Italy - Sorrento 21

It should have been May 20, then Sep 20, then Apr 21, but it finally happened in Sept 21 after changes of flights and airport from Gatwick to Heathrow, all because of the pandemic! Fortunately, Italian law bound the hotel to honour the prepaid Jan 20 booking. A relaxation of Italian entry rules, removing quarantine from 30th Aug just 2 weeks before the latest rebooking, meant it became possible, even with a bit of a rush and some apprehension as to how whether we would feel safe. I had much reading to understand all the regulations for travel in both directions, which included the purchase of 6 Government approved Covid test kits and the completion of both European and UK Passenger Locator Forms within prescribed time windows before travel. It was then off to a hotel at Heathrow T5 to prepare for a 6:30am take off with forewarned prospects of delays due to the new processes.

While trying to get some sleep before a 3am start, the house alarm went off, I had to take a call and our rest was disrupted! It was a false alarm, hey ho! However, Cathryn, Andy, the Police and neighbours all turned out to check all was well. Cathryn said the Police were very good and checked over all the sensors before the system was reset.

So, we were very bleary-eyed even before the journey began. Our pre-verified Covid documents made airline check-in straight forward but the queue was slow, then it was waiting for Security to open at 4:30. The flight landed ahead of schedule, but lack of Immigration at Naples meant we had to queue for an hour before finally getting bags and clearing the airport. The normally 1 hour transit became over 2 as we crawled through heavy traffic until, 10 hours after leaving the Heathrow hotel, we were finally able to enjoy what we had come for:

Two calming Peroni on our balcony

They didn't last very long at all!

Our hotel room had fabulous views over Naples Bay to Vesuvius and lots of lounging areas to enjoy them. Occupancy seemed quite low for the season and there was a notably younger age profile in the hotel as well as in and around Sorrento. Perhaps the wrinklies are still a bit hesitant in these riskier times, or averse to the admin and testing requirements of travel. We were slightly surprised to hear quite a number of Americans. Mask wearing around common areas inside was compulsory and many wore them out and about, which was comforting. Temperature checks were required to go inside along with proof of double vaccination. Overall, we found ourselves feeling safer in Italy than in UK.

Perched on the cliff

Terrace, pool & restaurant area

Down to the deck and swimming lagoon

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Just the right time for a cocktail

A couple of excursions into Sorrento centre didn't reveal much of interest, and the walk down to the port area, via lots of steps and fairly steep road, was needed to investigate boat trips and get tickets.

The climb rewarded with a gelato!

We took a return day trip next day to Positano and Amalfi by boat and it was excellent. Properties pepper the cliffs, accessible by steep roads where possible from above, or by demanding paths & steps reaching upwards from sea level below. The houses and hotels perched above must have stunning outlooks. 

Positano

In Positano, I had my first pizza, along with a 9% homebrew bitter beer, which was placed in an ice bucket and served in a wine glass! Just the job with sun beaming down from a blue sky and a bit of walking ahead, or maybe not! T'was very nice, however.

Amalfi

Hotel Ambasciatori

viewed from the sea on the return to Sorrento

After that great trip, albeit a tad weary from the yomp back up the road and steps to the cliff top in Sorrento, we had just a short window to scrub up before a short walk to a local Museum to hear three outstanding tenors accompanied by three excellent musicians (piano, violin & cello). Much of it was rousing and familiar and of top quality. However, they must be struggling financially, halving the audience size to just 40 to allow social distancing. I hope they survive as they deserve to.

Our other outing was to Pompeii, buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. It's just a 40min train ride from Sorrento, so was convenient, and the site is just a short walk from the train station. It was a fairly warm day, but we spent over 3 hours wandering the ruins with an audio guide.

Carved directions in the road, to the brothel!

Jean posing as a sunflower!

War chariot wheel ruts
and stepping stones for pedestrians

Small theatre

Large Theatre

Calcified remains of someone buried in the ash

Amphitheatre

Used for chariot racing,
gladiator fights, with other gladiators
and with animals

Bone shaking road!

More gelato!

The hotel and its setting were perfect for lots of of relaxation. There were many places to sit, in the sun and in the shade, on the deck and swimming in the lagoon was warm.

Jean, just about visible from the balcony

Cocktails, as the sun set, were enjoyed on the sparsely populated terrace before dinner.

The food was very good and the service in the hotel was likewise. All in all, it was a very enjoyable break for our first venture out of UK in over 18 months.

There were long queues at Naples check-in, but a new BA recommended VeriFly App worked well, to pre-approve all our return Covid documentation, once we got to the desk. There were many Americans on the flight, getting rather concerned about their onward connections with the rather late departure. 

My suitcase was given an extended stay in Naples by BA without my permission. But, it took a wait to find out, report it and then wait for it to fly back solo before I could tackle the laundry!