The Wet Week

I’ve developed this bizarre little habit while being in Italy… maybe it’s just me, maybe others do it too. I don't know. Maybe it’s because I’m always by myself, maybe it’s just boredom... who knows. But I find myself walking around making up Italian-sounding words. Maybe they mean something... maybe they don’t. They’re mostly just cool-sounding gibberish. I repeat them over and over, half-wondering if I’ve accidentally said something real… or if it's utter gobbledygook.

Lucio Dalla

I know.

I’m odd.

I sometimes need things like this to keep me entertained.

Especially with all this rain.

I had such high hopes for Sorrento. All I wanted to do was experience limoncello, picturesque coastal views, sundrenched Amalfi Coast, vibrant Capri... sunshine... happiness... majestic churches, elegant villas

waterfront promenades...

Not rain.

No. Not rain, at all.

The weather wasn’t looking promising, but I kept hoping it would turn around. I was crossing my fingers tighter than tight, praying for the sun.

As soon as I stepped off the train from Naples... and onto the pavement of Sorrento, the first thing I saw was a huge mural of Lucio Dalla. OMG! I was beside myself in utter awe and admiration. I love that man. Yes, it was pouring rain... but of course, I had to stop... soaked through or not... to admire it and get a photo.

Naturally, after seeing the mural, I assumed Lucio Dalla must have been from Sorrento, but I was wrong. After a little online research, I discovered his connection to Sorrento was something far more poetic and beautiful. Lucio Dalla once visited the same hotel where the legendary Opera tenor, Enrico Caruso, had spent his final days. Caruso died in 1921, but his time in Sorrento left its mark. Decades later, when Dalla stayed in the same room Caruso had stayed in, he was inspired to write one of his greatest songs... Caruso... a global masterpiece and one of my all-time favourites.

If you haven't listened to it... do it right now.

You won't regret it.

Caruso himself was a phenomenon... and one of the first truly international opera stars at a time.

So there I was, standing in the rain in Sorrento, staring at a mural of the man with the golden voice, who once wrote a song about the man with the golden voice.

**(I came back later, when it wasn't quite so wet, to get a better photo)

The hotel itself, where Caruso and Dalla both stayed, The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, was far too posh to let riff-raff like me wander in. Even the Caruso Restaurant was Michelin-starred... and also far too posh for me. So I had to admire everything from my peon distance.

And the rain continued.

My god, the rain.

It absolutely poured.

It teemed down almost every day I was in Sorrento.

There was only one single, solitary day in the entire week I was there, that looked like it might be sunny, so I immediately booked a tour of the Amalfi Coast for that day... and I crossed my fingers it would all work out.

Miraculously, that one day held up.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of bad news... that morning, we were informed that we couldn’t do the whole tour, as torrential rain had caused a landslide, blocking the road to Positano. 

Shame... Positano was on my must-do list.

Yes, we still made it to Ravello and Amalfi... though not without a treacherous detour. The driver had to take a different route, which meant a two-hour journey up and along the winding, mountainous roads over to the coast... full of ups, downs, curves, and constant braking. Packed into the van like sardines with a bunch of strangers, I spent most of the ride silently rocking back and forth, trying to talk myself out of feeling nauseous... and praying I wouldn’t be sick all over myself. Finally, I had to speak up and ask for a window to be cracked for some fresh air...

It wasn't fun.

The endgame made it all worthwhile, though. Ravello and Amalfi are both breathtaking slices of the Amalfi Coast. Ravello perches high above the sea, famous for its terraced gardens, historic villas, and sweeping panoramic views. Amalfi, a bustling seaside town, charms with its colourful buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, and its majestic cathedral. Both towns have the perfect mix of coastal beauty, history, and timeless Italian charm. A lot of things were closed though... shops & restaurants. I guess the Amalfi Coast pretty much shuts down at the end of October. 

Amalfi

Amalfi

Amalfi

The group on our tour was mixed... an odd bunch, really... but I ended up tagging along with an older couple from the United States. He was a retired minister, openly ashamed of their current government and the state of the world in general, and somehow we ended up talking politics the entire time. He was a genuinely interesting man.

At one point in Amalfi, I was sitting in the central plaza, enjoying a glass of wine, when a huge procession came down from the cathedral. I had absolutely no idea what was happening, but I watched with total fascination. There was a marching band, big booming music, people in full religious dress carrying banners, crowds following behind… and once everyone had descended the steps, the whole procession made its way to the seafront, where they set off fireworks for a solid thirty minutes. Poor dogs!

I still don't know what was going on... but it was definitely a sight to see.

Remember the yellow and orange weather warnings? Well, I discovered another one: RED. Red is worse than both of them combined. And that’s what I had for the rest of my time in Sorrento.

This damn rain.

There was a hike I really wanted to do while I was here... the Path of the Gods. It’s a famous trail on the Amalfi Coast, known for its spectacular cliffside views over the sea. The name actually comes from a legend that the Greek gods once walked this very route to save Ulysses from the sirens on the Li Galli islands. According to the myth, the gods descended from the heavens along this path, leaving their footsteps carved into the cliffs.

But unfortunately... It was a definite no-go.

Next time.

I shopped a bit, but every time I stepped outside, the rain started again, and I’d find myself sprinting for cover. Mostly, I drank wine in my room and stared gloomily out the window. It felt like I was biding my time.

Depressing.

So what does one do on a rainy day in Italy?

I figured it might be a good idea to take a pizza-making class.

At least it would get me out of the rain!

The class was actually a lot of fun. They even gave us wine... though it wasn’t the most outstanding wine I’ve ever tasted. The group included a family from the US, and the instructor was hilarious. I'm sure all of his jokes were tried, tested and true... but they all worked like a charm on us.

Me... and my pizza creation

It’s one thing to go out and eat pizza, but it's quite another to make it from scratch. We mixed the dough, kneaded it... and then we left it for 24 hours to rise. Then the instructor brought out the kneaded dough from the class the day before, and with that, we stretched it and shaped it into a perfect pizza round... put all our favourite toppings on... and baked it in a wood-fired oven.

It was an authentic hands-on slice of Italian culture. Pizza-making is a centuries-old tradition... and this class gave me a way to connect with it that just eating alone never could.

Speaking of "hands-on" though...

At the beginning of the class, I mentioned I was going to wash my hands before we started getting down and dirty with the dough... and he told me I needn't worry... BECAUSE... people would be eating it tomorrow anyway. Not me.

What???

I think he meant it as a cross between funny and true... but I couldn’t help thinking about everyone yesterday who didn’t wash their hands… and here I was... about to eat their work.

Hmmmm....