Monday, July 10, 1922: Naples, Italy
“L. and I got up at 6:30 this morning and came on to Naples. R.’s audience with the Pope was scheduled for 1:00, so she and W. stayed in Rome and we came on here to make arrangements for our sight-seeing trips. We left Rome at 8:20 and reached Naples at 1:30. Took a carriage to the Hotel Riviera and got some of the dirt off before we started out again.
Went to the American Express for our trips. Arranged for a trip to Vesuvius and Pompeii for tomorrow and for one to Capri the following [day]. Also got our railroad tickets to Venice. After finishing there, we strolled along and did some window shopping and some of the real kind. Found a glove shop and couldn’t resist. While in there, our pestiferous friends of the train from Geneva to Rome came by. We did not recognize him. Then we hailed a taxi to go to the station to meet the girls. He took us to the dock first, then finally to the railroad station. The girls did not get here on that train because R.’s audience with the Pope lasted until 2:30. L. and I came back to the hotel for dinner then took the carriage to the station. Had a lady driver and she surely attracted a lot of attention. And we had lots to tell each other, as we had been separated for all of 12 hours.”
[The Hotel Riviera is just a few feet away from the center of Sorrento and overlooks the Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius.]
Tuesday, July 11, 1922: Naples, trip to Capri
“This morning we got up expecting to leave at 9:00 [a.m.]. and our guide was here at 8:15 for us. We finished dressing in a hurry, then, swallowed some breakfast and were off. We thought we were going to Vesuvius, but after we got started, found out that we were going to Capri. When we got on the little boat to go out to the steamer, a crowd of people that we had seen on a couple of trips in Rome were with us. After we got on the large boat, one of them came and sat next to R. and me. Our two crowds stuck together all day and had lots of fun. We stopped first at Sorrento, then went to the Blue Grotto - that is a beautiful little grotto near Capri. We got off the boat here and got into little rowboats, in which we went into the grotto. It is like a large cave. We had to lie down in the boat when we went in the opening (because it) is so low. Inside the entire cave is the loveliest blue I ever saw. We landed at Capri a little after 12:00 (Noon) and had lunch at once at a little eating place looking out over the bay. It is lovely there. Our guide gave us the best of service and saw to it that we were well taken care of.”
[Capri is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula. One feature of Capri is the Blue Grotto - a sea cave. When sunlight shines through seawater, it creates a blue reflection in the cavern.]
“After lunch, we went up to the top of the mountain by cable car. Saw some lovely villas. It is a very popular resort, especially during the winter. We girls all decided to go there for our honeymoons. Saw the Krupp [famous arms maker in Germany] Villa, which has been taken over by the Italian government. Got back down to the dock and some of the crowd went swimming. The boat left at 4:30 and we got back to Naples about 6:45. Our guide put us on a train and we got out to the hotel o.k. Had dinner and got ready for bed. Now I’m going to roll in.”
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