Rome & Sorrento
We walked for miles, along to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Colesseum (where we did a tour) and then onto the Roman Forum. There really are some great sights to see.
The next day we went to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. There are some amazing things to see in there, especially the painting by Michelangelo inside the Sistine Chapel (make sure you pre-book to miss the queues). We then proceeded to visit St Peter's Square and the Basilica, where we went part of the way up to the dome in a lift and then climbed about 320 steps to the top, (with some very weird climbing angles), to be greeted by fantastic views all over Rome. The Basilica itself takes your breath away inside, it is quite magical!
Afterwards we walked to The Pantheon and Piazza Navona for a well-earned drink in the heat, and on the way back to the hotel, we browsed the many famous brand shops on the Via Del Corso.
The next leg on our journey takes us by train from Rome to Naples. When we arrived we were picked up and driven along the winding coast road to Sorrento, where we spent the next eight days. We stayed in a very nice hotel called the Hotel Grand De La Ville, which is about a five minute walk from the main square the Piazzo Tasso. There are lots of shops, bars and restaurants to choose from. You will also find lots of narrow streets to wander through, these are really quaint.
We got the local train one day from Sorrento to Pompeii, it takes about 40 minutes and will cost you 4.10 euros return. The cost of getting into Pompeii is only 11 euros and it has some amazing sites to see, you cannot believe this Roman area was devastated by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and was not discovered again until about 1700.
We went over to the island of Capri on the local ferries. This will cost you between 26 and 30 euros return, depending on the ferry company you use. A beautiful island of two halves, Capri and Anacapri, where you can get on the single chair lifts and skim over tree tops and gardens up to a height of almost 2000ft and take in the most fantastic views. You can take a boat trip around the island and visit the Blue Grotto if you have good sea legs, as they are a lot smaller boats.
Our final day took us on the ferry along the coast from Sorrento to Amalfi. We wandered around the streets there and got the local bus back towards the gorgeous town of Positano, another place which has been built into the dramatic cliffs; a popular spot for the rich and famous and for people watching. We then took another local bus back to Sorrento, negotiating the very winding cliff roads.
A memorable experience!!!
