Sorrento

 Good night and good morning from Sorrento.   Our view looks over the Bay of Naples and is dominated by beautiful Mount Vesuvius, circled by diamonds of light in the evening and cushioned with mist in the mornings.

Directly beneath us are the groves of lemon, orange and olive trees and in fact, our fridge here contained a big bowl of lemons.   Not too sure what to do with a dozen lemons in the three days that we are here but hey, I’m game!

Our travel day yesterday was a lengthy one, but the 4 hour drive down was flawless.  We stopped for a sandwich just outside of Rome, and managed to find our way to the Naples airport to drop off our little Fiat.  From there, shuttle to the airport itself, bus to town center, 2 hours on the train to Sorrento and then a luxurious pick up by our host.  A wonderful thing because as you can see, we are perched high on a hill and it would have been quite a long drag on the suitcases.  Dave continues to negotiate the travel portions with finesse, especially the driving, where I found myself so relaxed that I nearly fell asleep.   Not many can claim that while traveling on a high speed six lane highway, surrounded by massive trucks and fancy Italian cars often going at speeds over 160 km.

According to the weatherman, we are in for a change tomorrow and that might involve rain.  So today’s plans will be juggled accordingly and we may wind up on the Isle of Capri after we spelunk our way down to the harbour.   One thing is for sure, packing one long-sleeved shirt (and only one) was not very prudent and so I’ll be on the lookout for something a little warmer in the shops today.  For now, I believe a cup of lemon tea is in order!

Monterioggioni

Got a little ahead of myself with my confidence about punching in the right Google destination.   Pretty much flawless unless you forget to cancel the last place you were at, and then Google obligingly takes you south instead of north.  

I no longer care.

We had a lovely visit in Monterioggioni and walked the walls around this  13th century village.  It’s tiny, and our courtyard cafe panini was the size of a football, for 5 euros.  We surreptitiously hid the top of the bun (to throw out later) and munched our way through the filling, washing it down with water.   I kind of felt like I ate a pillow but it was all good, and it was dusted with their very special truffle cream.  Right now it’s mushroom season (fungoli) and there are roadside stands selling aromatic, early truffles everywhere.

Hiking down from the city through yet another olive grove.  

A window through history.  Imagine the iron gates employed to keep out the enemies!

Almost every doorstep has a beautiful wee garden; this one, a cactus in fruit.

View of the wee village from the wall.

It is not difficult to close your eyes while standing on the wall and imagine the battles that ensued some 800 or 900 years ago.  These fortress cities are stalwart and immensely strong, and they have endured for that very reason.

Tomorrow is the day we hit the road, pedal to the metal, all the way to Naples via Roma.  We have checked and rechecked our route and estimated our toll charges.   To leave Tuscany after this rich week is almost unimaginable; but the vistas and adventures ahead are compelling.   Avante!   

Arrezo

We’re getting better at typing in the right destination on Maps.   Even so, Google took us on a circuitous route to the lovely city of Arrezo, and nearly doubled the time.  Knowing we would probably be tired by day’s end, she thoughtfully rerouted the way home to the autostrada and sent us home in just over an hour.  We no longer question her motives and she no longer judges our bad spelling.  Win/win.

Arrezo was fun, although it took us some time to find the main piazza, where we sat in the sun and enjoyed a nice meal at a fancy restaurant.  Not usually our style, but after quite a long wander and popping in and out of a few churches, we felt we owed it to ourselves.  It was very quiet, none of the usual tourist hustle evident, which was relaxing.

Today is our last full day in Monteciano.  Tuscany has been everything that I have ever hoped and dreamed of, and I will miss it, as well as our beautiful villa and our kind hostess.  Early tomorrow we will pack up a nice picnic lunch and hit the road for the 5-6 hour drive to Naples.  After saying a fond farewell to the Fiat at the airport drop off,  we will then bus/train the short distance to Sorrento, where we will be for the next 4 days.  Time for the Amalfi coast and all the delights within!