“How are we even here?”

That was the quote of the week by our sweet cousin, Abby. “Unreal.” “Surreal.” Those were other words used by her and her brother, Max, as they and their parents, Mark and Alice, spent the week with us aboard Sabática cruising around the Gulf of Naples. It was truly a fabulous week, and we were sad to see them go. 

Before I get into the details of our week, though, I need to back up a little bit… 

If you read my last post, you know that Conor and I were making our way up the Calabrian coast of Italy and availing of various anchorages along the way. Since then, we discovered our favorite anchorage of the journey, so I would be remiss not to mention it. The anchorage was rightly named “Baia del Buon Dormire,” or “Bay of Good Sleep.” It certainly was! And, it was such a stunning spot. We ended up staying for two nights. In addition, we were anchored near another catamaran (an Outremer) that we had encountered at a couple of our previous locations. The friendly British owner invited us over for drinks and evening snacks, along with a Swiss couple on another neighboring Outremer. Conor calls the Outremer the “Porsche of catamarans,” so he was thrilled to get to go onboard and take a tour! Very friendly folks, and the socializing really added to our stay. The photos really don’t do the place justice…

Now on to our travels in the Gulf of Naples!

Agropoli – Technically, this town is in the Gulf of Policastro, still south of the Gulf of Naples. This was our last stop on our own before collecting our cousins. The town was buzzing with life, and if you want to find a pizzeria, this is the place to go. (Nearly all the restaurants were pizzerie!)

Salerno – A good size city, it sits just east of the Amalfi coast, making it a great starting point. We landed here at about the exact same time our cousins – Mark, Alice, Max and Abby – arrived from Texas (via a train from Rome). We let them settle into Sabática, then we strolled into town enjoying the seafront promenade that connects the passenger port to the Old Town. The cathedral was a beautiful surprise, along with the fact that it held the remains of St. Matthew (one of the twelve apostles and one of the authors of the Gospel). A pizza dinner was the next order of business! 

The Amalfi Coast and Sorrento (sort of) – We indoctrinated our new crew, put them to work, and then set sail along the Amalfi coast! Mark and Alice could recall and recognize towns such as Amalfi, Ravello, and Positano. It is a beautiful, if not busy, coastline. We stopped part way at some tiny islands so the gang could have their first swim. We also raised the new screecher for a brief while. It really helps to have more crew on board to do so!

As we made our way to Sorrento, we learned just outside the marina that they had given our spot away to another catamaran. Turns out, they had recorded our visit for a month later. Instant Plan B was to simply anchor out in front along the coastline. It was, unfortunately, not an ideal spot due to so much boat traffic. There was no place to land a dinghy, so we ate dinner aboard. The crew were great sports, though, and we had many laughs (eventually) as Sabática bobbed around like crazy and many things went flying. The biggest advantage was realized in the morning as everyone took their turn paddling in the kayak and exploring the nearby caves. A fun perk being able to just hop off the boat!

Procida – This is the smallest island in the Gulf of Naples and is probably the prettiest upon arrival. It is a fishing village, and it’s said that all the colorful buildings help the fisherman find their way back. We anchored here, and the crew got to experience their first rides in UberDing. We had a steep climb up, but enjoyed strolling the town, sampling the local pastries, viewing more churches, enjoying a seafood dinner (most of us), and then some gelato. Mark took the extra steep walk up and was rewarded with great views. I think this was his favorite place during their journey. He was curious if the tiny green island next to it was for sale. 😉

Ischia – While tourists flock to the island of Capri, locals instead vacation on the neighboring island of Ischia. It’s said to be just as beautiful, with lots to do, and much fewer crowds. Personally, this was my favorite locale of the week. We enjoyed one night in a marina on the north side of the island (near the town of Ischia) and a night at anchor on the south side (outside the town of Sant’Angelo). Both great spots. Our first day, we visited the Castello Aragonese, an amazing place with twenty five centuries of history within. The Castle is more than just a castle – it’s really a tiny village on its own island, containing thirteen churches, gardens, historic convents, prisons, and more. It’s really a “must see” if ever visiting Ischia, you just have to be prepared for endless stairs going up, even when you are trending back down! 

Our other highlight on Ischia was experiencing the natural thermal mineral baths that this volcanic island has to offer. We chose to visit Poseidon, one of the really nice thermal spas, which was near Sant’Angelo. We all donned attractive hair caps and spent the whole afternoon walking in and out of nearly twenty different pools within a beautiful garden setting. Conor likened it to boiling a frog because with each subsequent pool, the temperature got a bit warmer. The hottest pools were 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The hot-freezing bath combos were “invigorating” to say the least. We all thoroughly enjoyed this big treat and hoped to have been cured of anything that ailed us. Sitting in one of these relaxing pools is where Abby came out with “How are we even here??” 😉 It really was a fabulous place, and we were thrilled to be able to share the experience together.

Sorrento – This time we actually got to stay in the marina. It was a tiny, but very busy place with ferries and tour boats coming in and out. However, it was right in the heart of the town, but again up a lot of stairs. We started off here with one of the free walking tours we like to do, and our guide gave us a fun intro to the area and local culture. We got to taste lemon enhanced mozzarella and of course, limoncello. Why are Sorrento lemons so famous? They are a unique species found only in this special microclimate. They are large, round, and very acidic. Their limoncello will taste different than limoncello from other places. They make salads out of the rinds (We tried one but weren’t fans), have a special Lemon Delight dessert (which Alice did try and liked), and make anything you can imagine with lemons. We also enjoyed seeing various artisans still carrying on their traditional work – shoemakers and inlaid wood artists. They are a rare breed these days.

Mark, Alice, Max and Abby left from Sorrento taking a train back to Rome. We had such a fun week, sharing lots of great food, gelato, experiences, and laughs. It was particularly fun to see and experience Italy through the new eyes of Max and Abby. Conor and I have been loving the opportunity to provide special vacations and unique experiences to our family and friends. This crew were all great to have aboard, and we hope they will come back again!

* Many thanks to the crew for all their great photos!

Our next guests are arriving in the same area in about a week, so Conor and I returned to Procida and have been anchored out here for the week. It’s the most protected bay in the gulf and has proved to be a good place to stay. But wow, it turns into a completely different place on the weekends with all the locals coming out in their boats for the day!