Ciao from Sorrento
February 2nd 2008 16:21
This is our second day in Sorrento, and we spent the day wondering through the ruins of Pompeii, avoiding the sprinklings of rain that kept coming our way, trying to catch glimpses of the peak of Vesuvius through the clouds that stubbornly lingered in the area, and listening to our audio guide when we could identify where we were.
We spent the morning getting to know more of the main street here in Sorrento, which is actually very small. It opens up to a square called Piazza Tassio which has a statue of a figure raising its arm in the middle.
In Roma I was struck by the way slick, shiny surfaces were built into the edifices of buildings erected many centuries ago to make for shops at the cutting edge of fashion, technology and everything else you can think of. It was, yes, postmodern, and I delighted at the displacement of styles which was nevertheless ubiquitous. Itās a similar story in Sorrento, though on a smaller scale. The font of the shop windows are more cursive and have more flourishes and curlicues.
People seem more traditional and conservative here, but that is predictable - we're out from the capital and onto more sprasely populated holiday resort areas. Thankfully it isnāt overrun with tourists, as I expect it would be in summer.
The drive to Sorrento was very colourful once we got off the freeway... narrow, winding streets leading us around light-coloured buildings with huge chunks of paint peeling off, peopleās washing hung out to dry from their windows (arenāt they afraid it will fall to the street below upon windy provocations?), and lots of dark-haired people trying to get from one place to another. Then there was the view to the sea, which was quite memorable as we discreetly careened down the twisting lanes.
We dined at a local restraunt yesterday and I asked our waiter what he thought the difference between Sorrentoans and Napolitans was. I was expecting to hear about big city mentality and how much more relaxed and friendly the people of the Amalfi Coast were, but according to him there was no difference as they were too close together to make for much regional divergence. I still expect to discern some differences between the two, when we hit the city.
Weāre expecting a few rainy days, so we've got a bunch of museums picked out to visit for those occasions. I hope itās sunny enough to see Capri tomorrow, and our excursions to Positano and the rest of the Coast arenāt too interrupted by showers.
Iām wearing three layers of clothing on top and lycra pants underneath my trousers - the proximity to the sea makes for a very windy experience, and, of course, it's winter.
I had read that Pompeii was huge, but I only really appreciated its size once we got our hands on the map. My favourite sight was probably the Villa of Mysteries, which had three walls of frescoes relatively intact. It was owned by someone very rich, who chose to live outside the city for a more relaxed lifestyle, and was huge even by todayās standards. Apparently some agriculture was gleaned from its existance as well. My next favourite was an impressive temple complex, and the ampitheatre close-by. You could imagine 20,000 people residing in the town before the earthquake which forced most ppl to flee (about a decade before Vesuvius erupted) walking down the steps, trying to find good seats, and then milling about in the general area beyond the theatre during the breaks. The streets were made of large stones, with what looked like depressions from many wheels making the same path down them over time.
We donāt appear to be too enthusiastic about visiting Herculaneum at this point, though who knows - we have some time to spend and it may end up an appealing location. Mum wanted to spend more time in Roma, and we might go back a day early for her sake.
I tried two of the specialities of the area - gnocchi made with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and sfogliatella, a cinnamon-infused ricotta cheese sweet in a puff pastry shell. I enjoyed the gnocchi highly, but wasnāt totally impressed with the sfogliatella. Perhaps it was just the pastry shop we went to and I should give it another chance now. At any rate, weāve exceeded our budget for the day and have agreed that itās pizza all the way tonight - a most terrible fate, Iām sure youāll agree! *wink*
Iām back in what it possibly my favourite internet cafe of all time... I described it a little in my response to Michaelie on 'Back from Villa Borghese', but I donāt think I did the spotless slickness and attenuated lighting justice. The surfaces are very plain, most of them white or jade, with glints of silver on the table chairs and the bartop. The elegant lighting actually changed several times after I logged off, from green to blue, to indigo, to magenta. I was very impressed with the art direction and the constant maintainence of the appearance of the place.
I gotta go now,
A merry quizzicalness to all of you,
Epiphanie
We spent the morning getting to know more of the main street here in Sorrento, which is actually very small. It opens up to a square called Piazza Tassio which has a statue of a figure raising its arm in the middle.
In Roma I was struck by the way slick, shiny surfaces were built into the edifices of buildings erected many centuries ago to make for shops at the cutting edge of fashion, technology and everything else you can think of. It was, yes, postmodern, and I delighted at the displacement of styles which was nevertheless ubiquitous. Itās a similar story in Sorrento, though on a smaller scale. The font of the shop windows are more cursive and have more flourishes and curlicues.
The drive to Sorrento was very colourful once we got off the freeway... narrow, winding streets leading us around light-coloured buildings with huge chunks of paint peeling off, peopleās washing hung out to dry from their windows (arenāt they afraid it will fall to the street below upon windy provocations?), and lots of dark-haired people trying to get from one place to another. Then there was the view to the sea, which was quite memorable as we discreetly careened down the twisting lanes.
We dined at a local restraunt yesterday and I asked our waiter what he thought the difference between Sorrentoans and Napolitans was. I was expecting to hear about big city mentality and how much more relaxed and friendly the people of the Amalfi Coast were, but according to him there was no difference as they were too close together to make for much regional divergence. I still expect to discern some differences between the two, when we hit the city.
Iām wearing three layers of clothing on top and lycra pants underneath my trousers - the proximity to the sea makes for a very windy experience, and, of course, it's winter.
I had read that Pompeii was huge, but I only really appreciated its size once we got our hands on the map. My favourite sight was probably the Villa of Mysteries, which had three walls of frescoes relatively intact. It was owned by someone very rich, who chose to live outside the city for a more relaxed lifestyle, and was huge even by todayās standards. Apparently some agriculture was gleaned from its existance as well. My next favourite was an impressive temple complex, and the ampitheatre close-by. You could imagine 20,000 people residing in the town before the earthquake which forced most ppl to flee (about a decade before Vesuvius erupted) walking down the steps, trying to find good seats, and then milling about in the general area beyond the theatre during the breaks. The streets were made of large stones, with what looked like depressions from many wheels making the same path down them over time.
We donāt appear to be too enthusiastic about visiting Herculaneum at this point, though who knows - we have some time to spend and it may end up an appealing location. Mum wanted to spend more time in Roma, and we might go back a day early for her sake.
I tried two of the specialities of the area - gnocchi made with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and sfogliatella, a cinnamon-infused ricotta cheese sweet in a puff pastry shell. I enjoyed the gnocchi highly, but wasnāt totally impressed with the sfogliatella. Perhaps it was just the pastry shop we went to and I should give it another chance now. At any rate, weāve exceeded our budget for the day and have agreed that itās pizza all the way tonight - a most terrible fate, Iām sure youāll agree! *wink*
Iām back in what it possibly my favourite internet cafe of all time... I described it a little in my response to Michaelie on 'Back from Villa Borghese', but I donāt think I did the spotless slickness and attenuated lighting justice. The surfaces are very plain, most of them white or jade, with glints of silver on the table chairs and the bartop. The elegant lighting actually changed several times after I logged off, from green to blue, to indigo, to magenta. I was very impressed with the art direction and the constant maintainence of the appearance of the place.
I gotta go now,
A merry quizzicalness to all of you,
Epiphanie
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Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
Am desperate for gnocchi now, but somehow don't think the Italian place at the end of my street, run by a Chinese family, is going to live up to what you got your hands on today!
Michaelie
Comment by Optomistic Opportunism
Bohemian Hiphop
Japanese Jazz Funk
Optomystic Opportunism
My big sis just got back from Italy, all I can say is try not to get too far in debt!
She said the main attraction for her was the men. Apparently they all shave their chest and like to show off about it. But then it is winter there now.
Hope you're having the time of your life out there! Cya soon,
Opto
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Daily Inspirations
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
I had Gnocchi alla Sorrentina again yesterday, and it was cooked a little differently. I may have to try it yet again to compare the differences between the restraunts! But then again, pizza also beckons...
Thank you for the compliment, my lovely... I enjoy reading your work as well!
The Optomistic Dude --
Weāre not doing too bad on the budget front atm... The men (and women) can be gorgeous, though Iām yet to happen upon anyone who looks like Jessica Alba (is she Italian btw?). The female staff at the reception are quite good-looking. One of them, Christina, thought I could speak Italian because I remembered what āComme stai?ā means and responded accordingly. (It means How are you?)
I would love it if the men showed off their chests, but somehow I donāt think the 15 degree weather is going to be conducive to that while we are here.
I am very much enjoying my time, thanks for dropping by!