At the sea

I finally had my first opportunity since I arrived one year ago to go to the beach! With the hot weather we are having, it was a welcome break.

Getting there
This particular stretch of seashore is south of Napoli on the Sorrentine Peninsula. We went to an area called Vico Equense. On the weekends it is horrible traffic along the two lane winding road that goes along by the sea. Plus the beaches are wall to wall people. So we opted to go during the week when there would be less traffic and less people on the beach. It worked out perfectly weather-wise and with just the right amount of people.

The drive is beautiful and the views are wonderful. We were on the south side of Vesuvio and looking back you get a magnificent look at the volcano.

View of Vesuvio from Vico Equense

Another view of Vesuvio

The road along the sea reminds you of just about any other coastal road in the world where I have been -- Australia, Mexico, Spain, Canada, US. There are plenty of roadside snack bars and souvenir stands, places to rental snorkel and diving gear, and have your fortune told.

Some of the best lemons in the world are grown along this coast

The Amenities
This area (and maybe a lot of the coast in Italy) is mostly filled with private beaches, some associated with hotels and some that are just beach resorts. It seems you pay to get in and then pay extra for a lounge chair, lawn chair or beach umbrella. The Strajo Terme is an upscale resort with hotel, thermal hot springs, nice bath houses, pretty gardens and terraces and restaurant. The cove is protected and the water fantastic!

From the terrace at Scrajo Terme

http://www.scrajoterme.it/

The beach areas here are narrow and perched on the hillside. Parking is topside and typically you have to walk quite a ways to get down to the shore. With my friend Rosa along to plead my case, they let us drive down this very narrow road to almost the bottom. At the very last stretch, it was so narrow that I was afraid to take my car down there so the parking attendant drove it for us. Later when we were ready to leave he drove us out as well. We gave him a 1 Euro tip for his help.

View of Strajo Terme from the parking lot

Rosa ruled out several of the beaches for me because of all the steps involved and fortunately, she knows this area pretty well and knows where to go. There were about 15 steps in total that I had to negotiate but that was very doable.

The Water
It is always hard to capture in words or photos the beauty of a place. Once you get down to the water and look back up at the cliffs in both directions you are amazed by the green and rock and brilliant blue sky.

Crystal clear water

Rosa and Jenny.
 The bottom here is smooth pebbles, not hard to walk on except that you sink in about 6 inches with each step.

We swam and layed in the sun and swam some more. In fact, it was hot enough that in about 10 minutes our suits were dry and we were hot, so back in the water! Rosa is naturally darker skin, and definitely more used to the sun than I am. I lathered on sunscreen relentlessly and at one point I put on a cover up and had my legs covered with a towel to keep from burning. Still I wouldn't leave until we absolutely had to go -- it was just too wonderful for words!

We met some friends there and they joined us for a panini and lots of water.

Stefania, Ernesto, Rosa, Jenny

It was hard to leave but no regrets about this day. We relaxed, had fun, enjoyed some incredible God-given beauty, and had lots of good conversation as well. It doesn't get much better than this!

Rosa and Jenny - before shower

Jenny - after shower
What a beautiful place!