From Napoli to Sorrento!

Tuesday October 8, 2024

Fun Facts - Naples

• Pizza was invented in Naples in 1889. The toppings were designed to reflect the colors of the Italian flag - red tomato sauce, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil.

• The actress Sophia Loren was born in Naples.

• According to legend, Castle dell'Ovo (the oldest castle in Naples) is said to have a magic egg buried in a secret location within the castle that has protective powers surrounding the castle. You'd think the smell of a really old egg would be easy to find.

The most amazing thing happened last night (Monday)! As we were sitting in the Star Theater after dinner, waiting for the crew appreciation event and Beatles Song show to begin, our tour directer made an announcement that we were passing Stromboli, one of the most active volcanos in the world, and it was erupting! They paused the show and gave us the opportunity to go outside and take a look. It was breathtaking! The pictures below do not do it justice, but it was flaring up and shooting out sparks and streams of lava. FYI - the lights at the bottom of the mountain are from the buildings along the coast.

Tuesday -

Since we have been to Naples before we decided to take a tour to Sorrento today. Sorrento was like a resort for wealthy Romans in the past.  Located on the beautiful Amalfi coast, with steep cliffs and incredible views of the blue ocean waters, Mt Vesuvius, and the islands of Capri made it a very popular place.

Mount Vesuvius

The Island of Capri

The steep cliffs are a challenge to building and farming in the past and currently.  Roads are very narrow because digging into the hillside is difficult. Houses are built above and below the roads, with stairs to reach them. Because of this, moving items into or out of the house can be difficult and often requires renting mules to do the work, even today. (Really!)

The drive today included three very long tunnels, and also some beautiful views of bays, harbors, and vegetation.

lemon trees, olive trees, and orange trees

We visited a farm in Sorrento that grows mostly lemons, then watched a mozzarella making demonstration. The farm was very small and in town, which was a surprise. It was interesting to see how they have adapted to farming in small spaces, needing to make each tree as productive as possible. After sampling some lemon biscuits, mozzarella, and wine we walked around Sorrento before heading back to the ship.

The Farm:

The Town of Sorrento:

Our guide explained the meaning of the red chili pepper designs that we had been seeing in the shops. They are actually red horns and are believed to bring good luck and prosperity.  However, they only bring good luck if you also give them to others.  (There is another explanation for these items that I will not share here, but feel free to look it up.)

This is our last night on the Viking Sea. We had a wonderful time, and an important part of the reason for that is the amazing staff. So, Goodbye to our new found friends; we hope to see you on a another cruise in the future.

We will be taking a train to Rome tomorrow, and spending a few days there exploring the city. Not sure if we will post a blog tomorrow or not. If not, we will catch up on Thursday.

Go Padres!!!