Italy! Sorrento & Massa Lubrense

The fantastic, humorous, over-the-top, reserved, or fun-loving – all this can be found in Sorrento. But first, we have a stop in little Massa Lubrense as it is on our way from our Villa in tiny Annuzziata to Sorrento. From our Villa at the top of the bluff we walk, descending through olive groves and among homes along a patchwork of steps and pathways to the harbor below. It’s a little adventure all on its own as we drop several hundred feet into the village of Massa Lubrense. The narrow path is sometimes paved, sometimes not, but rarely straight. At one point it dumps us unceremoniously onto an access road for the homes along the hill before turning downhill again by anonymous gates and doorways. Steps are cut into the slope using cinder blocks or pavers, but you can tell the path is used regularly to maintain the olive groves. In the middle of one orchard we stumble upon a very old cistern. It looks as though its purpose is to distribute water throughout the grove. Being fairly well overgrown it’s hard to tell what it’s servicing or if it even still functions.

The little walkway above was full of long flights of stairs and switchbacks, and wound its way through several olive groves like this one. The black nets are spread out at harvest time to catch the olives as they are brushed from the trees. When finished, the nets are simply re-hung from the trees for next time.

Closer to town, the path becomes more business-like, turning into a rough sidewalk of well-worn stone pavers with stucco-walled homes crowding both sides. We come upon a gated stairway whose facing wall displays a host of metal and ceramic masks embedded between the stones. They range from playful and welcoming to macabre and sinister. Hmm, I wonder what mood the residents are in today? We elect not to find out and move on.

Further ahead we find a classic Mediterranean stucco portico with a beautifully weathered, blue door. I stop to record it and hope the picture will do it justice. Another 100 yards and a couple of switchbacks later we emerge between homes and groves into a small plaza with a bright yellow and white church. This transitions quickly to a much wider and more formal staircase lined with apartments, signaling we are not far from the harbor. We descend quickly, turn the corner to the right, and there it is – the marina. It’s not bustling, but there’s work being done in a vacation-friendly kind of way. The way Italians are so good at – with purpose, but without rush.

We wander around the marina, looking at the variety of boats and noting how many are directed at tourists. They range from new but modest fiberglass cabin cruisers to wooden double-enders with a single sail. The true fishing boats tend to be wooden, traditional and well-kept. It’s a colorful place.

Sometimes words just get in the way of the experience. The walk to the harbor was full of variety and little visual surprises.

The charms of Massa Lubrense continue as we wander along the waterfront and along a gravel walkway atop a rock bulkhead east of the harbor. Gradually the walkway begins to narrow, but as it does we come upon these wonderful small pools that are carved right out of the tidal rock. Chaise lounges surround these small, rectangular pools and make for a marvelous, charming way to enjoy a swim in Mediterranean waters without being directly in the sea. Really, a very ingenious way to create a beach where previously basalt and granite blocked any possible enjoyment of a swim.

Back to the harbor there are the boats , displaying their age gracefully while we imagine them still clutching to stories of old men and the sea. How many generations of fishermen and seamen have ventured beyond the breakwater to find the way out and the way back? It’s a profession full of dangers and hard work; a cleansing work. The sea has a way of bringing clarity just as the salts in its endless waves disinfect. In this harbor, you see no beginning and no end. But enough of reflection. It’s a warm, sunny day and we are off to enjoy it!

Back we hike up through the village for lunch. We find a small eatery just after two o’clock. Restaurants are closed between noon and two, so you either eat before, or you eat after.

We stop for lunch in this little Trattoria behind the red Fiat 500. The owner is a Napoli football fan and loves Ryan’s just-purchased Napoli jersey. With a big hug and exclamation, he enthusiastically waits on us, letting us know the wife was not making Rigatoni today, but was making Lasagna. I had the Lasagna – it was the best I’ve ever eaten. Afterward, I spot the yellow Fiat 500 custom taxi in the town’s center circle – so fun! After our morning hike it’s back to the Villa for a trek into Sorrento.

Sorrento

What a charming, busy town center. Tourism ranks at the top of the list and there are people everywhere. Shops, restaurants, butchers, produce, leather and clothing, furniture, tile and ceramics stores to go with a picturesque harbor and the fun, central Piazza Tasso.

The picture at right shows Roman era ruins built in a ravine that runs right through town all the way to the sea. The ravine was formed some 37,000 years ago from the remains of a Mt. Vesuvius lava flow. The photo was taken from a bridge just before the ravine became a tunnel over which the main town square was perched. When it emerged on the other side, it became a divided roadway headed to the water.

There’s a lemon grove in the middle of town, too, that hosts an old Limoncello liqueur factory, and a men’s only club that has stood for hundreds of years. And it goes on. We gravitated to this town several times, whether it was to look once more through the expensive furniture & woodworking store of A.Gargiulo, take a food tour of 13 eateries, or simply to walk, eat, drink and take in the people watching.

Wandering, shopping, observing, listening – it’s a never ending bit of fun to aimlessly walk the streets and interact with people. It never ceases to amaze me how welcoming and tolerant Italians are of us tourists.

I’ll let pictures tell more of the story. Next week we will tour more of Sorrento, Positano and more. Ciao!