, Quando, Quando followed by Volare and That’s Amore. Everyone sang along, at full volume, then unbelievably he ended his quartet of songs with a version of Tom Jones‘, Delilah. Always a crowd pleaser at a big event in the UK but apparently in Italy too. Here is the Italian trio Il Volo singing it in a massive arena in Verona.

So, “What’s It All About?” – It was always supposed to be an adventure as opposed to a relaxing holiday and I think we achieved that. Rome has some of the most impressive “sights” in the world and once you travel to the Bay of Naples and Amalfi Coast, the villages and towns are just gorgeous. It was hot, and again busy, but we expected that. Other than the dinners, our hotel in Sorrento was lovely. I think we had the best room in the place and the staff were very friendly. If I was travelling to Italy again I would choose a later month when it hopefully wouldn’t be as hot, and perhaps stay in the same place for at least a week to fully explore. For the foreseeable future, however, I think we’ll be staying at home!

Until next time…

Delilah Lyrics
(Song by Barry Mason/Les Reed)

I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window
I saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind
She was my woman
As she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind

My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah?
I could see, that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free

At break of day when that man drove away I was waiting
I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door
She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more

My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah?
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t take any more

She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more

My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah?
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t take any more

Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t take any more

Postscript

It was hot and humid during the day which meant we were treated to some spectacular storms during the night. By morning the streets were dry again.