Today we did a full day trip to the town of Sorrento. After a 2.5 hour drive from Pico, we caught up with friends of ours from Belmont who were at the end of their ten day holiday. We also caught up with another family from Canton who had just arrived in Sorrento to start the Amalfi coast leg of their holiday. 

We enjoyed lots of drinks and laughs, popped in and out of many shops and bars, and it was great to spend the day relaxing with friends. 

Paul and I made our way to the Bellevue Syrene hotel where we had stayed 25 years ago on our honeymoon and we all ate dinner at Tratorria da Emilia which we had dined at 25 years ago. While the food was good – I had spaghetti with clams, Paul had seafood risotto and D had pasta with seafood – the service was rushed which was disappointing.

Another highlight of the day was going to Sant’Anna Institute and several other local landmarks which Miss M had told us about from her semester abroad. A student let us into the gated Sant’Anna community and when I went into the main classroom building some of the staff was at the entrance. When I shared that our daughter had attended the school in the spring semester and shared her name, the ladies lit up with huge smiles and got super excited. While we know from Miss M what a positive impression study abroad had on her, it’s easy to forget that the students also make a tremendous impact on the staff each semester. 

A 2.5 hour drive back to Pico – it was a long day but memorable for sure.