Sorrento – a journey in search of sunshine and dreams
And so, after the months of treatment are over, we go to Sorrento. We go in search of sunshine, somewhere that dreams are made of. Typically, after we’d booked, I looked at the weather forecast in Italy for this time of the year. Now unsure of the weather, it being March and having been told that it’s not much warmer than Portsmouth, we packed for cooler days and nights but were delighted to sit in cafes on the squares and alleyways, drinking bitter coffee, crisp wines, or long glasses of golden beer. It was warm, it was wonderful. We sat for hours, watching in amazement at the mopeds carrying men with their dogs, or women laden with carrier bags full of shopping, or youngsters going to and fro college or their workplace and home, dashing across the square, somehow missing each other by inches – or should that be centimetres? – completely disregarding the fact that it was a roundabout. People, old and young, stroll about, seemingly oblivious to the traffic. Are they ‘dicing with death’, or is this normal?
But we came here to visit Pompeii, and wishing to avoid the over-priced organised tours, we made our own way by train at only 4.40 Euros each return. Luckily we had seats on the train, a journey which seemed to go on forever and which was packed full of people, many like us, tourists from all over Europe. Only five stops, it said on the timetable. After a while, at about the eighth station stop, several passengers, including us, were becoming unsettled. My partner whispered to me, ‘I think we’re on our way to Naples.’ I began to wonder about changing trains at the next station. The train was stifling. Perhaps we should have paid the 60 Euros for the organised tour after all. But no, the next station appeared, and yes, it was Pompeii.
Off the train and we were immediately accosted by the ‘lookie, lookie men’ selling bottles of water – it was going to be hot in Pompeii. Being pre-warned that conveniences and cafes were few and far between once inside this museum city, we enjoyed a coffee in one of the street cafes just outside the gates, sitting in the sunshine. I wondered if my feet would hold up with all the walking – my new trainers were already causing blisters, despite the plasters I’d carefully adhered to my heels, and I was still recovering from my cancer journey after all.
Travelling to a tourist destination the week before the season started paid off for us. The queue to get in was reasonably short so no standing about, and the guide we had chosen was about to set off. He led us through the gates, asking us to imagine that we’d just come ashore from a Roman galley- the sea since the eruption of Vesuvius was now removed to a few miles away.
Pompeii was once a thriving Roman port and I was instantly transported back in time to the days when Romans ruled the World, I could almost smell the sea, the spices, the cattle and the humans who had bustled about here so long ago. We were shown into the brothels which greeted the sailors and travellers all those centuries before, looked at the wall paintings set out as a kind of menu for the pleasures men and also women may have desired to pay for. Outside again, our feet trod on huge cobbles as we climbed the steep and narrow road up into Pompeii itself. Roads only wide enough to allow one chariot at a time, the deep ruts from their wheels still embedded in the stones. On each side of the roads were raised pavements and every now and again stepping stones crossed the road, designed to keep pedestrian’s feet dry whilst still allowing chariots to pass between the spaced stones.
We only had planned to spend half a day in Pompeii. The tour was a two hour one which included The Temple of Apollo, the Forum which was enclosed by colonnades and bounded by the Temple of Jupiter on the North side, the Basilica with the market and law-courts, and the Forum Baths. We strolled along the Via Di Nola with it’s shops and taverns and explored many of the wonderful villas, still with the beautifully painted frescoes and mosaics. We gawped at the plaster images of people and animals which were formed from moulds of ash, now solidified, captured for all time as they tried to escape. I tried to put myself in their place – they knew that the volcano was about to erupt – out of a population of 20,000 people, only 2000 were left in the city when the ash and pumice descended. Most were asphyxiated by the gases before the ash covered their bodies. Interestingly it was mainly the wealthy and their slaves who were killed – most of the poorer citizens had already left, leaving all their possessions behind. They had nothing to lose but their lives it seems.
Looking back on what we didn’t see – the amphitheatres, the Street of Tombs, The Villa of Mysteries, I wonder whether we should have stayed longer and walked further. The city is large and you need a lot of stamina to take it all in. At the time, we felt that we’d seen enough, having immersed ourselves in a distant era which will always be fascinating to me and knowing that it’s still there to revisit at any time in the future. That’s as long as Vesuvius doesn’t erupt again in my lifetime!
So, back to the alleyways of Sorrento. Our next adventure was to take the boat to Capri, the island in the Bay of Naples that all tourists just have to visit. Well, I hadn’t really thought about going there but we fancied a boat trip and this seemed to be the most obvious destination. Warned that it was the island of the wealthy, that we would be rubbing shoulders with film stars and famous musicians, we set off on the boat – not too early in the morning, just early enough to get there for a leisurely lunch.
The boat was full. Students on a school trip, American and Chinese tourists, all gathered together in their groups, excitedly chattering with one another. This did not bode well with my idea of a day on an idillic island. The short voyage was beautiful though, blue sea and sky, looking back on the rugged shores around the bay, the wind was keen but the sun shone.
My partner said that we would have to take the funicular railway from the port when we docked, up to Capri town which is nestled high above the harbour. Of course, once ashore we soon discovered that the railway was ‘out of order’ and was replaced by several minibuses. Or you could walk up, through the pedestrian walkway, plainly signposted. We took the bus. Like something from a far off country, the buses were crammed with as many people possible. I stood at the door and thought to myself that we would have to catch the next one. Before I could hesitate though, I was shoved from behind and found myself with my partner, rammed up the steps with three more people behind me. The next fifteen minutes I hung on to the only bit of the bus I could reach – the hand rail for entering or leaving. We swung around tight corners, several times coming to an abrupt stop as the driver braked suddenly whenever a vehicle was coming in the opposite direction. I prayed that the door wouldn’t fly open. The road was narrow, with no passing places, or so I thought, but somehow our driver managed to squeeze the bus through and eventually we were in Capri town.
It was worth the journey – a pleasant square with cafes, shops, a town hall and church, all set on the side of the hill. Small alleyways led off in all directions and after a coffee to recover from the ride, we wandered through one of these narrow paths. We passed shops selling groceries, bakeries, butchers, jewelry, leather goods and clothes as well as tourist shops of all kinds. Our wanderings took us away from the shops into residential areas – some were small buildings on terraces, looking tired in the early Spring, yet to be readied for the main season to start. Other areas led us to the larger villas, set in wonderful gardens planted with colourful flowers and shrubs. We passed through a more up-market shopping street, filled with big name shops, with items in the windows some priced at about my annual salary. We laughed at a pair of slippers for 800Eu and walked away from a pair of trousers priced at 3000Eu and soon found our way back to the main square.
‘Let’s walk back down to the harbour,’ said my partner. The sign at the top said 20 minutes to the bottom so I thought, that’s easy, and we set off. After 20 minutes we passed another sign saying 20 minutes to the bottom and I thought, I’ve been conned. My knees were telling me I was a fool. The views were amazing though so it was probably worth it. I did feel a bit sorry for a few people we passed when we were about two thirds of the way down as they asked us if they were near the top yet.
The best part of the day though, was the lunch we had at the bar on the quay. Watching tourists taking boat trips around the island whilst we sat and drank glasses of cold beer was just heavenly. This was what I had come here for – sunshine and dreams and nowhere to rush off to.
For more information on Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii, visit