Vegan MoFo Day 17: Napoli, Part 1 - Capri and Sorrento

One of the port calls on our 2003 Mediterranean cruise was Naples, Italy. My friend Lisa, whose father was stationed in Naples during our college years, will hate me for saying this, but we didn't spend any time in Naples itself. Rather, we spent the morning on the island of Capri, had lunch on an outdoor terrace in Sorrento, and spent the afternoon taking a tour of Pompeii. That's a whole lot to see during the approximate 10-hour port call, so we didn't have time to see Naples-proper. But, wow, did we get to see a LOT!

After our ship docked in the Bay of Naples, we took a ferry to Capri, a popular resort island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Capri is very small - only about 4 square miles - but it has long been considered one of the Mediterranean's must-see places. I couldn't agree more - it's stunningly beautiful!

Our ferry docked at the Marina Grande. From there, we rode this funiculare up to Capri town. The views on the way up were simply amazing!

Our tour didn't include a ton of time in Capri, so mostly we just walked around town and enjoyed the sights and scenery (and a delicious melon granita...I wish I had a picture of that!)

Soon we were back on the ferry, this time over to Sorrento. 

Sorrento is gorgeous in its own right, but it is probably most famous for the production of Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur made from lemon rinds, sugar, alcohol, and water. It's pretty potent stuff (I may have tried some of Lisa's bounty of Limoncello in college), so I didn't partake of any while in Sorrento. Still, we had a fabulous lunch on a gorgeous outdoor terrace on the cliffs. I remember eating some fresh bread, olives, pasta, and dessert, and it was all fabulous.

After lunch, we spent a little time meandering through the town's alleyways, browsing in the galleries and shops offering unique wares and souvenirs. But soon it was time to hop back on the ferry and head toward our day's final destination, Pompeii (to be continued in another post!)

In a nod to the fresh, delicious lunch I ate on that beautiful terrace, I made an Italian-inspired salad that captured the flavors of Capri and Sorrento.

Baby romaine lettuce is topped with halved Campari tomatoes, cucumber, orange bell pepper, garbanzo beans, celery, and olives. I made the Basic Balsamic Dressing from 1,000 Vegan Recipes and used white balsamic vinegar, which gave the dressing a wonderful lightness. I finished it off with a sprinkling of nooch for a touch of cheesy flavor.

It was the perfect light lunch, and one that I will surely make again!