Italy on $85 a Day - Sorrento

Path to Villa Angiolina

David and I are in the land of the Sirens, the mythological beings who sang so beguilingly that anyone who heard their song would jump overboard and die in the rough sea.

When Odysseus passed this way on his twenty-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, he stuffed his men's ears with wax so they would not hear the Sirens' songs; he had his men tie him to the mast of the boat so that he could listen without fear of leaping to his death.

David and I haven't felt any urge to jump into the sea, but this land has played a Siren song for us nevertheless. If we had come here first on this trip, we may never have gotten to Rome and Florence!

On Thursday, the fast train deposited us in Naples in three hours flat. The clackety local Circumvesuviana Train got us to this bit of paradise just an hour after that, but the taxi driver had to drop us off 100 meters from our hotel. The “road” was too narrow for him to navigate.

It was the first time all day we didn't mind trundling along with the suitcases. From the moment we walked down the narrow path, a loggia, really, of overhead grape vines, blooming yellow roses, and profusions of pastel colored orchids to Villa Angiolina Relais, we were enchanted.

Villa Angiolina breakfast room

We cannot get into our apartment for two nights, so we'll stay in this lovely B&B until then. We'll enjoy exploring the gardens here as well as this land of the Sirens, a place of soaring mountains, crayon-blue sea, and clusters of houses clinging to the cliffs.

Friday we're going to Capri and Anacapri, sister towns on the same island. I'm hoping to find the little market where I bought true Sicilian-style pizza seven years ago, but, if not, the scenery will be food enough.

Practicalities -
We used the Trenitalia website before we left the States to reserve our tickets.  This is, I think, the only way to get discounted tickets (called MINI) and the best routing.  The Ron in Rome! website has an excellent step-by-step guide to purchasing tickets.