Sorrento 2005

I used to have a set of web pages about our 2005 Sorrento holiday but it disappeared when Orange decided they were doing away with the web pages offered by their predecessor, Wanadoo, and there were some good memories and some spectacular photos from then. (Just to bring this up to date, Orange took over Wanadoo who took over Freeserve, but then Orange were taken over by EE... Clear?)

Anyway however all that history of mobile phones, 14k modems (ka-ding-bzz-bzz-bzz-fchhhskek-fchhh-spa-dung and other such electronic noises) and early web sites apart, we arrived complete with my mother at Naples Airport and caught our transfer bus. Which took us to our hotel in a place called San Agnello, just a bit outside Sorrento.

By the time we got there and had unpacked it was a bit late to have Mum walking all the way into, around and back out of Sorrento. We had a look at San Agnello, such that it was and I bought a hat to stop my distinguished but slightly over-exposed top of head from getting sunburned. Then after our evening meal we went to watch the sun go down over the bay. There's a little harbour close by, but Sorrento's harbour is the one further round with the cluster of bright lights and the wake of the boat that has sailed out of the harbour, leading back towards it.

This was a pleasing view of Vesuvius, seen at sunset from a bar in St Agnello, a short walk from our hotel on the outskirts of Sorrento. Wait a moment... oh no... we've come all this way and the Italians have let the fire go out... Another eruption of Pompeiian proportions is, so the scientists tell us, quite a bit overdue. Vesuvius is not sleeping. It has erupted several times since the Romans woke saying things like "Is that next door's lad playing football against our fence again?"

Vesuvius has had 28 principal eruptions since the famous one in 79 AD. The last was in March 1944 and that followed a period of several weeks in the January and February where a pool of lava formed in the crater and overflowed into streams running down the mountain. Since the March 1944 eruption Vesuvius has been biding its time, working itself up perhaps for another spectacular eruption. It's a case of when - not if.

Our first night gave us this sunset. This was from the same spot but looking west by north west towards the islands of Ischia and Procida and the stumpy peninsula west of Naples that marks the northern edge of the Bay of Naples. I had mistaken Ischia for Capri at the time, but Capri, which we shall see later on this holiday, is further south and out of sight behind the peninsula upon which Sorrento sits.

There were some fantastic views to be savoured and the heady combination of sunset, wine, atmosphere and chirruping crickets made an intoxicating start to the holiday. We were on a half-board arrangement so all our evening meals were to be had in the hotel, which after seeing cosy little restaurants like this, could have been a mistake!

At the hotel bar. With the new hat. Rather natty I think! The hat will crop up regularly in photos of this holiday, but it all ends in tragedy for this excellent headgear by the time we leave Italy. Don't rush, there's more to see first!

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