Do you know the way to Sorrento?
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Bay of Sorrento
I am a few days late in writing this…. I went out of town to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers and although they have absolutely nothing to do with Italy, I’ll leave this little riff for you to enjoy!.
Ok, on to the storytelling!
I am leaving Rome with a heart full of realized dreams and a desire to go somewhere more temperate. Sorrento is just the place!
Before leaving the Penthouse, I sketched a quick thank you note for Andrea. I like to leave these when I stay somewhere to share my gratitude and Andrea was kind enough to let me have a late check out because my train to Sorrento wasn’t until the afternoon.
This is a story about divine intervention at the train station and the fact that my neuroticism about being early TOTALLY paid off (insert high karate kick here)!
The heat had finally exhausted me.. sort of. I had a few hours to kill between checking out and my train so I left my bag at the baggage storage at Termini Station and walked back down to the Coliseum for one last look while snacking on some street food (croquettes … deep fried rice balls with mozerella and tomatoe sauce. Inepxensive and filling!).
The Colisuem is a quite a distance from the station and for some reason I felt like I should head back to the station early and that reason would become very apparent, quickly. Me being early will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me.
I am habitually early. My son gets annoyed and asks me why we can’t ever just be on time rather than early. It all comes down to childhood: my mother was late for literally everything. Every. Thing. And it drove me to the brink of sanity so naturally, to counteract this, I am min. 15 minutes early to every. thing. For perspective: I once showed up to work 5 minutes early and a coworker was worried because I was ‘late” by my standards. 🤣. Still, 2 hours early for a train is excessive but it saved my bacon here and totally validated my neuroticism! Ha!
I checked out the train schedule board to see if my train was running on time and there was a ticker at the bottom with lots of words I didn’t understand but somehow a few of the words felt ominous to me… I have no idea why I recognized them as “not good”, but I did. Intuition said something was happening with the trains but what exactly it was…. beats me! The word Napoli (Naples) was on this part of the information board so there were some alarm bells going off in my head.
A woman was standing nearby and I asked her if she spoke English. Luckily she did and she read the information for me. She said that a few days prior, there had been a train crash (ummm…🫣) and the tracks and schedules were still messed up from this and many trains were delayed and/or cancelled.
“Welcome to Italy! Where nothing runs on time” she quipped.
However nothing was showing on my Trenitalia app with regard to cancellation or delay so I went to find the customer service booth. There was a very long line and as I was standing there, an official Trenitalia employee came over to the line and yelled “Is anyone going to Naples?” Yes, I say, I am!
“The trains to Naples will now be departing from another train station. We have a shuttle bus to take you there.”
Unbelievably good luck that I happened to be standing there to hear this (or as I like to think of it: divine intervention!) .There are no announcements over a loudspeaker so I felt as though if you weren’t there at that exact moment, you would have no clue what was going on and you would have been stranded in Rome.
“Sir”, I say, my blood pressure rising, “I need to get my bag out of the luggage storage”. He looks at me with pity and tells me there will be a second shuttle because I will miss this one. We both know that the baggage storage is quite a distance away.
Here’s what Sir didn’t know. I used to be a waitress (20 years), I know how to power-walk. In fact, if this were an Olympic event I would set the world on fire with my speed.
The baggage storage is at the opposite end of the train station but I am ready for my Olympic Trials. I am the ultimate gladiator in the speed-walking category (ask my husband how annoyed he gets when we are grocery shopping… “do you have to walk so fast?”)
I beat feet and sped around lost tourists clumsily dragging their suitcases, past homeless beggars with their legs extended into the walkway (runway?) , “permesso, permesso” I repeated as I ping-ponged my way through the crowds, praying there wasn’t the same line there had been when I checked my bags. No line! Whoot, whoot! I made it in and out of that room in 15 seconds, back through the throngs of people milling aimlessly about and returned just in time to see Sir making the last sweep for shuttle #1 and I asked if there was still room.
He looked at me with recognition and asked “but what about your bag?” and then his eyes landed on my shoulders where he saw the straps to my travel backpack. With a look of …. confusion? amazement? on his face, he directed me to the shuttle. He had written me off thinking there was no way I could make it back in time.
Not to brag, but I seriously think Sir was impressed as I hopped onto the shuttle. Never underestimate the skills of a former or current waitress, folks.
Things did not get any less confusing once we arrived at the secondary train station. The board didn’t have the new trains up yet but luckily, Trenitalia employees (several of them) were helping all of us. They did a fantastic job with assisting us and directing us to our platforms.
I spent an extra 10 euro to sit in business class and it was worth it! Huge, comfy, reclining seats and not crowded. I have all of the information you need to know on my tips and resources page so that you can find the right train company, etc. for your journey.
I admit it was a little nerve-wracking to be traveling at 285 kmh though, especially since my train delay was due to an accident a week before. FYI: these crashes are rare and the one that occurred the previous week was very minor so it really is a safe way to travel.
My new train would make my arrival in Naples an hour late. This was a problem because I had hired a driver to take me from Naples to Sorrento. Note: there are regional trains that you can take from Naples to Sorrento but there is no direct line from Rome to Sorrento (see my tips page for specifics on trains in Italy)
Naples is a bit….. rough and I didn’t want to hang around that particular train station so I felt a driver would be safest and least stressful as a solo, female traveler with zero public transportation experience. My driver agreed to wait for me… for an additional fee (of course).
He was hilarious! We were stuck in traffic near Positano so he took full advantage of a captive audience and showed me MANY videos of his cat and his adorable grandson. He also very proudly showed me photos of himself dressed nicely, highlighting the fact that he had gastric bypass surgery and used to be overweight. He called himself “The Big Boss”. 🤣 He even FaceTimed his sister and had me say hello to her. I love it when people are so openly friendly and invite you right into their life (or in this case, car).
He asked if we could stop for coffee and he kindly treated me to coffee and pastry before finally arriving at my hotel.
My view from the car window as I arrive in southern Italy!
Side note: this trip taught me that I have room to be a bit more brave and the next time I travel, I will be saving a lot of money by NOT hiring a driver. I am much more comfortable after this trip and I don’t regret hiring help, I just know now that I am more than capable of navigating public transport in the future.
Residence Le Terrazze is a lovely hotel on the hillside above Sorrento.
I chose this place specifically for the view and the fact that it was away from the hustle and bustle of town. I was greeted exuberantly by Alberto, the most friendly staff person I’ve ever met. He called me “madame” and I liked how that sounded compared to ma’am. When you reach your 40’s, being addressed as a “ma’am” makes a tiny portion of your soul shrivel. Am I right!?
I was able to order some incredible risotto and had it delivered to my room. The room I reserved was like a small apartment with two twin beds in the main area and a queen bed in the bedroom. There was a kitchenette as well. It is my understanding that normally this hotel delivers pastries to your door every morning however, during Covid this service has been discontinued. They do make you a cappuccino any time you want one though! I took FULL advantage of this. There is also a percolating stove-top coffee maker in the rooms as well as a mini-fridge and microwave. I recommend this hotel for familes as the rooms are spacious and you can prepare your own food should you need to watch your spending.
The staff at this hotel are extremely friendly and the hotel offers a free shuttle bus that takes you to and from Sorrento right from the front entrance of the hotel. They give you a shuttle schedule as you check in and the shuttle runs from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every hour. Along with this shuttle schedule, they give you the hydrofoil (boat to Capri) and local train schedules so you are well connected during your stay.
I’ve included a link to reviews for this hotel from other travelers, too.
My room had a glorious terrace overlooking the pool and the Bay of Sorrento. It was a magical place to relax after a busy week in Rome. The mediterranean sea air was a delightful respite from the heat I’d experienced in Rome and as I tucked in for the night, I felt lucky to have made it without much delay and was looking forward to the next day… a day along the Almafi Coast!
Next week I am taking you on a hike above Almafi and Positano. Get ready to meet some goats, see yachts, the biggest bougainvillea of your life and, if you want to know who the best guide is in this area, I’ve got you covered!
For now, please view my Tips: Italy page for a detailed guide on the different types of trains in Italy (there are quite a few and it can be confusing).