By the time we reached the end of our trip, from March 26th-March 29th, we were pretty exhausted! After all, we were in Italy for 17 days! 17 whirlwind days of taking in a new culture, big cities, winding coastal roads and the gorgeous Italian language.
We stayed in our last VRBO, which was located in Castellamare di Stabia. Francesco, the owner, was a great host! He did not speak any English and I knew the most Italian in our group, so between the two of us and Google Translate, we were able to communicate. By this point in our trip, words like “Grazie!”, “Scusi!”, “Mi di spiace!” and more had become very familiar to me.
Upon arriving by car, Francesco had everything prepared for us, and had even gotten us some delicious powdered pastries–filled with local jams—fresh oranges and some homemade, sparkling red wine! One thing we came to find out is that Italy is very similar to America in some ways. North and South are very different, but Southerners are renowned the world over for their hospitality! Though fewer people speak English the further south you go in Italy, it was amazing to me how people wanted to please! We talked to a man in a tabbachi shop who helped us track down ferry rates to Capri for over 30 minutes. The people were very warm and inviting!
Since we had a car for this part of the trip, we were able to visit neighboring Pompeii, cruise down the Amalfi Coast—or if you’re my mom, grip the doorframe as if your life depended on it—and go to Sorrento and Positano. The Amalfi Coast has some of the most stunning views of ocean and coastline and when walking down the street, you can smell citrus. There are lemon and orange groves everywhere! Just don’t do what my grandfather Poppy did.😂 He thought he’d take an orange off the tree and it wasn’t ripe yet and he said it tasted awful!
Sorrento was another one of my favorite cities. You could get lemon flavored anything there. 🍋Limoncello, a drink they are famous for, which consists of vodka, lemon juice and sugar. Limoncello filled pastries, cookies, chocolates–the list goes on and on! Even beauty products like scrubs and lotions!
I also really enjoyed visiting Pompeii. I had always read about it as a kid and wanted to see it in person. It is over 150 acres of ruins and they are STILL uncovering things daily. It is definitely worth the trip! You really get a feel for how ancient Roman culture was, as Pompeii was a sort of “resort town” back in the day, before Vesuvius had something to say about it. Vesuvius is also still a very active volcano that has been suspiciously quiet in recent years; scientists believe it is due for another eruption, which could endanger the millions of people living in its shadow, including the huge metropolis of Naples.
It is somewhat eerie seeing its shadow and realizing, as you walk through Pompeii’s quiet streets, that history could very well repeat itself, and much like in 79 AD, you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
All that danger and suspense aside though, I LOVED visiting Pompeii. It was March, so we had a lot of it to ourselves! It wasn’t crowded at all and you can easily get lost in the many quadrants they have it separated into.
I don’t have pictures of the pizza lunch we had outside Pompeii’s Ruins, but it was good! 👌🏻 Naples is known for its pizza, and if you want to get it anywhere in Italy, you should do it in this area!
Pictured Above: Some bread and actual food that was perfectly preserved in Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The bread is just a littttllllleee bit crispy.
When it comes to tours and museums, Pompeii was one of my favorites in Italy! 🇮🇹
This was also another favorite meal we had while in Sorrento: prawns ala broccoli cream sauce with cheese encrusted in prosciutto. Delicious!
I may make some further posts on some of the strangest/most unexpected things we experienced in each city, things to expect when going to Italy and maybe even a full post on the VRBO accommodations we stayed in! Let me know what you’d like to hear more about! 💕✨
The Redhead Chronicles 