FUN-travel: Zambrone/Tropea, Italy to Taormina, Sicily
October 30, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Zambrone/Tropea, Italy to Taormina, Sicily
Day 38 – Wednesday, October 23 – Zambrone, Italy to Taormina, Sicily – Full Day – full sun – high 75 – low 59
Pompeii
What I LIKE
Pompeii
- *7:30 – walk down to restaurant –sandwich to go & hard boiled eggs
- huge resort w/beautiful gardens – bushes, trees & flowers on way to breakfast next to pool & beach
- 8:30 – ready to go on next adventure
- **check out & room is free – thank you MAX!
- program GPS
- 8:40 – take off
- ***9:55 – only drove 50 kms & need a break
- more good cappuccino @ auto/truck stop on A3 – cheapest yet @ $1.30 ea
- +more tunnels & switchback roads
- ++11:00 – arrive Villa San Giovanni port for ferry to Messina
- 11:20 – depart
- 11:50 – arrive
- 12:00 – drive off fairy
- GPS knows where we’re going!
- 78 degrees w/blue skies!
- +++arrive toll booth for ticket
- 10:45 – arrive Taoramina – nice police woman & taxi driver direct us
- #1:00 – arrive Villa Ducale in Taoramina
- can see plumes of smoke coming from top of crater
Pompeii Ceiling
What I DON’T LIKE
Pompeii
- 7:00 – Chris wakes me up trying to be quiet – then comes back (as breakfast starts 7:30)
- *machine cappuccino not good – tastes funny
- machine coffee not much better
- no fresh fruit
- **Max has business & not available to meet
- GPS takes us the shortest distance
- ***roads in desperate need of repair
- washed out in some stretches
- +more road work – only 1 lane & really slow
- ++GPS recalculating again! drive in circles & figure it out ourselves
- +++say we owe them $2 Euro & Chris gives it to them! (you pay at the end)
- # GPS recalculating again! – road signs (or lack thereof) very confusing or non existent
- internet & email not working 100% – can’t post
- Hot Spot is same provider I had in Trieste – my computer doesn’t like it
FUN-fact – First time we saw a hotel with 5 stars and an L added at end. Means 5 star Luxury.
Taormina – View From Hotel
FUN-travel: Sorrento to Zambrone/Tropea, Italy
October 29, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Sorrento to Zambrone/Tropea, Italy
Day 37 – Tuesday, October 22 – Sorrento to Zambrone, Italy – hazy turns to full sun – high 75 – low 59
Positano
What I LIKE
- *7:30 – more good macchiato
Positano
- 9:30 – breakfast
- 10:00 – ready to go
- Pierpaolo has friend Max w/hotel in Zambrone for us to connect with
- **front desk calls for 5:00 meet up there
- ***Chris taking really long time bringing car up from garage
- ask front desk how you get out
- she views camera & opens door for him
- ask front desk how to go w/car & directs us to faster road south
- English radio in car
- more really steep road w/switchbacks
- glad we have automatic!
- 11:00 – arrive Positano – JTC!
- find parking right in town – only $4 Euro for 1 hour
- wander through maze of small streets
- 11:45 – hot cappuccino break
- 12:00 – ready to go
- 12:30 – arrive Amalfi – eat to go sandwich @ fountain by sea
- walk around town – more JTC!
- +1:30 – more hot capp @ stand up bar – $5 Euro
- share bar w/bicycling buddies
- took picture for my brother who loves to cycle w/his buddies
- ++1:45 – ready to head south
Positano
- more teeny, tiny road snakes down & out of Amalfi coast
- +++4:35 – gas/cappuccino/cheese & arugula panini break
- 5:00 – continue
Amalfi
- big mountains give way to rolling hills
- lots of tunnels
- #7:00 – arrive hotel – il Borgo de Principe (after passing it, coming to a dead end road & doing u turn)
Amalfi
- front desk gives us biz card for restaurant in Tropea (10 kms)
- leave big bags in car – too much hassle!
- 8:00 – we find it! good signage & directions from locals – Il Convivio – in medieval section of town
- Negromare 2010 vino rosso – have no idea where it’s from – $23 Euro – calabrian salad (basically like greek w/o feta & olives) – lasagna (swinging out & trying something new) – so so Chris thinks mine is better – bread is like pizza w/o toppings – tartuffo for dessert (for mama & whitey) – ball of vanilla ice cream filled w/chocolate syrup & rolled in powdered chocolate – capp for Chris – $43 Euro
- 9:15 – OWF – attempt to find way back!
- need to go left & arrow points right only
- when in doubt play stupid & go where you need to
- 10:00 – arrive w/no map or GPS – unbelievable!
- 12:00 – night night
JTC – Just Too Cute!
OWF – Oh What FUN!
Amalfi
What I DON’T LIKE
- *Chris wakes me up 6:15 – thinks it’s 7:15!
- **traffic is crazy & roads under construction
- Don’t arrive until 7:00 pm & miss meeting Max
- ***he’s stuck – garage door won’t open
- +asked to sit @ table in Piazza & told had to eat so left & found this place
- ++not ready for the long drive
- +++lots of roadwork – only 1 lane for long stretches
- #GPS can’t locate hotel
- we’re so late Max has gone
- no internet @ hotel
- missing my bed big time!
Amalfi
FUN-fact – Amalfi means the “Devine Coast” and Positano is said to be the most “Devine Town.”
More FF – Flavio Gioia, who invented the compass, was born in Amalfi.
Not so FF – Calabria reminds us of Mexico.