Sorrento

The wind picked up during the night, and this morning we were a little concerned about our planned outing for the day.  “We cross the Bay of Naples today by ferry to the glamorous Isle of Capri to visit some of its landmark sights,” our tour itinerary had promised.  “Wander past the chic boutiques and pavement cafés in Capri town in the company of a local specialist before taking your time to soak up the sophistication of this lovely island.”  As it turned out, we could have gone across the Bay, but could not have some back again, so Lino was forced to cancel the trip.

Instead, to his credit, he arranged for a walking tour of Sorrento at the last minute, using the same local specialist he had used in Pompeii.  Sorrento is a beautiful coastal town and our specialist had grown up there and knew it well.  The tour took us down quiet streets and plazas, perhaps preferable to the "chic boutiques" we had been promised on Capri, and included a visit to a shop specializing in exquisite inlaid wood, and finally down to the coast. 

Sorrento had a tropical feel to it, with gardens containing cactus and other tropical plants, and streets lined with oranges and lemons.

That afternoon, we visited a traditional working farm in the countryside of Sorrento not far from out hotel, where a multi-generational family welcomed us.  On the steep mountainside property they were able to grow olives, lemons, mandarin oranges, and other fruit.  We began the tour with an explanation of fresh olive oil pressing using an original mill, and then we sampled some antipasti that all came from the farm:  salami, marinated vegetables, fresh olives, honey, and ricotta cake, all served with good wine.

We learned from Maria how to make fresh Buffalo mozzarella braids and ricotta cheese.  Maria knew only one word of English, which she demonstrated to us with a big grin:  “Cheese!”

Two men on our tour had good-naturedly answered the call for volunteers, and following Maria's demonstrations, made Margherita pizza using the mozzarella cheese, which we all enjoyed after the antipasti.

The dinner was concluded with limoncello made on the farm, the perfect way to end the evening.