Bret had a conference in Naples, so I decided to tag along!
After a long flight, we got to Naples early on a Saturday morning. Our hotel room was not quite ready for us, so we spent the morning wandering around our neighborhood and taking in the sites.
caprese!! 
so many beautiful churches 
the Naples waterfront
In the afternoon, I got a quick shower in, then headed straight back to the airport. I left Bret in Naples to conference and I flew to Geneva to visit Cinda, Danny, their boys, and their new puppy Mousse! It was a quick turn around, but it was well worth it. We got out on the lake, ate well, and probably had a glass of wine or two. It was such a treat!
Cap’n Danny! 
Cinda on the lake! 
cousin time! (Photo courtesy of Cinda) 
Princess Pamplemousse… my new BFBH (best friend basset hound).
I got back to Naples in time for the end of Bret’s conference and HIS 40th BIRTHDAY!!! True to Bret, he wanted to keep it low key. He went to the last sessions of his conference in the morning, then we took a train out to Herculaneum, a town that was buried in the Mt Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD. We explored the town for the afternoon, then returned to Naples for a lovely dinner on the water.
The bones of people who hid from the eruption. 
The only picture I got of Bret on the big day! 
Artwork from inside one of the houses 
a mosaic floor
The next morning, we jumped on an early ferry to Ischia to kick off the vacation part of the trip!
The view from our hotel 
the Castle 
the view from the castle 
our swimming hole 
the next town over 
“Il Fungo” the mushroom
We were in Ischia for three days. In the mornings, we explored the nearby Aragonese Castle and some nearby towns. In the afternoons, we swam in the ocean and relaxed on the deck. We also ate well and had some great local wines.
Then we were on to Sorrento! We loved Sorrento. While we did not get to stay right on the water like we did in Ischia, we found a very nice and quiet B&B tucked into an alley in the heart of busy Sorrento. The first night, we returned to a restaurant Bret enjoyed on his previous visit to Sorrento, Trattoria da Emilia and drank my namesake rosato!
The next day we got up early and took the first ferry to Capri. We bussed to the Anacapri side of the island and took at single chairlift to the top of the mountain. The views of Naples Bay and the Amalfi Coast were pretty great.
ferry ride 
single chair lift. yikes! 
view from the top 
view of the Amalfi Coast
After, we wandered around the town of Capri a bit. We saw this cool sculpture made of old bike chains. Then we headed back to Sorrento for another delicious dinner.
The next morning, we walked out to the Regina Giovanna Bath. The views of Sorrento were pretty great on the way out. Then we got to swim around in some ancient Roman ruins and have lunch out on the rocks.
View back towards Sorrento 
the bridge to lunch 
The Queen’s Baths 
swimming around
The next morning, we were up early again and we took a bus to Positano. We wanted to hike the Path of the Gods from Nocelle to Bomerano , but first we had to climb 1,700 steps to get from the road to Nocelle.
climbing 
We were glad to get to the top of the stairs 
Views down the Amalfi Coast 
Random concert along the path 
Return trip views
We made it up the stairs and enjoyed all the amazing views along the 4-mile trail. It was a little crowded on the return hike, but we loved it.
When we made it back to Positano, we had well-deserved and amazing lunch on the waterfront followed by a swim at the public beach.
We decide to spend our last day in Italy lounging at a beach club in Sorrento. We swam around, relaxed, and ate until the afternoon, when we had to hop a train back to Naples.
We spent one last night in Naples on the 9th floor with a view that could not be beat. We fell asleep to the sounds of fireworks and marching bands, although we could not figure out what exactly they were celebrating. It sounded super fun!
It was an amazing trip! We loved everything we did and got to come home relaxed and rejuvenated.