So after dinner we joined the locals in the ritual of taking a stroll around town, otherwise known as the the passeggiata. Naturally the first place to stop was an ice cream parlor.
We all scream for ice cream, especially mulberry and dark chocolate
Sorrento has quite a few to choose from and most of them offer a huge choice of flavours from the usual suspects like strawberry and chocolate to the more exotic such as English trifle or Toblerone. Davide on the Via P.R. Giuliani was particularly good and it sat next to a pub that offered pints, large pints and extra large pints whatever they are.
The Bar Villa Comunale (Di Massimo Fiorentino) is a great place to watch the sunset from as it is right on the sea front, if you can call a cliff that overlooks the bathing platforms and Sorrento’s tiny beach, the seafront that is.It’s surprisingly affordable too with a round of four drinks coming in at €14.
No not Volare again please - Bar Villa Comunale
It’s also a great place for people watching as crowds gather for the celestial free show.
Sunset
Sorrento is a popular location for big weddings and since the front is very close to both St Francis and Antonino the whale killer’s churches, we’d also get to watch ‘creative’ photographers forcing young brides to pose in the most uncomfortable positions for their art, as the Sun slid beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea. There was also a good view of Vesuvius biding it’s time before its next eruption.
Vesuvius at sunset
Sundown we’d head into the drains for a wander around the shops and bars, occasionally stopping for a sample of Limoncello, just in case we’d forgotten what lemon scented toilet duck tasted like.
The Drains by Night
Back on the Corso Italia there was always lots going on. Amongst the blues guitarist who only knew how to play Sweet home Chicago and the human statues this lady stood out, with her glass harmonica. I’d never seen one of these before and the music was quite beautiful.
Glass Harmonica
So for a nightcap before returning to the hotel we tried a couple of bars on the Corso. We really should have expected The English Bar to be a bit odd, however it had a tempting garden terrace to the rear. Mab ordered an Amaretto which arrived in a tumbler – a full tumbler. OK it’s a very generous measure, but no one wants to drink that much Amaretto surely. Since the bill for the four of us only came to €18 I can only assume that the students running the bar were going to be for it when the owner compared his till roll to his inventory. The Cafe Latino (Corso Italia 4) was a bit more civilised. Set within a huge shady garden it was a very pleasant place for that final game of Uno before bed, even if the service was sometimes a bit slow when they were also catering for a wedding party.
