Breakfast in Italy is definitely more decadent than back home and Hotel Central Wellness did not disappoint! There was everything from grilled vegetables to eggs, to meats and cheeses, to nuts, fruits and any pastry you could wish for!
BAGNI DELLA REGINA GIOVANNA
Once we were done eating, the decision was made to take the bus to the Bagni Della Regina Giovanna (https://www.italia.it/en/campania/naples/things-to-do/bagni-regina-giovanna-roman-villa-capo-di-sorrento), which means Queen Joanna‘s Baths. This is a natural pool with teal/light green waters that photos do not even do justice! This is definitely one of the most breathtaking places in Sorrento.
It is located in Punta Capo (https://www.italia.it/en/campania/naples/capo-di-sorrento), which is a section of coastline about 15 minutes from the center. We did have to wait around a bit, as the bus schedules did not really follow what our papers told us, but we learned that Italians kind of roll with the punches and are not bothered in the least by having to wait around. The buses were comfortable and had air conditioning, so that was a plus! To get to this location, the bus drops you off at the top of a big hill that has a little store at the top. Highly recommend grabbing some drinks before heading down, as the walk back up is ALOT and without any drinks we were ready to pass out when we got back to the top.
It is a 15 minute walk downhill to the edge of the ocean. There are various passages that you can take to get to the lagoon. We looped around, inadvertently taking the long way, but the views were breathtaking. This natural pool is surrounded by rock ledges on three sides, and connects to the sea by a narrow arch. The only downfall is there is really nowhere to stand comfortably or put your belongings if you are venturing into the water. Most just propped there stuff on rock ledges or along the greenery surrounding the natural pool… or had someone holding their crap.
The natural pool is generally calm, with people on kayaks coming in and out, there were a few times when waves rolled through, but there were people of all ages swimming and enjoying the water. We had some in our group (the 22 year olds) that decided that they needed to climb the rocks and jump. Unbeknownst to the mom’s watching their children scaling the rock ledges, voices travel very easily through the lagoon, so they could hear very clearly the screams for them to be careful, apparently along with everybody else in the there… and there were a lot of people.
CIOSK!
We stayed about 2.5 hours and then headed back to the hotel. When we got back most people wanted to relax and rest, but not me!!! I decided time to explore a little. First stop…. this cute little place that I spotted the day previous. RIGHT NEXT TO THE HOTEL. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going…but I made it to the Ciosk (aka Casino). So I felt like I was doing something wrong and it reminded me of the OTB (Off Track Betting) places from the 70’s back home. I’m pretty sure they unlock the door to these places in the morning and leave. I went in, I was the only one there, I even called out “hello”, with no answer. Each slot machine had a standing ashtray that I’m pretty sure I purchased for my grandparents in 1982. I decided to play the first slot machine and held the door open with my foot while Facetiming my friend (one can never be too careful)! And what do you know… Cha-Ching! I won! I ended up cashing out 42 euros up and went and got some bottles of wine to share my good wealth. I purchased the same that we enjoyed the evening before at dinner.
The Hotel Central wellness had a adorable little bar with Lorenzo at the helm! He was a young guy who made really great drinks. He also had a girlfriend who lived in the United States, so we chatted a lot about that. So friendly! We were able to bring our wine down to the lobby and have some drinks before we headed back out for dinner. They did not seem to mind at all that we had our own stuff.
IBISCO ROUND TWO!
Embarrassingly, we are creatures of habit so one guess where we went to dinner? That’s right, Ibisco! I know I know! We are in Italy surrounded by hundreds of different restaurants, but we all decided we loved it that much and we would all try a little something different.
After we left the restaurant, we wandered the streets a bit before heading back to the hotel to pack for our early train ride to Rome in the morning, but wish we had done at least one more day to really soak in the rich culture, beauty, and shopping of this magical place! A few more pictures of the various sites and scenes that we encountered!
My Italian Adventures 