Sorrento to Naples, Yay!

Half of our last day in Sorrento was spent in Pompeii- what an amazing site it is… we took a break in between and ate some snacks before exploring some more of the ancient city… by the time we got back to our hotel, it was after 5 pm. We were very tired… our feet were killing us as the streets in Pompeii were very uneven.. after resting in our hotel for a couple of hours and drinking a glass of Prosecco, we ventured out to enjoy the last evening in Sorrento. We had scouted a restaurant that was a bit off the beaten path, Il Ritrovo… it had decent ratings on trip advisor, so we decided to go ahead and try it. We started with the calamari- which was really yummy… nicely fried and great seasoning. We also got the pasta vongole, bolognese and a filet of fish. The bolognese was the best of all the dishes. Overall, it was good- not spectacular but quite good.

We walked around a bit more and soaked in the lovely town and came home to pack and get ready to leave for Naples the next morning. I have been looking forward to Naples as it is supposed a gritty, old city filled with delicious food.

We woke up, ate breakfast and took the train to Naples and got out into the bustling city- very different from Sorrento. Sorrento was beautiful, filled with loads of tourists. Naples is crowded, old and filled with street foods- which is what I look for when traveling to new destinations.

We took a cab and arrived at our hotel, Hotel Piazza Bellini ten minutes later. Our room wasn’t ready, so we dropped our luggage off and set out to explore and look for a pizza place for lunch. We found, Antica pizzeria e friggitoria Di Matteo– yummy, yummy! We ordered the margherita with buffalo cheese and also one with funghi or mushrooms. We washed the yummy pizza down with white wine and beer. It was a bustling pizza place with a long line outside… After sitting there for a bit, we ventured out again, exploring the windy, cobblestoned streets. Of course if was time for a gelato break- Scimmia Factory! We soaked in a bit more of the city and then walked back to the hotel to get our room and unpack. After a bit of rest, we ventured out again. Naples reminds me of a dirtier version of Rome- without all the excavations and monuments all over the city… it is the kind of place one needs at least a week at a time to explore. We only have 2 nights and I am already thinking when I can return to this vibrant place!

We sat down for a glass of Prosecco to give a rest to our tired feet. We sat in a small piazza watching all the locals walking by… soon there was an amazing street band that started performing- it was a great evening. As we sat, I researched some restaurants for dinner and found Tandem, a small restaurant not so far away from where we were. We got there as they were opening at 7 and were the first ones there- as usual! The restaurant was all about ragu… we ordered some pasta with ragu and a bowl of ragu with bread. We also got some salad and a bottle of Gragnano, a red bubbly… The meal was delicious but unfortunately I was too full for dessert. 
After a bit more strolling we returned to our hotel… city was buzzing but we were tired and wanted to take it easy and prepare for a full day of exploration- as it is our last day in Naples and Italy!