Week 18 Sorento, Ostia, and Tuscany Italy with Monte Carlo, Monaco

 Wow, these were 4 busy days! Yes, we had long trips in Italy but with confusion on booking I did not get my trip to Nice and Matisse when we were in Monaco.  I was really upset by that but "it is what it is".  I did tell them that their system for booking has a major flaw in it and said it would be an easy fix in their database. The young man that is head of the Explorer's Desk agreed with me and told me who to talk to as they aren't listening to him. Poor guy has to listen to the irate passengers.  

Not only was I stressed about that and being tired, we are having major problems with the computer. Jeff has overloaded it with pictures and, when I made the external drive I bought as the backup, he can edit pictures but not send them out to me for this or any posting.  First thing on Tuesday the 10th will be ordering a new computer. Looking at what we need so I only have to decide where to purchase it. That means I will only do the writing and when we get things settled and have pictures available I will add them to this post.

Sorento, Italy

Sorento is the starting point on the northern end of the Amalfi Coast. We had seen pictures of the area and now want to make sure we do the entire Amalfi tour some day.  The tour took us out of Naples and to the beautiful area of Sorento. We stopped at a limoncello facility and tasted their products. It was soooo difficult to do this, (NOT) :) Their limoncello, we felt, was not as good as when Todd makes his but they make a limoncello cream that was quite tasty.  We did not like the limoncello grappa at all.  The scenery was gorgeous.  We then went to the historic city center to visit an inlaid wood factory. The walk along the coastal front of the old city was a wonderful experience of blue shades of coastal water and soaring cliffs. We can see why so many people come to this area. The city was quite busy as Italy had a three-day weekend to celebrate their Liberation by Allied Forces at the end of World War II. 

The next day was our stop at the port of Civitavecchia. Many people took the bus trip into Rome but we decided we wanted to return to the Ancient city of Ostia on the Tiber River. We had visited this site on an earlier trip to Rome, Jake you were there. It had only recently been discovered and they were uncovering more ruins. The place has expanded quite a bit and the mosaic tiles they have discovered surpass the ones we previously saw. The weather was perfect, again, so we all had a very enjoyable excursion. 

The port of Livorno, Italy provided us the option of spending "A Day in Tuscany". WOW! This area of Italy is so beautiful and quaint. We passed olive orchards, blooming almond trees, wheat fields, and vineyards. All of this on rolling hills and cypress trees in various shades of green.  We went to the walled city of San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city still has its 14 towers, herringbone patterned brick streets, and the church remains a part of the Pilgrimage trail to Santiago de Campostella, Spain (visited there in September), to Rome, and/or to Jerusalem. After we walked the inner city we also visited the Piazza, outside the southern gate, with its monuments and gardens. This was followed by a rustic lunch at a local organic farm that produces wine, olive oil, and all its own vegetables. The lunch was delicious, no bread for me :(, and we walked their gardens and around their various buildings. Jeff even said we need to try to come and stay here sometime in the future. He had spoken with a few of their current guests who raved how wonderful this inn is. I am all for it!

Monte Carlo, Monaco was the last stop in this 4 day adventure. As stated I did not have the opportunity to go to Nice and Matisse excursion. I did go with our friends Kathy and Michael on the tender to just walk around the city. Jeff and I had been here before and he did not want to go in again. The three of us had a really nice 2+ hour walk around visiting a church none of us visited previously and just enjoying the nice weather. I want to thank my sister-in-law Marianne for translating a plaque I saw in the church. I will include pictures of the church with a translation of the plaque at a later time.