Capri

Here's beautiful Capri, just a short ferry ride away from Sorrento.  Dave read from the guidebook that you pronounce it CA-pree, not ca-PREE.  The guidebook said, 'just remember cat-pee'.  Well, the island is really a lot more glamorous than that!  We were brave (or fool hardy) and walked up to the town from the port instead of taking the funicular.

We took a path uphill, and found some wonderful scenery and places we'd love to live in.

We fancied living here, if we lived in Capri.

 Or here.  We're easy going.

We wandered past the Carthusia perfumery.  I admired the scientific glassware and lusted after the apothecary jars.

More stunning views.

Pretty gardens.

And a steep path to the beach.

 The natural geological arch, an excellent place for a secluded picnic.

The locals have some amazing gardens.  They're very successful at growing a lot of plants I like.  I was very envious of the lushness of the lavender, hydrangea, basil and rosemary.  But then again, I also love roses and sweetpeas, that prefer the English climate.

Dave walked to Villa Jovis, while I sat in the shade away from the mid day sun.  It's the retirement home of Emperor Tiberious, and he is supposed to have done a lot of raucous things here, including tossing people off a convenient cliff when they displeased him.

Dave snapped this pic for the newsagent meow, but now I look at it I rather wish I'd bought the cute pink bag the kitty is looking at.

The town of Anacapri, just over the steep terrain by bus, pretty and low-key.

 Following the path past the famous garden of San Michele, we found our stunning path downwards towards the port.

 You would think this path would give you vertigo, luckily the walls are very thick and reassuring.

Goodbye, Capri.

Back to Sorrento, in time for dinner.

The Mouth of the Volcano

Here is the crater of Vesuvius in all its splendour... looks benign, but scientists say it's just dormant.

We took the Vesuvius Express from Ercolano station, unfortunately it's not very tourist friendly and we waited a whole hour before they deemed there were enough of us to load us onto several taxi vans.

You manage the last few hundred metres up by foot, there are some sticks for loan if you need a bit of help.

The views are amazing, and the temperature is cool up here.

We tried to spot Pompeii and Herculaneum, but failed.

Some atmospheric smoking plumes.

And a mini dust devil that formed on the track, forming then blowing out a few times over.

Looking out over the bay of Naples.

Many steps to Ravello

Today's soaring temperatures in Britain remind me of the day we had walking to the Amalfi coastal town of Ravello.  It was 'scorchio' and there were many, many steps involved!  I told Dave off a few times for making the mistake of reading the walking guide book and describing the walk as 'easy'.  The reverse (walking down the steps) is easy, but the reverse, walking up to Ravello, was graded 'strenuous'!  I did forgive him in the end, as the views and the town were stunning.

Lots of lemon groves, offering a tantalising peek. Limoncello lemons are huge compared to the ones we buy from the supermarket.

Some people have the most inviting looking homes, just look at that swimming pool...

The steep terrain is terraced.

We met a lovely Aussie family doing the hike in reverse, we took their photo and they returned the favour. See, we did go on holiday together!

We heard the sound of bells tinkling, there were goats trekking along the path below us.  

You can tell that these are public paths wending their way up and over the mountains by looking out for street lights and manhole covers. They don't cross roads very often, so they make a lovely walk.

A monastery, where you could buy their home grown honey, or home made beer.

Rows of courgettes.

Gosh, monks are good at vege gardening!

Here is Ravello, straddling the summit.

 Time to find an alimentare for lunch!  Food on the go, some frankfurters and emmenthal cheese.  We were really craving some protein after having Margherita pizza for most of our meals. 

The view of Ravello from Minuta.

Quiet streets.  A heavy lemon scent was in the air, I was sure there was limoncello brewing somewhere!

Beginning the climb down, back towards Amalfi.

Couldn't resist running my hands under the water fountain to cool off.  There were little goldfish in this one.

Church ruins.

Yes, loads of steps!

But gorgeous scenery.