Naples and Sorrento

 January 13th, 2010

Today we were detoured to Naples because our planned trek up Mt. Vesuvius had been cancelled due to weather conditions. Naples is a wonderfully gorgeous city, nestled in between bluish-purple mountains, Mt. Vesuvius, and the teal-green waters of the calm Mediterranean Sea. There, we admired the beauty, and had a taste of what is the homeland of the invention of pizza at a restaurant called RossoPomodoro. My friends and I all sampled each other’s thinly-crusted pizzas, savoring each of the different flavor combinations. There was one with cheese, basil, and a mushroom pesto. A calzone with ricotta, other cheeses and salami. And then there were a few different variations of the traditional Margarita pizza, which was invented to honor the Queen Margarita, using the three colors of the Italian flag.

Once we had our lunch break, and did a little shopping in the town, the tour group boarded the bus to go to Sorrento, another city, directly opposite from Naples. The bus wound its way through the mountainous terrain, hugging itself closely to the mountains, because the drops from the cliff were very steep. We could see little villages and cities nestled along the sea, as well as the Mediterranean and Naples from across the way. I watched the sun set over the Mediterranean, as the rays sparkled off the water and bounced around the mountains and buildings.

After settling into our hotel rooms, we met the group for an included dinner at a local restaurant. We had a plate of bruchetta and meat (mine with veggies), pasta with ham, (I had minestrone soup), veal and potatoes (I had fried cheese and potatoes), and a dessert of sugared oranges topped with a slight dollop of whipped cream. The dinner was delicious, and I even tried a sip of the local lemonciello from a friend. 

I am very pleased with the Italian food, especially the way that the dinners are broken up into a variety of courses, like the French. It is also wonderful how accommodating Stephania has been in remembering the people who have dietary restrictions. 

Making our way from the restaurant after dinner, my friends Alyssa, Kait, Taylor, Eddie, and Anthony walked around the town, but most of the stores were closed because of the late hour. We did come across a nice souvenir shop, where I bought a bottle of wine for my family and some pasta for myself.