Outings: Sorrento

Yesterday while you were all sleeping, I was out sightseeing. I skipped church (I know, shocking) and left the base at 7:45 a.m. On the walk to the train station at Aversa (approx 2.5 miles) two or three (herds? flocks?) of bicyclists went by. All were men. The bicycles were nothing impressive. It surprised me with that mix of bicycles how all of the cyclists were wearing bicycling clothes; like they were more careful about having the right clothes than the right bike.



This is a few of the stragglers.





This is on the train from Aversa to Napoli Centrale, about a 30 minute ride. We are looking down the passageway, which was being used because the seating areas (to the right in the picture) were full.

By 9:15 I was at the main Naples train station (Napoli Centrale). Napoli Centrale is located on a large square—Piazza Garibaldi. I have yet to find a Starbucks around here, but I did find a sidewalk café that serves an excellent cappuccino. The train ride to Sorrento takes just about an hour. The non-Italian tourists were pretty easy to spot, as they were wearing shorts, short sleeve shirts or both. The Italians wear long sleeve shirts, sweaters or jackets, almost certainly for fashion. The train arrived in Sorrento at 11:15 a.m.


I started with the guide in Rick Steve’s Italy 2008, Sorrento, and found everything exactly as described. I explored for a couple of hours, took pictures and had a lazy lunch. The restaurant was on a terrace with small lemon or lime trees that provided partial shade and a wonderful ambiance. If Gayle would have been there too, it would have been perfect.




The run: Logistics
About halfway between the town and the cruise boat marina there is an information center with a semi-public restroom. I say semi-public because I think it was actually owned by the attached restaurant. But, there wasn’t anyone outside collecting money, and it had a stall I used in which to change clothes. I was unable to find a place to leave my bag (with camera, clothes, etc.), but a lady at a tourist shop offered to watch it for me.







The run was on a winding and narrow road that climbs through orchards and small towns enroute to the tip of the peninsula that Sorrento is on. The road reminded me of the road to Hana, except more populated and more vertical. According to my Garmin, I climbed a total of 1,700’. The road would be a blast on a motorcycle or driving a Cooper. I would not recommend it for pedestrians, bicyclists or runners, as there is no sidewalk or shoulder. There were times I was hugging the cliff wall as traffic came around the corner.

On a map, I saw that if I went far enough, I could make a loop back to Sorrento. However, at the 8 mile mark I chickened out as the signs to Sorrento continued to point back the same direction I had just come from.

For those of you who have never gone with me on a 16 mile run, they are pretty leisurely. I stopped at lookouts, took walk breaks, and fully enjoyed the experience. Nevertheless, I was tired by the time I got back to Sorrento. Finding a shower was the biggest challenge. I had seen a small public beach and hoped there would be a shower head nearby. I considered jumping in the Med, but that would only have swapped out one version of salty and sticky for another. The water fountains started looking pretty inviting, but there is no way I could pass off as a bird.

In the end, I rinsed off my face and arms in the semi-public restroom and went home sticky. The trip in reverse was in the dark, and my feet complained on the stretch between the train station and the base. I got to my room by 9:50 p.m. and was in the tub by 9:52 p.m.—tired, achy, blistered and completely fulfilled. It was a great day.