Arrivederci to Italy: Back to Sorrento and Rome
This year’s Easter meant a visit in Sydney from one of my favorite traveling companions, my mom. Together, we headed to Melbourne for the long weekend, stirring up memories of one of our other big trips, 2013’s Easter week in Italy. I previously wrote about arriving in Rome, Naples and Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri, but, bittersweetly, the trip was coming to a close.
After our day on the island of Capri, we returned by ferry to Sorrento. There, we treated ourselves to a meal I still rave about today: dinner at Inn Bufalito, which specializes in one of the most heavenly foods on earth, buffalo mozzarella, set in a beautifully rustic courtyard. Take me back! We topped it off with gelato at a Sorrento favorite, Gelateria Primavera, which offers 70 flavors and impressively gaudy decorations.
Gelateria Primavera
Around five in the morning, we were suddenly woken by the sound of drums and a somber brass band, oddly familiar, although it took me a few groggy moments to process it: these were Holy Week processions, as had been imbued deep in my brain while living in the heart of Sevilla. We sprung from our beds and onto our balcony overlooking Sorrento’s main street, where hooded men marched by candlelight. It was an unexpected surprise that took me back to my time in Sevilla and gave my mom a chance to experience an important Catholic tradition.
Procession in Sorrento
Our final day in Sorrento was the only day we were truly graced with blue skies, and we used them to explore a beautiful lemon grove in town. Sorrento is known for its lemon products, so we then explored a few lemon shops, selling limoncello, cookies, soaps, and pretty much every lemon-flavored or scented item you can imagine. We took in some stunning coastal views before bidding a dopo! to Sorrento and taking a train back to Rome to end our trip.
My mom posing among Sorrento’s lemon trees
Limoncello galore
Sunny Sorrento at last
We stayed in a hotel attached to the airport for our last evening in Italy, relaxing there for the night. My mom boarded her flight back to California in the morning, and I took the hotel’s free airport shuttle into the city to see a few last sights.
Having missed the Pantheon on our first stint in Rome, I made a point to check out the 2000+ year old dome. I then strolled through Piazza Navona and took in some views of the city from atop the Vittorio Emanuele II monument before my marvelous Easter week in Italy came to a close.
Rome’s Pantheon
Vittorio Emanuele II monument
Not to worry, though, I would be back in Italy five months later for a family trip in Lake Como. But for now, southern Italy had shaped up to be the perfect destination for a bellisima holiday from Spain.
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Sorrento was one of my first tastes of Italy – such a beautiful place!
It is, and I also loved how quaint and easy to get around it was!
I was in Italy in October for my elopement/honeymoon. We seemed to have visited all the same places as you except we also spent a few days in venice. I am a huge fan of Limoncello and I think America needs to adopt the same method of pallet cleansing! What was your favorite part of the trip?
Nice place for that! Hm, hard to pick just one favorite part, but I think it was simply all the delicious meals we had there!
…The coastline in Sorrento seems like it was SPLENDID–now I am more than determined than EVER to see Italy this year!!…
It was! Fingers crossed you get the lovely weather we had on the last day for your entire trip!