Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Sorrento

  • Amalfi Coast Trip – Day Four (La Bottega della Birra)

    I was a little disappointed when this pub was shut when it was meant to be open, but that allowed us to have an excellent meal at Trattoria dei Mori opposite. And when we had finished that meal the pub was open. There’s a large beer selection, although it was very heavy on Belgian beers and the dark beer I did want they had run out of.

    The barman recommended this dark lager instead of the beer I tried to order, and it was acceptable although unexceptional.

    The interior of the pub was comfortable and rather satisfactorily old fashioned. It was the nearest to a pub environment that I got during the week.

    The free crisps supplied by the bar, something I wish that UK bars did more. The service in the bar was friendly and helpful, with the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable. Craft beer isn’t as common in Italy as it is in the UK, US and eastern European countries. Actually, it’s nearly non existent in swathes of the country. For those wanting Belgian and lighter beers, the selection here is enormous and exciting, although for those of us who like dark beers the shelves of beer bottles aren’t quite as glittering… But, I’d recommend a visit here for anyone who likes beer as perhaps in a decade there will be tens of these places  🙂

  • Amalfi Coast Trip – Day Four (Trattoria dei Mori)

    The pub that I wanted to go was shut (we did get there later on in the evening), but fortunately there was a restaurant opposite which was well reviewed. It was raining very heavily…. We went in and tried to get a table for four people and initially the staff member seemed unsure, although after checking he said we could have one if we left within two hours.

    The decor was a little quirky, but I thought it was clean and comfortable. The service in the restaurant was always friendly, engaging and attentive, other than when Bev wanted to set her biscuits on fire. Although we were aware that we needed to leave within two hours, the staff never hurried us and ultimately we had to ask the bill so that we could leave.

    Dough balls with cheese for the table, supplied compliments of the restaurant.

    The seafood platter with mussels, clams, prawns, shellfish, pasta and in a broth. It was exceptional with the seafood tasting fresh and with the broth being full of flavour. I used up all the table’s bread trying to mop the broth up and I was delighted when a staff member saw this and came and supplied us with more bread. And I used all that up if I’m being honest. Marvellous.

    The panna cotta with pineapple sauce, with the main part of the dish having the appropriate light texture and wobbly consistency. The pineapple sauce was rich, but not overpowering, and it was neatly presented. I didn’t really need a dessert, but I was so impressed with the restaurant I knew that they wouldn’t let me down.

    Limoncello, again supplied with the compliments of the restaurant.

    Overall, this was the best restaurant of the week as far as I was concerned, professional service, a clean environment, reasonable prices and a high quality of food and drink. We were fortunate to get a table and in retrospect it would have been sensible to get an advance reservation.

  • Amalfi Coast Trip – Day Four (Bagni Regina Giovanna)

    This site dates back to at least the Roman times and was altered to become a defensive harbour. It’s also long been used for swimming and bathing, and swimming was what Bev and Steve decided to do. I just had a little paddle, whilst Gordon had a little sit down.

    The view down into the secluded little bay, with the water being clear and inviting. Although not so inviting that I wanted to swim in it.

    A few people came down to take photos, but our groups were the only ones to either swim or paddle in the water. The steps were slightly more rickety than I’d have liked, but were fortunately stable.

    All very idyllic, although there were a few pieces of green glass which had to be avoided. It’s a shame that people think that taking a bottle down which then gets smashed is somehow a good idea….

  • Amalfi Coast Trip – Day Four (Sorrento Photos)

    We spent the evening in Sorrento on the fourth day of our trip, but the rain unfortunately made it difficult to take as many photos as I’d anticipated.

    It’s a pleasant little town which is popular with tourists because of the number of antique shops. There are also an abundance of restaurants and given the high reviews and competitive pricing there are some good value dining options available.

    There’s a lower beach village to the town and the scenery in the area is also quite stark, with high rock slopes, waterfalls and buildings constructed into the rockface.

  • Amalfi Coast Trip – Day Four Summary (Sant’Agata to Sorrento)

    And so the last day of walking was upon us already. The morning started well, with my card payment going through at the hotel (their machine hadn’t worked the day before). The breakfast for Steve, Bev and myself was substantial and I’m sure that the staff didn’t mind clearing up Bev’s coffee spillage. There was pleasant views over the countryside and Bev and Steve enjoyed their play in the lift.

    We waited for Gordon to arrive from his luxury hotel and I was disappointed that he didn’t arrive in a carriage pulled by horses. Instead he jumped out of a little car and you could see his eyes were glistening with excitement at the walk ahead. Bev and Steve had another little play in the lift of our hotel and we were ready and waiting for the adventure ahead.

    And then there was an incident. Another bloody dog decided to walk with us to our destination, just as with the previous day, the dog wasn’t that good with traffic and liked running out. I don’t know why we are attracting so many of the dogs in this locality, but such is life….. We think that the dogs are perhaps looking at Gordon’s bag and wanting to mate with it, but we’re not sure.

    I won’t give the finer details of another little incident that happened, but Gordon ended up getting a view of Bev that she hadn’t expected him to see. All very exciting for him.

    As some conversation, Gordon explained about his little medical issue whilst we walked towards our first destination, which was Bagni Regina Giovanna, the site of a Roman villa. I knew that there was a beach there and Bev wanted a little swim about, so we bravely marched off there. Bev couldn’t really keep up, but we had a chat and decided that if we walked quickly that would inspire her to walk faster.

    We got to the beach and there was a sign nearby saying that there was no swimming, although it’s clearly a popular swimming site and the sign just seemed to be warning that there was no lifeguard. Bev dived (well, waded clumsily) into the water, whilst Steve had a paddle and then a swim. Gordon sat on a rock and I padded in about four feet, which more than enough excitement for one day. Bev pretended to be a mermaid, Steve pretended not to know her and Gordon briefly considered having a little paddle.

    The swim reinvigorated Bev and she was ready for her afternoon wine, which was fortunate as there was a nearby restaurant and bar. Gordon ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and we enjoyed the breezes from the sea. Very lovely and we enjoyed looking at Bev’s sunglasses.

    We then walked back into Sorrento and Bev irritated everyone (by everyone, I mean me) with her constant demands for photos. We decided to try the tactic of rushing off to see if that inspired Bev to walk faster, but again, that didn’t work. She mentioned later something about her being ill so she couldn’t keep up, so we realised why she wasn’t inspired.

    There was a little incident where Steve and Gordon nearly ended up sharing a room, which would have made for an excellent series of blog posts. Unfortunately, that situation got resolved and they enjoyed their snacks and quick 20-minute lesson on how to use their keys to get into their accommodation. Bev also confused the B&B we were in and we nearly ended up in one room as well, until I mentioned that we did have two rooms booked. The hotel we were in didn’t have some key facilities that I might like, but it did have a shower where guests can change the colour of the lights, so I was entirely satisfied with this.

    Bev and I left the hotel to meet up in the town’s square and we started to head towards a beer place which looked lovely. Anyway, that was shut. Then it started raining, so we got wet, before meeting up with the others in a cafe on a market square. There the waiter actually irritated me more than any waiter I can remember in some time. Bev liked him as he was chatting her up, Steve, Gordon and I found his behaviour entirely off-putting. But it worked as Bev bought wine and snacks that we didn’t need. The waiter, I think, was left in no doubt of what I thought of him. Bev then had a dilemma of whether she gave 50 cents in tip, as that was all she had, or whether she should keep it. She kept it.

    Then we went to the beer place again. That was shut. But opposite was a decent restaurant that had excellent reviews. And I for one was very impressed, although a couple of us walked in looking like drowned rats. Bev then tried to get the staff to set fire to her biscuits, but they refused as they didn’t want their restaurant to burn down. I was very pleased with my seafood platter and then panna cotta, and the others enjoyed the food. Bev moaned about the lighting, but she enjoyed her meatballs. Gordon looked ill, but he felt better after ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, a rather large pork chop.

    Then we went to the beer place again. Which finally wasn’t shut. They had a large selection of beers and there were some interesting options on there, although very little dark beer. However there was one which met my requirements and Bev ate nearly all the crisps as she needed salt.

    It was still raining outside so I wanted to rush off back to the accommodation. Unfortunately Bev was faffing about, so we decided we’d see if rushing off made her walk faster. Pleasingly it had better results on this occasion, and before we knew it we were back in the accommodation all safe.

    So, it’s sad that the walking element of the trip is over and this is my final night in Italy, although the others have an overnight stay before flying back Friday morning. It’s all been very lovely.