HOLIDAY IN SORRENTO ITALY

This is the third time that I have been to Italy and it never disappoints me, the laid back coffee drinking lifestyle is so addictive and the care free attitude of the Italians as times can be annoying, a tea break in the middle of us waiting for our luggage at Naples airport comes to mind! But on the whole it's what life should be about, no worrying and not a care in the world. The Hotel La Favorita where we stayed was situated in the heart of the town, only juts recently built and with marble floors, Italian antiques and a roof top terrace with pool it promised to be a great location for our stay. Only disappointment was the first floor restaurant and bar that was not open in the evening due to the weather being so nice, puzzled us all as it was still late 20's in the evening and a nice air conditioned restaurant and bar would have seemed the logical choice, instead we went to the local restaurants and taverns were only too pleased to take our money. As you would expect the food and drink were superb, the service and friendliness was also present everywhere we went, favourite place had to be the Photo restaurant, on display was a selection of black and white photos by a local photographer, although only recently taken they had a film quality that looked as if they could have been taken forty years ago.

A holiday wouldn't be the same without the traditional excursions, we decided to cover Capri, Mount Vesuvius (a tiring trek in 36 degrees up a 45 degree incline covering just over a mile!), the city of Herculeum which had been buried under the lava of Mount Vesuvius and our favourite of all a drive along the Amalfi coast, amazing roads and Positano must rate as one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. As the week came to an end it was very much about relaxing and just chatting, reading, taking the odd photo or two and sampling the local vino. Photography wise I just wanted to get a record of our stay, this included scooters, coffee, the Amalfi Coast and the locals, which also included a few lavish weddings during the week. Certainly missed not using an SLR but enjoyed the flexibility of the Ricoh and it's compactness. Now back off home and the hustle and bustle of the UK.