Hands down, there's nothing Greta and I enjoy more than Italy- the food, the wine, the people...and being able to smoke a pipe almost anywhere you choose. This year, we were back on the Amalfi Coast - starting in Sorrento where we were married 5 years ago. We arrived the day before the annual regatta- one of the boat pictures is the 75 year old Italia- I was able to crew on that boat a few years ago- a lot of history there. We spent 6 days in Sorrento and found it incredibly stressful for the first few days- When we left Sarasota on Thursday, Irma was tracking for the Atlantic coast, by time we landed on Friday, it was heading up the Gulf Coast towards Sarasota...and we had done zero in the way of hurricane prep. The kids were all hunkered down in a house in Tampa and the worse damage we had on our house was two blown out screens on our lanai. We didn't sleep for a couple of nights and were glad when it was over....
Next up was a few days on Capri- a lot of history, amazing views and some of the most incredible boats anchored in the area you could imagine. We always hire a boat with captain fro a tour around the island- most folks have heard of the Blue Grotto, but there are actually 9 or 10 grottos that you can swim through- all kinds of different colors and coral to see. Beaches in this part of the world are rock...and there's nothing like swimming off one of these beaches- you're swimming in a 3' swell in very deep water...and amazing scenery.
It's pretty dismal on pipe shops in this part of Italy- many Tabaccerias, but a limited selection of pipe tobacco and a handful of pipes. The good news is the majority of the restaurants are outdoor patios, and we didn't find any of them where you couldn't smoke a pipe. It may be the dry air and salt air, but a pipe tastes great there compared to the muggy jungle of Florida. My go to tobacco this trip was 3 year old Stonehaven with Escudo as a backup...
Final leg is in Ischia- staying at the Punta Chariot Resort- a pretty amazing place where they make their own wine, cheese, tomatoes, figs, olives, and almost anything else they serve at their restaurant. It's also a volcanic island -earthquake killed a couple of people up in the mountains last month. One of our favorite things is taking 700 steps down to the base of a cliff at the resort where boiling water flows out and meets the see. They actually are boiling potatoes in holes in the rock. To get out far enough in the ocean where you can tolerate the temperature, you have to walk on a 12" board maybe 20' out....not a good idea after a bottle of Prosecco...
Next up was a few days on Capri- a lot of history, amazing views and some of the most incredible boats anchored in the area you could imagine. We always hire a boat with captain fro a tour around the island- most folks have heard of the Blue Grotto, but there are actually 9 or 10 grottos that you can swim through- all kinds of different colors and coral to see. Beaches in this part of the world are rock...and there's nothing like swimming off one of these beaches- you're swimming in a 3' swell in very deep water...and amazing scenery.
It's pretty dismal on pipe shops in this part of Italy- many Tabaccerias, but a limited selection of pipe tobacco and a handful of pipes. The good news is the majority of the restaurants are outdoor patios, and we didn't find any of them where you couldn't smoke a pipe. It may be the dry air and salt air, but a pipe tastes great there compared to the muggy jungle of Florida. My go to tobacco this trip was 3 year old Stonehaven with Escudo as a backup...
Final leg is in Ischia- staying at the Punta Chariot Resort- a pretty amazing place where they make their own wine, cheese, tomatoes, figs, olives, and almost anything else they serve at their restaurant. It's also a volcanic island -earthquake killed a couple of people up in the mountains last month. One of our favorite things is taking 700 steps down to the base of a cliff at the resort where boiling water flows out and meets the see. They actually are boiling potatoes in holes in the rock. To get out far enough in the ocean where you can tolerate the temperature, you have to walk on a 12" board maybe 20' out....not a good idea after a bottle of Prosecco...