October 2 - Sorrento

Today we left Lecce in the south east and arrived in Sorrento on Bay of Naples, which is on the Italian west coast.  As we left the Adriatic coast, one of the first things I noticed was that colour of the houses started to change.  In Lecce and all along the southern Adriatic most of the buildings were white to reflect the strong sun. As we progressed north the houses took on an earthier colour, such as browns and yellows.  

The rural community in southern Italy is very poor.  This was driven home as we passed a farmer who was using a gas powered rototiller to turn his fields over, instead of a tractor.  Granted the field was small compared to our farms but it still was at least of a couple of acres and would be back breaking, time consuming work.  Most of the crops were olive orchards, grape vineyards, cabbages or rocks.

We went through the city of Bari.  From the highway you can see their soccer stadium.  It is huge. It holds 58,000 fans. The stadium itself resembles a 'flower'.  To create this particular design, the stadium consists of 26 'petals' and upper tiers of the higher ring which are separated by 8-metre empty spaces.  Barbara, our guide, was very critical of the money that has been spent on professional soccer facilities in Italy given their dire economic situation.

On the highways there are electronic signs that show the price of gas in various towns along the way. Along the highway the Italian equivalent of the truck stop is called an Autogrill.  We regularly stop every two hours on the bus trip between cities to use the facilities, grab a snack or a drink.

On occasion we`ve stopped for lunch at one of these stops.  I would have no problem in nominating these restaurants as the worst food every prepared.  I think it is no coincidence that the majority of these Autogrills are owned by the former Italian prime minister and one of the most corrupt politicians in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi.  It is funny how his company won the government contract.

It is interesting to hear Barbara speak on the social conditions in Italy.  Her discontent, which I suspect is shared by many Italians, points to major problems on the horizon for this country.   They have high unemployment, and a much lower standard of living than they had before joining the EU.  They seem to have little hope for their future.

As we drove through the Apennine Mountains on our way west, we passed the scenic village of Mirablella.  We love how the Italians have been able to utilize the slopes of these mountains for crops and urban areas.

We then drove through Naples on our way to Sorrento. From the highway you have a tremendous view of Mount Vesuvius, which was the volcano that destroyed Pompeii.  It was last active in 1944 during the Italian campaign in WWII.  Because of the urban sprawl of Naples, should it become active again it will be impossible to move everyone out of harm’s way, even though they do have plans in place.

All the highways and major roads are tolls roads.  It can cost about $65 to make a return trip from Rome to Florence.

The roads are in very good condition but of course they don`t have the frost conditions we have, so it makes it easier to maintain the roads.  When they do a major road project, it seems to be a favorite target for corruption and fraud.  The road between Naples and Sorrento has been under repair for about 50 years.

Mount Vesuvius

The drive into Sorrento was spectacular.  You drive along the high coastal highway with hills to the left of you and a shear drop of several hundred feet into the Bay of Naples on the right.  The water was an unbelievable colour of blue. There are beautiful villas along the way to add contrast to the view.  For lunch we sat on a patio that overlooked the bay.

Bay of Naples

Sorrento

Bay of Naples

For dinner we went to Casa Esposito, a lemon grove owned by a local family that also puts on special dinners with fresh local food.  It was held at their villa, which overlooked their olive and lemon groves. From their patio you could see the Bay of Naples. We had a four course meal. First we had vegetable antipasto. That was followed by a Ravioli. Our second main course was fresh fish which was followed by dessert.  Of course there was a never ending supply of wine. That was completed with a glass of Lemoncello made from lemons that came from their lemon grove.  What a wonderful way to finish the day.  

Lemon Grove @ Casa Esposito

The trip up to the estate was memorable to say the least.  We went up in a mini van that was much smaller than the conventional mini van.  The lane was narrow and defined by high stone walls on each side. There was maybe 25cm clearance on each side of the van.  The van driver must of  thought he was in the Grand Prix because he screamed up the lane throwing us out of our seats at each blind turn. After we changed our underware, we all agreed it was great fun.

Marg leaving dinner at Casa Esposito