The couple or three gin and tonics yesterday afternoon as well as the travel weariness dulled my brain a bit last night so what I wrote wasn’t much chop really. I didn’t actually assassinate (metaphorically) any characters, except for a greedy taxi driver who didn’t accept the opportunity to rip us off.

I hate losing things, and yesterday I did, it was a small leather coin purse with a few Euros in it so money wise inconsequential, but it erks me that I can’t remember where I last had it or used it. I doubt it was pickpockets, I think I put it down to my own stupidity, that’s probably what annoys me. Anyway move on Pauolo it’s gone, The Navigator will be looking for an aged care placement for me next.

It was really good to catch up with everyone yesterday. We set up the garden furniture in a “circle of truth” formation and then told a lot of lies.

This property “Villa St Angelo Sorrento” used to be a nunnery I believe. It’s a 3 story with one  basement bedroom, stone and brick, views from the top over gardens to the nearby Mediteranean. Its beautiful. We did a lotto type draw for bedrooms, there are 7 or 8 of them and almost the same number of bathrooms. Via Cocumella is the street it’s on, a bit busy with traffic but shutters cut most of that out. The furnishing is lovely and there are a number of living areas you can relax in. The garden has a great outdoor setting and security gate access keeps riff raff out. Last night it kept a few of us in, we couldn’t get the code to work to let us out to go the the restaurant. There is a lift if you need it. The place is a great choice.

Disaster averted this morning, LAgente had locked herself in the bathroom. I have no idea how this happened It wasn’t funny, apparently, for he at least, as her husband( Il Banditore) was chortling outside the door in his undies trying to free her. To be fair he did look like he was trying hard, but one cant be sure of that entirely. If he’s not successful in freeing her we could be one less traveller to feed, a problem for LAgente but good for us, more food’s what I mean. Anyway after employing some remarkable flexibility and a long reach he gets the key from her via a window and she escaped a certain death from starvation in a Sant Agnello bathroom. Maybe I could sell that story? There is no photographic evidence of this event but its all true. Revenge is a dessert best served cold, see what the day brings.

I’m not sure what’s on the menu today but a walk and relaxation is what I feel will do me good.

Breakfast is fruit and toast in the garden, after an early shop. It’s very pleasant, there a nice feel about everything.

We split into different groups and head off for a little exploring. It’s a very short walk down the hill to the cliff over the water at Sant Agnello. Some of us walk through the tunnel and steps down to the water rather than pay €18 for the lift and access to the hotel. The public area water is dirty, there are some people swimming in the detritus in the water but there’s no way I’m putting even my feet in the filthy water.

However, conversely the view across the bay to Naples and Mt Vesuvius is stunning. There are lots of boats on the Mediteranean, a five masted barque (ask me how I know this?), there’s a large new motor yacht called AMO with what looks like a 15-16 foot tender and a huge yacht with lots of masts ( don’t ask me what sort of boat it is) and the ferries coming from and to Naples.

Our legs are a little jelly like by the time we make it back to the top. So the ones who took the smart option and stayed up the top of the cliff are looking remarkably relaxed. A birra ( Italian for beer) aperol for some, fixes rehydration issues and lactic acid in our legs.

Lunch is panini’s from a little cafe on the way back to the villa. Now it was a simple lunch order that that had the potential to be complicated by the ordering, but it all came through ok in the end.

The Navigator and I head to Sorrento walking the streets, its a hot afternoon so we walk on the shady side of the street, past a football stadium where Sorrento are playing Portici, a serious game because tickets are €15. we hear later that Ciclista Dismountus, Il Professore, Il Maestro and Capo de Maestro went into the game near the end, there sounds to be a bit of an atmosphere in the stafium as we walk past.

The Sorrento shopping area is pretty busy for a Sunday, so a renergising gellato is found. We walk the shops, get the lay of Sorrento, the amazing chasm that the road goes down to the water looks spooky to drive, its quite a nice shopping area.

Back at the villa, Cinquantacinque is busting to get a lime from the next door tree, I have a crack at getting one using a fork and another cooking implement that I can’t name. Unfortunatley the spike on the top of the fence almost punctures my nipple and I lose the fork over the fence. To be fair to everyone else, all with human frailties, I admit failure, rare but not unknown for me. Retrieving the fork is another problem that I doubt I’ll solve, and I’m wondering if there is such a profession as a nipple doctor, I could need a transplant, its a bit painfull.

As we’re chilling in the garden, we hear a pitiful cry from an upstairs window, we see a topless Il Banditore with his head through the window asking if his wife might show soem sympathy because hes locked in the bathroom. He who had laughed at her earlier in the day is now in the same predicament. He’s a sorry sight, with a worried look like he’s been charged three times for a meal. L’agente has tears in her eyes, revenge clearly on her mind as she remains unmoved on the lounge chair downstairs. Luckily he resolves the issue himself but is suitably quiet when he decends the stairs to join us.

A drink is had while Regazzo and Della head for dinner with family, then the rest of us head towards the water for dinner at a venue yet to be determined. Il Maestro leads the charge, in charge of securing a venue, however he too fails at the task he accepted, first option is booked out, and 2nd option we walk in to a sour faced jowelly maitre de who looks at us like we’re covered in pig manure and we quietly decide to move on before we order. The Navigator points out a back door and we exit quietly, heads down, no eye contact, reach the street and walk very briskly away. Unfortunatley The Architect and Cinquantacinque also try the no eye contact strategy and walk the wrong way, straight past the jowlley sour faced waiter, they mumble something unintelligible and keep walking, we eventually find them.

The Navigator, gastronome extrordinaire, specialising in well cooked red meat and potatoes, with an extreme aversion for the colour green, guides us to her choice, The Hotel Corallo restaurant. It looks expensive, upmarket, the waiters look smart, and it sort of ends expensive but the food was fantastic. The Sea bass, char grilled prawns and octopus is very good and the dessert very nice. It was a fun night with a little stress regarding what it might cost, only the odd menu had prices in it but the cost wasn’t too bad really. We missed Regazzo and Della but family commitments earlier had tied them up.

Day four has been great, tomorrow we doing a trip to Pompei together, leaving from Sant Agnello train station at 9:14am for a 10am tour. I’m really looking forward to this.

Caio from Sorrento – Paulo Sunday 11th September 2022

Some photos: