Meta & Sorrento
For this four-day holiday, next to the obligatory Pompeii visit (and other plans we ended up not going through with because of changes in our moods, the weather or simply lack of time) I really needed some time and space to chill. Since the vibrant and chaotic city of Napoli isn’t exactly the most relaxing of places, we decided on a guest house in Meta instead. By train, it is about an hour and a half from Napoli, half an hour from Pompeii, and less than 20 minutes from Sorrento - when and if the train arrives, that is. It will always come at some point, but timetables mean nothing and it gets so crowded you can forget about getting a seat!
That southern Italian chaos is all part of the charm though, and discovering both Meta and Sorrento was a treat. The latter is much more touristy but managed to blow us away with their traditional handicraft (especially the woodwork) and their focus on local citrus fruit products - Limoncello is just the tip of the iceberg. Another highlight was the Franciscan Monastery, which exposed works by Italian photographer Raffaele Celentano, whose strong black & white or key colour pictures capture the quintessence of Italian culture.
Meta was still quieter during that time of year and I loved having it as a base to have your morning coffee(s) and evening Limoncello Spritz(es) overlooking the sea. With great food (goes without saying), lemons and oranges and bright colours all around, this short getaway managed to propel me into summer mode.
