June 3, 2019

We had a fabulous day in Messina, Sicily yesterday and the sunset was great.  Because we had a pasta lunch and lingered over it, we weren’t hungry for dinner so I got a salad and brought it back to the balcony to watch the sunset.  The volcano in the shot is called the Stromboli and it is one of the three active volcanoes in Italy.  It last erupted in January.

Our next port is Sorrento which we hadn’t been to in more than 15 years – it was not on our previous world cruise itineraries.  We visited twice in the past.

The sail in was beautiful and the day was gorgeous. Sorrento is situated on a terrace overlooking the Amalfi coastline and the Bay of Naples. They don’t have a dock so we had to take the tender in to shore. The name Sorrento derives from a Greek word meaning “flowing” due to the form of the town which appears to flow over the limestone bluff on which the town stands, defining the edge of the cliffs. You can see remains of ancient structures in the stone face and also determine how high the cliffs are by the small boats at the bottom. Legend says that mermaids lured unsuspecting sailors to crash their boats on the rocks by singing their songs.

We planned a lunch with our Around the World host and hostess, Steve and Tricia.  We have been trying to get a date together for the past couple of months and were pleased that Sorrento worked out.

We headed up the steep steps in the morning to explore the city before our lunch. Quite the climb.  There is a lift but we didn’t realize it until we walked to the viewing terrace area from the top.  We probably wouldn’t have used it anyway – we like the exercise.

We visited the most prominent churches.  First we went to the Basilica of Saint Antonino which was built in the 10th century. The entry has a 17th century Christmas crib with statues that are decorated with clothes made of precious fabrics and lace.  Saint Antonino’s tomb is located in a crypt below the church.

We visited all of the churches around the town and here are some other pictures.  The marble and gold are amazing in every one. In one of the churches, there were flowers everywhere, probably from a previous wedding.  Workers were removing them.  I was tempted to take some back to the ship as they were so beautiful!

We walked all around the town.  Here are some of the views and sights.  This area is known for its lemons and some of them are just huge.

Some views from the top looking down.

We thought this next guy was very clever, no head showing!  So we gave him a tip for a picture.

How do you like the name of the shop – shopping victim!

Lunch with Tricia and Steve extended well into the afternoon. We had Chianti, bruschetta and delicious pizza at an outdoor cafe called Blu Water. Then we moved on to another outdoor cafe for limoncello, which is renowned here.  Tricia and I had it with chipped ice and prosecco.  Delicious…

We were so focused on our overdue conversations, I didn’t get anyone to take pictures of us.  It was a terrific afternoon.

At night, because tomorrow is the day the segment ends and another one begins, it was Monday night at the movies and I saw Life is Beautiful.  I had seen it before but really enjoyed it being here in Italy.  Sad subject but just wonderful acting and the joy someone can bring to the worst situations.