Lemon Tree (Sorrento)

Breaking news: Flixbus have "carefully reviewed" my request again and decided a refund is warranted. A win for the good guys.

After a couple of big days, we decided today would be a day of consolidation, dear reader. It would be an opportunity to enjoy some better weather and have a closer look around Sorrento.

First stop was the gelateria/patisseria that Giovanni introduced for an espresso and pastry. The Italian way to start the day, something strong and something sweet. You need something strong to help you battle the tour groups. Apparently the season ends next week but there is no end in sight of the tour groups, although many of them are from cruise ships docked at Naples.

A beautiful day after the rain cleared.

The corso was wet underfoot after the morning rain, but the cloud was clearing to a beautiful blue sky day. After breakfast, we located the tourist information centre to obtain a paper map of the town and to inquire about the public transport situation, given the fuel blockade. We were advised to go to the SITA bus office near the station for the most up to date information on buses. 

Looking down, I imagine it would be packed in summer.

I loaded the Port into maps and off we went. Sorrento, despite being on the bay with stunning water views is not at sea level. It is a cliff top community so the 12 minutes to get to the port on foot we found a little incredulous. It was, however, accurate, at least on the way down.

It looks calm from a distance.

There is a lift that costs €1,20 per person regardless of which direction you travel, and luggage is extra. We used the ramp/stairs and arrived on foot. The port ticket offices were very busy and most had queues, but the big numbers were at piers 6 and 7. It was a mass of people. A ferry arrived and picked up a few people and left. The crowd numbers were undiminished.

We walked over to try to make senses of what was happening. There was no signage of course and from what we could see, two official people working with the hordes that were waiting. People with sizeable luggage, people without, any number of tour groups following flags on sticks. One man was walking the multiple lines asking to see tickets, with no hope of being to verify them. The crowd dutifully held up pieces of paper when asked if they had a ticket. They could have been waving a restaurant menu.

None the wiser, we returned to the office area to discover an arrivals/departure board. There were not a lot of ferries running. In fact all trips to Capri were suspended for the day. I guess that may have accounted for the numbers waiting. Hopefully things would improve later in the day.

A different perspective of the buildings we see from our balcony.

Once again we used maps to get us back to Sorrento on high. It did not suggest the lift and directed us towards the road that snaked up the cliff face. We missed it directing us to stairs half way up and continued to another set of stairs etched into the cliff face. They didn't look very safe and thankfully the authorities had agreed as they were closed.

Upwards ever upwards, we located another set of stairs that led through a tunnel and out near the main piazza. The timing would work for our trip to Naples on Monday, but the uncertainty of the ferries is an issue. They were suspended earlier in the week because of rough seas, but today's issue was fuel related we later found out. The blockade is over so hopefully the fuel supplies will be replenished quickly.

As we made our way back to the main piazza, we passed a church. No we didn't, in we went. It was the Basilica Sant'Antonio. Nothing out of the ordinary at first glance, side altars, false decorated ceiling, gold embossed altar, a grate that permitted viewing of the crypt. Well that's different. And the crypt was not the usually staid, understated place of worship. It was quite bright with the statue of Sant'Antonio taking pride of place.

The crypt.

The grate looking into the crypt.

The main altar.

Back in the corso we walked to the Cathedral dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo, or Saints Philip and James. It had the usual array of side altars, although some were, is 'decommissioned' the right word? The altar remained but there was no saint above it. The stations of the cross and several other features were made of inlaid wood. The exquisite craftsmanship was on display everywhere you looked. In terms of the competition between Basilica and Cathedral, it was a close run thing. The bell tower gives the win to the Cathedral.

The ceiling and the organ.

The main altar.

Inlaid wood depicting the crucifixion.

An unassuming façade for the cathedral.

Next stop was the garden of the Villa where the Sophia Loren exhibition was happening. The garden left us underwhelmed. There was the display of impatiensaround a pond  on the drive and the rear garden was lawn and lemon trees.

The search for the deli that was on Giovanni's list proved somewhat more challenging. We spent a great deal of time searching our memories and wandering back lanes to no avail. Eventually we happened upon it by chance. It will be easier to find next time.

After all that walking, it was birra time and we located a small bar on the corse and sat and watched the passing parade for a while. We were still discussing Monday's trip to Naples and whether we could brave the elements or the lack of fuel and attempt a trip to Amalfi and Ravello. The only place that could provide the answer was the SITA bus representative so that is where we headed.

The best view of Vesuvius so far.

She confirmed the ferry suspensions were fuel related and not to do with the weather. Buses were running to a revised schedule but they were guaranteeing Friday and Saturday only. Tomorrow's weather was not good enough for a trip south so we thought we would wait and see how things were after the weekend.

A quick detour to the supermarket on the way home restored our supplies. We spent the remainder of the afternoon planning our future excursions. The more time we spent looking at Naples, the more difficult the options became. In the end we decided that on Monday when we have a guided tasting tour, we would try the Circumvesuviana train to Napoli Garibaldi and then use the Metro to get to the old town.

We have pushed the Amalfi trip back to Tuesday when the weather should be much improved and tomorrow we are going to a pizza making class in Sorrento.

O'Parrucchiano towards the front door.

Beautiful by day.

Earlier in the day, we had sought out a restaurant that our host had recommended as a locals haunt for good food.  O'Parrucchiano La Favorita on the main corso, has been in existence since 1868 and, apart from its food, it is known for its decor. The tables are set out under a grove of lemon trees, all lit up with fairy lights at night. The restaurant is on several levels and can seat hundreds of patrons if all areas are open. We made a booking for the evening and returned at 7:30pm.

Fairy land by night.

A tranquil place for dinner.

The ambience was lovely, the menu was extensive, as was the wine list and we settled on sea food for both our starters and main courses. Jayne had a chef's plate of prawns, calamari, courgette flowers with ricotta and leaf wrapped mozzarella, followed by barbecue prawns and squid with roast potatoes. My 'tasting plate' was a meal in itself with octopus, calamari, prawns, anchovies and mahi-mahi. Followed by paccheri pasta with langoustine, squid and prawns. No, dear reader, no dessert. That is the most either of us has eaten since we left Matt's food tour.

As far as 'local's favourite' goes, I'm not so sure. We were surrounded by Americans and when we went to survey the gardens, British accents were common. The most Italian I heard spoken came for the wait staff and one other couple. The prices were also tourist oriented.

Lemon Tree by Peter, Paul and Mary is today's title song. Lemons are a big thing in Sorrento, not just in the restaurant where we dined.

Alla prossima.