Arrivederci Italy!

Happy Sunday from beautiful and sunny Rome! This is the last day of our Italian vacation. 

This past week went by very quickly. We didn't do as much as we wanted to as we had two days of on and off rain. Very unusual for this time of year. It didn't bother us in the least. We spent some time in the beautifully appointed club lounge just relaxing, reading a book, chatting with some guests and showing photos of our pooches 💖 

During our previous trip five years ago, we visited Capri, Positano and Ravello. This time around, we decided to stay put and explore Sorrento. We discovered a lovely lemon garden, visited areas of the town that we had never seen before. We also went to Marina Grande, a truly quaint and picturesque fishing village. 

We had a cooking class booked for last Tuesday near Mount Vesuvius. It didn't materialize due to our pick-up being one hour late... major traffic jam. The hotel management felt very bad, although not their fault. We did get a lovely complimentary lunch out of this which was quite nice and thoughtful. 

Wednesday night, we attended The Three Tenors of Sorrento concert at the Museo Correale di Terranova. It was truly a night that we will remember forever. It was intimate, only 85 people in attendance. The tenors sang beautifully and even got the crowd involved at times. 

On Friday, which was our last day in Sorrento, we went to the private solarium offered to guests at our hotel, an area for sunbathing and swimming. We didn't swim but dipped our toes in the cool water of the sea. It was nice and refreshing. We lounged on the sun beds for a couple of hours and watched the many boats go by.

Our time in Sorrento was truly lovely and relaxing. We can't say enough about the staff and management at our hotel. Truly exceptional in every way. 

So, here we are, back in Rome. We arrived yesterday afternoon. This time, we are staying within steps of the Pantheon. It's an area that we know well. We have a full day ahead of us and will make the most of it. There is a marathon going on today so Rome will be a busy place. We better get in line early for that Gelato! We leave tomorrow morning for Toronto, 11:30 am flight. We will stay at the Sheraton Gateway Airport hotel overnight and pick up our pooches early on Tuesday morning. The anticipation of seeing Cooper and Spicy is palpable. My heart is skipping a beat just thinking about it. We can already feel those kisses and lickings 😘The weather back home is looking spectacular. We look forward to getting into the Spring/Summer season and all that it entails. 

That's my blog for today. It's now 8:30 am local time. Time for breakfast. I wish you all a great week. Home Sweet Home soon for us! 

Lemons of all sizes abound in the garden in
Sorrento.

The Club Lounge at the Bellevue Syrene,
a great place to spend a rainy day with a good
book and a glass of wine.

The Three Tenors of Sorrento in a lively and 
most memorable concert.

The view of the Bellevue Syrene Solarium
(top deck) as seen from our balcony.

The narrow and winding road to 
Marina Grande.

View of Marina Grande from the 
steps leading to the village.

Steep stairways lead down from some hotels
to Marina Grande.

Laundry day in Marina Grande.

Soccer is religion in Italy and Napoli
is the team of the moment winning
the Italian Championship.

Beachside views in Marina Grande.

We took a moment to reflect on our
trip with our shadows cast in the sea.

Many charming 'casas' in Marina
Grande.

A fisherman and his catch of the day
in Marina Grande...what's for dinner?

A pine tree has found a place to 
live on the steep cliffs.

View of the Bellevue Syrene from the beach
Solarium.

Here I am, taking in the views from the 
Solarium.

Russell's toes in the cold sea...so refreshing.

Dusk in a busy Piazza Sant'Antonino in 
Sorrento.

A long exposure night photo across the Bay on
Naples, 25 kms away. Taken from our balcony.