Photos

There are many fantastic wedding photos out on the interweb. If you wish to post a link to yours, or put your favourite photos up on the blog please do so by adding them as a comment to this posting.

Some photos that our photographer took are here (you don't have to have an account with facebook to access this album). Here are also photos from Ed, Giovanna, Helen and Vince, and from the Panico camera (Silvia, Conor and Jenny were the photographers on that one).

and some of our honeymoon

Thank you all for coming. It was the best day ever for the both of us.

love,
John and Lidia

--

I have also now added photos my Dad took at the wedding.

John.

Wedding list

The best gift is of course your presence at our wedding in Italy. But if you'd like inspiration for presents, we now have a wedding list at WrapIt.

You can buy online with a credit card through their website - just like an ordinary online shop, or you can call them on + 44 (0) 20 8877 6372.

Getting to Naples

Flights

There are a surprising number of direct flights from the UK to Naples airport.

bmi (London Heathrow)
British Airways (London Gatwick)
easyJet (London Stansted)
Thomsonfly (Manchester)

Other options include flying to Rome with Ryanair from Glasgow, Stansted, Luton or Liverpool, and then catching the high-speed train that connects to Naples in an hour and a half. Milan is a comfortable 6-hour train journey away, along the train line that also stops at Bologna and Florence.

Also check out a website like Expedia for connecting flights with Airfrance, Alitalia and Lufthansa, to name a few!

Coming from the States, there are many options. A tried-and-trusted route is to fly Air France through Paris Charles de Gaulle. Flying British Airways means having to get off at Heathrow and get yourself and your luggage to Gatwick, a 2-hour bus journey away. Really not reccomanded! You can also fly to Rome and then transferring to the train station for a fast (1 and half hour) connection to Naples train station (Piazza Garibaldi).

By train!

If you are coming from Europe, consider catching the train! It is easy and very fun. If you are departing from London, you can take an afternoon Eurostar from London and arrive in Paris in 2 and half hours, then take the overnight sleeper train from Paris Bercy to Rome at 7pm. You'll arrive straight in the centre of Rome at Termini station at 10am. From there, it is a 1 and half hour journey to Naples, on the new super-fast train line. You’ll take in some beautiful landscapes and you could also stop in Paris and Rome for a few hours. Great way to start a holiday! Sleepers from Paris also stop in Milan, Venice, Bologna, or Florence, all with easy connections to Naples.

The Eurostar from London to Paris starts at £59. For the sleeper, book in advance (bookings open 3 months before departure), and you can get very discounted tickets. John and I traveled in a 4-berth couchette for 50 pounds from Rome to Paris, and only 55 euros from Paris to Milan! 6-berth couchettes are quite basic, 4-berth are more spacious, for luxury go for the 3- or 2-berth rooms.

Check out http://www.seat61.com/ for info and encouragement, and http://www.raileurope.co.uk/ to buy tickets.

Getting to Sorrento

It is very easy to get from Naples Airport to Sorrento. The easiest way is to catch a direct bus; other options include train, taxi, car or boat.

By Bus

Six daily buses run by Curreri, leaving from directly outside the airport’s arrivals area. Buses stop at most of the towns along the Sorrento coast (Castellamare, Vico Equense, Meta di Sorrento, Piano di Sorrento, Sant’Agnello) before arriving in the center of Sorrento, in Piazza Tasso. €6 one-way, reservations not needed.

See here for more info.

There is also a direct local bus service from the airport to the central train station in Naples in you want to visit Naples before coming to Sorrento.

By Train

If are at the main Naples train station in Piazza Garibaldi take the stairs to the underground and head for the Circumvesuviana line. Trains to Sorrento depart every 20 minutes and an hour.

Tickets costs about €2.60 one-way, you can buy tickets from the ticket stand or at most newsagents in the station. Remember to validate tickets in the yellow machines in the station before you board the train.

Sorrento's train station is located in the centre of town, five minutes' walk from the main Piazza Tasso along Corso Italia.

By Boat

There are hydrofoils linking Naples to Sorrento, from the main Naples port (Molo Beverello), a taxi ride away from the main rail station. They take about 40 minutes to Sorrento and cost about €5. Since April is still low season, there are only 3 boats for Sorrento, at 8:25am, 2:15 pm and 7:15 pm.

The hydrofoils and the ferries go to the port of Sorrento, about 500m from the town center and served by the shuttle buses to and from Piazza Tasso.

Further information from the ferry company and from the tourist office.

By Car

There are several car-hire companies at Naples airport, such as Hertz, Sixt, Europcar and Avis, but bear in mind that parking is limited in Sorrento. General directions are:

Take the A3 out of Naples and exit at Castellammare di Stabia. This will take you to the SS Sorrentina 145 - the coastal road to Sorrento. You can find more info on routes and motorways here.

If you want to hire once in Sorrento, you can use Sorrento, Corso Italia 210 (tel. 081.878.1386), close by the train station, which rents cars and scooters, or Guarracino, Via Sant'Antonino 19 (tel. 081.878.1728), just off the piazza of the same name, rents bikes. There is also a local branch of Hertz.

By Taxi

Taxis are available at the airport, or can be pre-arranged through your hotel. If several guests are arriving at the same time, we can try and arrange transfers. If you are interested, let us know what time you arrive in Naples.

As a general idea, a taxi (3 people) from Naples Airport to Sorrento should cost about 75 euros – be sure you agree to the price of your journey before you set off!

Where to Stay

There is a range of accommodation in Sorrento, from the beautiful sea-front hotels to a youth hostel and a campground. Sorrento Tourism has a list of every accommodation option in town. A selection from the Rough Guide and some from us:

Hotel Bellevue Syrene: 4* hotel, and our reception venue. Sea-facing, recently renovated hotel. We obviously love it. If you are interested in staying here, let us know, as we may be able to block book a number of rooms with a discount. From €150.

Hotel Excelsior Vittoria: 5*, This grand hotel on the sea has formal garden with a lemon and orange grove and a large pool. Right in the center and close to the ceremony venue. From € 305.

Tramontano Hotel : 4* Hotel, situated right between the ceremony and reception venues, with nice gardens and sea views.

Désirée: (Via Capo 31 tel. 081.878.1563) Great option beautifully situated on top of the cliff to the west of town, with sea views. Breakfast is included. No credit cards. €101-125.

Casa Astarita: Centrally located, this B&B is housed in 18-century palace. Only 6 rooms available! From €85

Elios: A ten minutes' walk from the centre to the west of town, this is a more basic hotel with great sea views and private parking. No credit cards. €50-75

Hotel Mignon: 2* Hotel very centrally located near Piazza Tasso. From €80.

Mami Camilla: B&B and cooking school. Situated in Sant Agnello, a 20 minute walk from Piazza Tasso. The accommodation is little huts in the property's lemon grove. Dorms from €20 a night, doubles from €65, triple and quadruple rooms also available.

Youth hostel Le Sirene, Central, dorms €14, including breakfast; double rooms €50-75.

Nube d'Argento: Huts & Camping. Reasonable prices, a 15 minute out of town. Two person huts €60, huts for up to 6 people available.

Apartments: List of apartments in Sorrento.

Villa Terrazza: Serviced apartments in the town centre.

On the day...

3.45: Guests arrive at the Cloisters

The Cloisters are situated off Piazza S. Antonino, very near to the main square, Piazza Tasso. The entrance is through a small alleyway, which is signposted as “Il Chiostro di San Francesco”. A map can be found here.

4.00-4.30: We get married!

The ceremony will be conducted in Italian and translated into English, and should last twenty to thirty minutes. The Cloisters are a public building and will be open to the public throughout, so we may have extra guests during our ceremony.

We will provide confetti for you to throw at us after the ceremony, as they need to be biodegradable.

4.30- 5.30: Photographs next door in the Villa Comunale. Come and join us! There are great views over the Bay of Naples.

6.00: Reception at Bellevue Syrene.

From the Villa Comunale, you can take the 5-minute walk to the Hotel Bellevue Syrene by walking past the Tramontano Hotel opposite the Cloisters. The Bellevue is just past the Tramontano on the right hand side.

Spumante and nibbles await on one of hotel’s sea-front terraces, followed by dinner, then music and drinks on the terrace until the hotel lets us be there!

Wanna have a holiday?

There's a tourist office in the large yellow Circolo dei Forestieri building at Via Luigi de Maio 35, just off Piazza San Antonino (Mon– Sat 8.30am–6.30pm), which has maps, details on transport and information about excursions The travel offices on Piazza San Antonino can deal with bus and ferry enquiries and reserve tickets.

I Giardini di Cafaldo, Via Correale 27 in the centre of Sorrento (daily 9am-7pm), have an orange and lemon grove where you can taste and buy home-produced liqueurs.

It may be too cold for swimming, but if you want to brave the water, there is a small beach at the Marina Piccola lido, right below the Villa Comunale gardens and accessible by a lift or steps. Twenty minutes' walk from the centre of Sorrento along Via del Capo (the continuation of Corso Italia), or a short bus ride from Piazza Tasso, there are a couple of options. You can walk ten minutes or so from the bus stop down the Ruderi Villa Romana Pollio to some nice rocks, around the ruins of a Roman villa; or you could stroll 100m further west and take a path off to the right past the Hotel Dania, which shortcuts in ten minutes or so to Marina Puolo – a short stretch of beach lined by fishing boats and a handful of trattorias.

Day trips from Sorrento

Sorrento is a great place to explore the Bay of Naples. Some popular destinations:

Pompeii: The remains of the old Roman town, incredibly well preserved, are well worth a visit. It takes the best of the part of a day to visit, with lots of walking involved. From the Sorrento train station, the Naples-bound trains stop at Pompei Villa dei Misteri station, which is just opposite the western entrance. Trains are every half hour and the journey takes about half hour. The train costs €1.80 one-way and entry to the site is about €10 per person. Return trains run every 30 minutes until 11.20pm weekdays.

Walk up to the Vesuvius: you can get right up to the main crater, and on a clear day you get amazing views. From Ercolano train station (on the same Naples to Sorrento train line), there are buses, run by Trasporti Vesuviani (at 9.10am, 10.10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm & 2.10pm, last bus back 4.15pm, €4 return). They leave from the bar by the train station. There is a charge of €5 to walk up to the crater. Walking to the crater from the car park takes about half an hour, and it is steep!

Capri and Ischia: there are direct ferries or hydrofoils from the Sorrento port to both islands; boats depart throughout the day. The hydrofoil journey takes 25 minutes and costs €11.60 per return trip. Last boat back at 6.30pm.

The Amalfi Coast: this could make up several day trips! The SITA buses from outside the Sorrento train station go to Positano and Amalfi, from there you can get to Ravello or less known villages like Maiori and Minori. The bus journey is in itself an experience, sit on the right-hand side as you board the bus for the best views. Or be daring and hire a car and do the costal road yourself. There is also a boat service linking Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi (€8.50 to Amalfi and €7 to Positano, one-way, kids under 12 €2, free for under 4s). The boat takes half an hour to Positano and an hour to Amalfi and leave at 7:30am, 9:25, 1:30 and 3:10pm, Last boats back at 5pm from Amalfi and 5:30 from Positano.

You can also access Sorrento Tourist Office here

Off-the-beaten track, most options will require your own transport or a taxi, but are worth it!

Marina del Cantone: a tiny town down some very steep slopes with a lovely shingles beach and at least 3 Michelin-star restaurants, Quattro Passi, Don Alfonso and La Taverna del Capitano. 8 course tasting menus available, but be sure to have several hours and serious cash available.

Massa Lubrense: Just east of Sorrento, the tip of the peninsula has many walks through the national park "Punta Campanella" (a booklet is available from the Massa Lubrense tourism office) and agri-turismos, where you can buy local food and liquers. Many also offer B&B.

Walking: there are many paths along the whole peninsula. The best way to explore them is to get a guide like "Landscapes of Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri", available on Amazon.


Further afield

Paestum: An hour’s bus ride from Salerno, Paestum is an old Greek site with some of the best preserved Greek temples around. Located in an area where the best buffalo mozzarella is made!
Cilento: Further south from Paestum, and probably no longer a day trip, the Cilento area is a mountainous national park which includes some pretty seaside resorts like Palinuro.


Eating

There are many restaurants, but it pays to avoid the major tourist places. If you can’t afford to stay at the gorgeous hotels on the sea-front, you can still have a drink or coffee on their terraces or at the Circolo dei Forestieri. For ice-cream, Gelateria Bouganvilla on corso Italia has loads of home-made flavours. Some suggestions from the Rough guide:

Angelina Lauro: Piazza Angelina Lauro 39. A self-service place with a menù turistico for €9.50. No credit cards. Closed Tues.

Il Buco: Rampa Marina Piccola 11, off Piazza San Antonino. This former monastic wine cellar does good fish; mains €20 and menù degustazione €60. Closed Wed.

Da Gigino: Via degli Archi 15. A great, no-nonsense choice, with excellent pizzas and good pasta and main courses; pizza from €7. Closed Tues.

Giardiniello: Via Accademia 7. Pizzeria-ristorante with a small garden specializes in fish, shellfish and barbecued meats; try the gnocchi alla sorrentina at €5. Closed Thurs.

La Fenice: Via degli Aranci 11 A great place with a covered patio and lively atmosphere, specializing in fish; mains around €18. Closed Mon.

Parruchiano: Corso Italia 67 More of a conservatory than a restaurant, this vast place is very popular with locals and tour groups alike. The fine food is great value; try the cannelloni con ricotta at €6.