Notes from the field...

(More pictures added to “For whom the bells toll” blog- we apologize but our lack of computer time has necessitated us adding pictures at later times. We hope to remedy this situation soon. :-)

The streets of Sorrento are so quiet at night after everyone has gone home and gone to bed. During the night hours you can hear a few dogs barking but most of the street noise is gone and the town is very peaceful. Of course they have to sleep soundly because bright and early the church bells ring. This is why they close shop for a few hours every afternoon—to catch up on their sleep!

I am taking writer’s liberty to share a few things we have noticed. Some of the art work we are experiencing isn’t found in museums, but in the people themselves. I am still in awe of those children in the school frocks. I looked at the boys, trying to see if I could tell if they were at all embarrassed by wearing what we, Americans, would call a dress. They weren’t at all. On the contrary they were proud of the fact that they could show the entire town that they were old enough to go to school! Very cute.

It has long been known that European women share the arm of one another while walking through the streets. A grown daughter will hold her mother’s arm. Young adult women will walk arm and arm and we never question their sexuality at all. What I have found here in Italy is that teenage boys will take the arm of their father’s! They aren’t embarrassed to walk arm in arm with their dad. Young adult men will drape their arms around each other to show friendship. Teen girls will do likewise with their mom and dad. Since art reflects humanity, to me this is some of the very best art we have seen.

Last evening we discovered a place where we could get 3 days of continuous internet for 15 euros. A great deal around here. The place is also a small family Italian “snack bar”. We decided to combine internet and dinner together and work on both. Our dinner was simple but wonderful. The restaurant sells buffalo mozzarella considered to be the best mozzarella around. Most mozzarella is made from cow’s milk but buffalo is made from (water)buffalo milk. We started with a tossed salad with very fresh greens. Then we had a sandwich with ham and melted mozzarella. And served with this is a dish that had cornbread tossed with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes and oil and vinegar. It was very similar to Wildflower’s bread salad, but different.

As we worked on the internet for 3 hours we needed dessert too. So we had a nice slice of ricotta cheese cake (totally different than its American version) and sliced mozzarella cheese with candied walnuts, pears and apples on top. The cheesecake was dusted in powdered sugar and was a little sweet for me but the sliced mozzarella was wonderful. Light and just a little bit sweet.

We noticed that since we were the only customers there that late (we had already asked them when they close) the family (whose home was behind the restaurant) took their own dinner outside around 9:00 pm. They sat there talking and laughing, the owner from the shop across the street came over for a chat, and it was all a very warm, friendly setting. It reminded me how different we are with our busy schedules.

One more side note of interest to our family: Soon after we arrived here it was very warm and Jim had no clean, short sleeve shirts. We decided to go shop for some, but of course he wouldn’t look in the “cool” stores. We finally found 2 black, Italian tee shirts at a shop for 7 euros for 2 (you know the kind they wear here). We had to get XXL since their sizes run smaller and he didn’t want to have it all skin tight.

He was wearing the tee shirt that night at dinner. Our waiter was talking with us and asked Jim which of his parents came from Italy. When he responded that none of them did, the waiter was surprised because he thought Jim “looked very Italian”! There you go girls, no more Viking heritage for you. Now it’s Italian!!


Tomorrow we are going to venture into Naples to see the Archaeological Museum which houses most of the antiquities from Pompeii and Herculaneum. I think we will take the boat across the bay. It gives us a wonderful view of the coast. Until later…………

We had a big lunch today and didn’t feel like much for dinner so we went right outside out apartment and sat at the café (see Maridee?) That’s the entrance to our courtyard in the corner behind her. We go up two flights of stairs to the apartment. I think we are the only apartment that uses it. Anyway, we had some good soup and antipasta there. Print this post