Well I drove to Frankfurt and flew out to Bari, Italy to meet up with the family. They had flown into Naples the day before and drove across Italy to pick me up in the Alfa Romeo 159 they rented. We immediately began to head south and stopped into Polignano a Mare to find a place to stay. Everything was booked but it was still beautiful to see as the sunset.
Neat beach in the middle of town.
Polizia scooters.
A really neat restaurant that was built inside a grotto in the side of the sea cliffs.
The inside of the restaurant where the grotto is.
We ended up staying just outside Conversano at this Agriturismo place which they have all over Italy and it was awesome. They served us a great dinner and as much wine as we wanted and it used to be an old hunting lodge. The backyard was particularly beautiful. It was unfortunate we couldn't stay more than one night but I think we made the most of it.
The family with the Agriturismo Conversano family who were wonderful people.
We headed down to Nardo where we stayed for maybe five nights at this place that was a typical resort/condo type thing.
Some sunset shots that I (Brian decided to take a nap) at our hotel pool.
The "beach" we hung out at which the resort owned. Brian and I did some snorkeling here and Brian scubaed as well.
Dad getting his bronze on at a beach we went to in Santa Maria Al Bagno.
We continued up the coast to this little tiki beach bar. The busy summer tourist season had just ended so most of the places we went to were empty.
Old castle turrets that were used as a base for a restaurant.
Lots of goats that were crossing the road. We didn't spend much time in non of them big fancy city-type places.
Nardo has a "famous" ring where car companies can test their cars and you can drive your car too. We were hoping to take the Alfa Romeo on it because you can drive as fast as you want (like the Autobahn without the traffic). Unfortunately a car company was out there doing private testing and we couldn't get out there. Here's a board with some of the speeds that have been achieved here.
One evening we headed down to the port town of Gallipoli and had dinner. It was a great dinner and the first time I have watched the sunset over open water since I was in Hawaii. Brian probably saw plenty of it as he sailed across the Atlantic.
We then headed across the heel of Italy to the Adriatic coast to Saint Andrea. There was some really neat snorkeling there for Brian, Mama G, and I.
The Alfa Romeo had a long hood which Brian must have misjudged when he parked it into a building.
It was then off to Alberobello which is known for their unique homes built in the "Trulli" style.
Some had symbols painted on their roof.
Inside of one of the Trulli homes.
Many of them were shops.
We drove through Ostuni on the way back to Nardo.
One of a million vineyards in Italy. This one grew golden grapes that are used to produce white wine.
The only thing we saw more than vineyards was olive groves like these...
It was time to head up to the cankle of Italy and chose Salerno because of its access to the Amalfi Coast. This area was the site of some of Allied landings during the invasion of Italy in WWII.
The morning after we arrived in Salerno, we headed off to the island of Capri. We took a ferryboat from Salerno up the Amalfi Coast and saw many neat little towns.
As usual, there were nice boats to be ganderin' at.
Famous "Capri Cars" that are all extended convertibles.
We rented a boat (because I insisted on/paid for it) and took a lap around the island. It was a little center console with a 40hp outboard on the back if I remember correctly. Our goal was to hit the three most famous grottos (white, green, and blue). Here's Mama G admiring the sea cliffs.
Three handsome uomos
More big boats...
Brian and I snorkeling the Green Grotto.
Lighthouse
The most famous attraction of Capri is the Blue Grotto. In calm seas, they have little boats that can take you inside where the light comes in and emits a blue glow throughout the cave. The day we were there it was too rough for boats to fit in the small hole, but luckily Brian and I commandeered some snorkeling equipment (we left ours in the hotel room) and were able to swim through the hole. It was truly amazing inside but too rough to bring a camera in so I've included pictures from other sources of what Brian and I saw. We were the only ones in there and Brian probably won't admit but it was also kinda skeery. One of Mama G's many failed attempts at getting a live shot at Brian and I jumping in to snorkel.
Giving Brian a much needed shower (he stinkos)
The fam
Main street Capri
Ferry boat ride.
A cruise ship very similar to (or the same) one my parents took to Greece before.
Italians playing some weird kayak water polo game. It actually looked pretty rough.
After Capri we took the ferry back to the town of Amalfi where the coast gets its name. We had one of many lovely dinners there but dad couldn't wait and got ice cream as soon as we stepped ashore which was a common theme for him throughout the trip.
Mossy statue.
Neat church.
Main street Amalfi.
Amalfi's marinas
On the last ferry back to Salerno.
Next it was off to Pompeii which is a place I've wanted to visit since I took Latin (Mama G made me) in high school. There was so much to see in this place we didn't even see it all. I won't post most of the pictures (like usual) because like dad says "It's all ruined."
Typical Pompeiian roads. If I remember from class correctly the steps across the road are for when it rains and the poop floods the streets.
The Pompeii Coliseum.
The little amphitheater. When you stood in the "sweet spot" your voice was amplified and was amazing that the Ancient Romans knew acoustics so well to build their theaters to maximize the volume of the actor's voices.
A Pompeiian kitchen.
Center of the city. Again because it was over a month ago I cannot remember all the exact names of the sites.
The Pompeii Brothel.
Some pornography older than Hugh Hefner.
This bed was pretty much like concrete
Casts made from bodies found throughout the town that died in these positions at the time of the eruption. It's at this time I make a public service announcement to report any volcanic activity to the authorities to prevent this from happening again.
We ended up in Sorrento and stayed at a really nice place like pretty much everywhere we stayed during the trip (no hostels). Here's Mama G enjoying the view from our rooms.
Brian and I decided to take the Alfa Romeo out for a drive around town while Mama G and dad rested. It turned out to be a bad idea as we got stuck driving up a road that was only 1.5 meters wide and we couldn't make it through. Brian drove us into trouble, then I climbed in and drove us out. It was pretty nerve racking but I was able to back it out without scraping the sides.
That night a lightning storm was off in the distance and I got to do what I've wanted to for a long time. Here are some pictures of the lightning storm over Sorrento.
On our trip up the Amalfi Coast we stopped at yet another grotto, the Emerald Grotto which actually costs money and you walked into but got into a rowboat once inside.
Yet another beach and more snorkeling.
I headed out the night before the family flew out and took a train to Rome. I was too tired and had to get up too early because of my flight. It was an uneventful flight back to Frankfurt and drive to Schweinfurt. I am so glad I had the opportunity to share my time in Europe with my family. I hope we can do it again soon, but this time with Hilo!
Hey man, thanks for doing the write-up! I would have but..... I was a..... busy, yeah I was really busy doing..... stuff and things.
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