Sorrento

Vatican 

Forum & Colosseum

Roma

Alright, enough baby talk.  Let's get back to Italy pictures.  So, after a few days in Rome, we packed up all our stuff and boarded a train to Sorrento.  Trains from Rome to Sorrento run pretty frequently, so we just showed up at the train station, bought a first-class super nice ticket to Naples, then changed trains and headed to Sorrento on a jam-packed, subway-style stinky rickety train.  Night and day, I'm telling you.  

We picked a hotel way outside of town (up in the hills) because we wanted to be able to get the full views of the Bay and the surrounding area.  

We had an ocean view room, which was large and comfortable.

With a view of the Bay of Naples.

(view from our balcony)

Unfortunately, every single day we were there was cloudy, so our views were less than spectacular.

Well, until this guy showed up in his pink outfit.  

That basically made my day.

Wow.

Anyway.  Each morning we took the hotel shuttle, which drove about 80 mph down tiny narrow windy roads, into town.  I nearly had a panic attack every time we got in the damn shuttle thinking about the drive.  Ryan loved it and wanted to sit up front like he was on a roller coaster or something.  He even filmed the drive a few times, just so we could relive the horror whenever we wanted.  Thanks honey.

The first thing we saw when we got into Sorrento were these deep gorges, right in the middle of town, containing ruins of what looked to be an old fortress or castle or something.  

I was so fascinated with them.  How do you get down there?  Who used to live there?  Can I go down there and look around?

And then a block later, we're in the middle of downtown Sorrento.

So, why Sorrento?  Well, we chose Sorrento due to its convenient location.  It's a small town on the Bay of Naples, conveniently located in between Rome/Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.  We didn't know much about the town, but it was such a perfect spot to stop over for a few days while we checked out Herculaneum/Pompeii and the Island of Capri.  A lot of people told us to skip Sorrento, but I'm actually glad we stayed.  Yes, you only really need about 2 hours to see the entire town, but it was a really cute little town...touristy, but not as bad as the towns on the Amalfi Coast and it had great food.  Seriously, the best lemon gelato I've ever had in my life.  I had it multiple times a day!

The streets and alleyways in Sorrento were just packed with fruit stands, gelaterias, people shopping for lemon souvenirs, restaurants, coffee shops, churches, etc.  Most of the tourists were British and there was no lack of English and Irish pubs.  

But the best part of Sorrento was the bluffs.  

The edge of town, where city meets the sea was spectacular.

The city was built right into the bluffs, which was amazing.

(no, I was not drinking beer while pregnant)

And at the end of the day, there was the seafood! 

 Here's my giant order of the most amazing Seafood Risotto known to man.

Not a bad little place to stay.

Next installment: Pompeii & Herculaneum