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Itinerary at a Quick Glance:
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Tuesday, 06/14
http://www.capri.net/salsa/lang/en/page/index.html
A fun day for people who
don't get seasick...
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From Stabia, we boarded a ferry to Sorrento
and then to the island of
Capri.
Capri is well-known for lemoncello. We then took a smaller boat to
cruise around the island but didn't get a chance to see the Grotta Azzurra
(Blue Grotto),
guess I'll have to wait when I go island hopping in Greece next year.
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From what I remembered (only half paying
attention to the guide +
Frommer's), we landed in Marina Grande, the port community. We
then took the funicular to the town of Capri, where most restaurants and
hotels are. Po and I sat down with Martha and Marianne in Piazza
Umberto I. A short stroll later, we were in the
Garden of
Augusta. Nearby was the Certosa of San Giacomo (Carthusian
Monastery) founded in 1371.
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I don't think we went any further from Capri,
for the town of Anacapri was further up in the clouds. According to
Frommer's, one can get a panoramic view of the Bay of Napes at Monte
Solaro, the loftiest citadel on the island.
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After Capri, we took a fast boat to
Sorrento.
Riding the waves was so much fun! We got on a special bus that took
us from the port through the narrow road to the the hilltop town.
There, we visited an inlaid wood factory. I saw a very lovely dining
room table with 8 chairs that costs 10,000 Euro (including door-to-door
delivery though).
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Wednesday, 06/15
Time stands still here...
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This morning, we arrived at the ruins of
Pompeii. Our guide was quite knowledgeable, but I was disappointed
that we were only in Pompeii from 8:30AM to approx. 10AM. I felt
like we've barely scratched the surface and there was a lot more to see
still.
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After Pompeii, we visited a cameo factory.
Granted, it was good to know how the ear rings and pendants were carved
out of shells, but I'd rather spend more time in Pompeii instead of
hearing sales pitch.
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We then drove south to reach Assiss in the
region of Umbria. Assiss is the hometown of St. Francis, the founder
of the Franciscan order. St. Francis, along with St. Catherine of
Siena, are the patron saints of Italy. He was also remembered as a
lover of nature. The Basilica di San Francesco, consists of an upper
and a lower church with very important frescos. One of the most
famous is Giotto's fresco of St. Francis preaching to the birds in the
lower church. The hotel we stayed at was near the bottom entrance of
Assiss and the room we stayed in gave us a great view of nearby
countryside. We had dinner at the hotel with a bottle of local
Sangiovese... Very good.
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Thursday, 06/16
Almost in Venice...
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We left Assiss to go to Venice via San
Marino.
San
Marino is the 3rd smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and
Monaco) and claims to be the world's oldest republic. Its population
is estimated to be less than 29,000. Not sure exactly what San
Marino is known for, perhaps silver and amber?
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After dinner, we took a water taxi to Venice
and cruised along the Grand Canal. We landed near Piazza San Marco
(St. Mark's Square). Even at 9:30 PM, the piazza was still filled
with tourists. It was quite an enjoyment standing in the plaza
listening to the orchestra playing familiar classical tunes.
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