Italy - Day 4 - How the Other Ten Percent Live

Today was a very busy day. From Sorrento we took a ferry to the Isle of Capri. No Tim. Not the casino. The actual island. This is the place where the rich and famous go to play. We didn't see any celebrities and I assume that's because they stay away during tourist season. This again is very hilly terrain. Capri is laced with small passage ways and steep steps. There are very few vehicles on the island. Small, narrow trucks are used for city services (trash, ambulances, police, etc), but no other forms of transportation. Not even bicycles as they would not be practical for the many stairs.

 Those who grow up on the island have grown very accustomed to all of the walking. Interestingly, we took a gondola from the main landing in Capri to the top of the mountain where all of the shops are.

After taking the gondola back down, we had a light lunch in one of the small cafes. We then took a boat ride (not to be confused with the large ferry) around the island. This was a way to her a unique view of the rock formations and grottoes that make up the island.

After returning for this unique tour of the island, we hopped back on the ferry and returned to the mainland of Sorrento.

We returned to our hotel for a brief respite before dinner. What I didn't realize was that dinner would be the highlight of the trip so far for me.

We had dinner at a Sorrento farm. This is a working farm that has been operated by the same family for generations. They grow olives, oranges, grapes, apricots and other crops. The have a couple cows and a few geese and chickens. All on 4 acres!

 They also make fresh mozzerla and olive oil on site. Extra virgin olive oil comes from the initial pressing within 24 hours of picking the olives. Virgin olive oil is also the first pressing, but after 24 hours of picking.

 Some of our travel mates actually made Margherita pizza as part of a demonstration which we consumed later. I was amazed at how quickly the pizza cooked in the large outdoor oven. Maybe 3-4 minutes.

It was really cool to see how this farming tradition has persisted for so long. The grandmother making the mozzarella didn't speak much English, but when we went to take her picture, she said, "cheese!"

It was back to the hotel for some quick sleep and ready for what tomorrow holds.