Travels and Thoughts
Wednesday, Oct 16, we boarded the bus to travel towards one of the most breathtaking areas of Italy: Campania and the Bay of Naples. Before reaching Sorrento, we stopped in Vietri Sul Mare. It is a town in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated just west of Salerno, separated from the Port of Salerno by only a harbour wall. The town is known for its polychrome ceramics, a tradition since at least the 15th century, and is considered to be the gateway to the Amalfi Coast.
.png)
.png)
Right: the place where ceramics are produced. The entire outside is covered in ceramic tiles. The ceramics produced are called majolicas which identifies earthenware coated with coloured lead glazes applied directly to an unglazed body.
.png)
Lunch was fabulous as were all meals in Italy. All meals are prepared with fresh fruit and veggies purchased that day from the market! Italian beer is also tasty. This was a bottle of Fischer lager. The drink in the background is one of the favorites in Italy - an Aperol spritzer. The spritzer is really refreshing. To make one, should you want to try it, use 3oz Aperol, 3oz Prosecco, 3oz sparkling water, and garnish with lemon and/or orange slice.
Below: Mythical mermaid statue. Described in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the mermaid legend tells the tale of the handsome shepherd Aci and his love for Galatea, the mermaid. Overcome with jealousy, the Cyclops’ Polyphemus decided to take the two lovers by surprise and hurled a boulder at Aci, killing him. To keep her love alive, Galatea transformed his blood into the source of a river which, when it flowed into the sea, would ensure the constant union of the two lovers.
.png)
Top Left: From the park area in Vietri Sul Mare, one can see the gulf of Salerno with Vesuvius in the distance.
Top Right: Ceramics are everywhere. Note the stone wall capped with colorful tiles.
Bottom Left: Another photo of this beautiful city which, like most cities on our trip, is located atop a mountain.
.png)
.png)
The narrow streets of Vietri Sul Mare are quaint and loaded with merchandise one can purchase. There is also an abundance of outdoor cafes to choose from.
We spent time walking about town and enjoying an afternoon lunch.
.png)
.png)
_JPG.jpg)
From Vietri Sul Mare, we took the bus on a short ride to Sorrento and our hotel. The hotel was made from a converted cement factory! There were three buildings to it. Although the outside looked plain, it was a fantastic hotel.
The lounge and outside patio with swimming pool were really attractive. We all enjoyed watching the sun set across the bay while we enjoyed evening cocktails/beer and conversation. By this time, we all knew one another by name - a great group to be with.
_JPG.jpg)
_JPG.jpg)
_JPG.jpg)
We stayed two nights in this lovely hotel built next to a mountain. To get to the hotel, the bus drove as close to the mountain as possible, and we walked the short distance out of the mountain to our hotel. From the hotel, we took one day to drive along the Amalfi coast (what an adventure) and, the second day, we left for Pompeii and Rome, our final destination.