Gulf of Naples

After being in bustling Rome and Naples, spending five nights in Sorrento was like a vacation within a vacation. Even with the day trips we were taking, the pace of life slowed down significantly, especially in the evenings once we returned back to Sorrento. And evenings in Sorrento meant dinner and wine in Sorrento. On a couple of those evenings, we decided on a picnic like meal in the inner courtyard garden of our apartment, just off Piazza Sant’Antonino. Not a bad place for a meal!

On Canadian Thanksgiving evening, we stopped by the grocery store and picked up a nice spread of smoked cheeses, some cured meats, gluten free cookies, bread (for me), paprika chips (a European tradition for us) and a bottle of prosecco. We’ve now had a few of these al fresco Thanksgiving dinners in Europe over the years. There’s something special about eating under the stars…

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Shortly after wrapping up our visit at the ruins of Pompeii, we hopped in a military-style vehicle for an incredibly bumpy ride up the side of Mount Vesuvius. Bumpy really doesn’t describe the trip… concussion-inducing might be a better descriptor. I’d complain a bit more, but sitting in front of us was a woman from the UK and her dog as well as a two year old. We expected the dog to get carsick, but he was a real trooper and the two year old slept through the entire ride, so no complaining from me. On the left below was our transportation. On the right, the incredible dog who beat everyone to the top of the mountain once we got out of the vehicle:

Once freed from our spartan chariot, we started our climb the rest of the way up Mount Vesuvius toward its peak. It is a fairly leisurely walk to the summit, throughout which you’re afforded million dollar views out over the Bay of Naples and the towns that line the water. As we neared the top we stopped for a few minutes to look out over the water toward Sorrento and Capri: