Sorrento – The Life and Times of Eric Mistry

We woke up to another sunny day, complete with a gorgeous view of Capri.

After admiring the view over a breakfast of eggs and croissants on our deck again, we decided to go exploring to try and find a beach. Our host, Marco, gave us some instructions, but we ended up following a different path that led to the beautiful Punta Della Companella, a cliffside lighthouse and abandoned military lookout post. The path was amazingly picturesque, with the waves crashing into the cliffs far below us, and the lush flora changing from olive trees and bamboo to cacti as we got closer to the sea. The view when we finally made it to the Punta Della Campanella was absolutely breathtaking.

The wind was rushing around us, the waves were crashing down below, and the abandoned, but preserved, lookout was stuck in time. Beautiful can only begin to describe it. Even the pictures (worth a thousand words…?) can only capture so much. It was truly amazing.

We finally made it back home after a long walk back up the cliffs. I made us a dinner of pasta and bread, and we enjoyed another sunset. All in all, another good day. Pictures below, per usual.

Good Morning, Sorrento!

Enjoying the morning air

Building in Town

Olive

Along our Hike

Enjoying the hike

Cliffside Groves

Our Path

Cliff Drainspout

Old Cliff Building

Capri and The Sea

Punta Della Companella

At the Base of Punta Della Companella

Looking out from Punta Della Companella

Inside the Companella

The Seaward View

The Eric in the Window

Looking up the Cliffs

Another View of Punta Della Companella

Capri and More Sea

Up the Stairs

Our Hike, Mapped Out!

Posted with Blogsy

Our adventure into our Sorrento Hotel last night was a bit… crazy.

After a long train ride from Naples to Sorrento, we had to make it from the Sorrento train station up to our hotel. Unfortunately for us, the bus was not running after 6 PM. And it was POURING. Fortunately though, a can driver took us up and even gave us a bit of a discount off of the labeled fare because we were students and he understood “what a student budget is like!” We were then met by our amazing host, Marco, who explained the area and even directed us to the only open local grocery and restaurant.

We made it into our apartment, set our stuff down, and walked ten minutes on a pitch black road to the small town of Termini. We picked up a few essentials from the small grocer and made our way to the restaurant.

The restaurant was a small, family-run place. How small? They didn't have a menu. Instead, the owner came to our table, gave us a basket of bread, and asked us a few questions about what we felt like eating and how much we felt like spending. (In, of course, a mixture of Italian and English, with a small touch of pantomiming involved.) We ended up getting some amazing spaghetti with a simple tomato sauce. It was incredible. The pasta was so fresh and perfectly al dente. The sauce was simple, but immeasurably perfect. It was homemade Italian food, and definitely one of our best meals here. The restaurant was a local hangout, with some regulars sharing drinks on the patio and some young men in the back room watching a ~~soccer~~ football match.

After our meal, we trudged home in the pouring rain and fell asleep after some chatting.

We woke up this morning to an amazing view.

The island off in the distance is Capri. We are literally on the top of a cliff, overlooking the coast. It's beautiful.

After spending some time admiring the extraordinary view from our balcony, we made a light breakfast of eggs and croissants. We needed to get some groceries and hit an ATM, so Marco directed us to the nearest town with an ATM… five kilometers away. Also, there were no buses, as it was All Saints Day. Luckily, it was a beautiful day, so we began hiking down the trail.

It was amazing to see the cliffs and all of the extraordinary views. Olive trees lined the road and we could see the waves crashing down on the shore. It was an amazing way to spend the day, and we loved the Italian air and sea.

After our long walk, we enjoyed watching the sunset and the coast of Capri light up.

For dinner, we returned to the same small Italian restaurant. I had ravioli, homemade and delicious!

Pictures below!