After taking the ferry from Capri to Positano, then lugging our suitcases up the steep, narrow streets and steps of Positano to the car park where we had left our car for the past 7 days, we took the easy 40 minute drive to Sorrento. This was our last stop with Tona and Alex before they were due to head home and we had three nights there.

Sorrento sits on the opposite side of the peninsula from the Amalfi coast, with views over the bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius standing sentry to the towns spread at it's base. Sorrento itself sits on top of a sheer cliff. Our hotel was just outside Sorrento on a hill overlooking the city. The infinity pool supplied an uninterrupted view of Sorrento and it's cliffs.

We checked in and then took the hotel's shuttle into the town to have a look around. While we were there we had a great lunch in a small restaurant called La Lanterna. Alex's pizza was amazing. There are limoncello shops scattered throughout Sorrento and we checked out a couple of them. They all do taste testing and have all sorts of different limoncello based products, including limoncello filled chocolate balls, which are delicious.

After stocking up on supplies for the next 3 days, we went back to our hotel for a swim. The infinity pool was magnificent, but not very practical, with steep sloping pebble mix sides. The 37 degree heat had made the pebble mix super hot and Tona and I were hopping around like rabbits on speed in our bare feet. We tried several ways to get into the pool before Tona eventually flopped onto her butt, sizzling her cheeks on the volcanic pebbles before rolling into the pool like a beached whale. I walked around to the steps and took the easy way in. After coming out of the pool, Tona tried another way to go in without using the steps by simply jumping over the sloping side into the deep part of the pool. This also failed as she caught her toe on the side on the way in, bending it back and dragging it across the rough pebble-mix.

After our dip, we enjoyed drinks on our terrace overlooking Capri Island and Sorrento.

The next day we had booked a full day tour of the area, including guided tours of Herculaneum and Pompeii by a qualified archaeologist and art historian. Our driver, Antonio picked us up at 8:00 and we drove straight to our first stop, Herculaneum. During the drive, Antonio told us all about his life and the culture of the area. It was funny to hear his take on our Christmas lunches. He explained how it takes his family two weeks to prepare all of the dishes for Christmas and when he visited England they gave him and his brother Turkey and tea for Christmas lunch.

We were met at Herculaneum by our guide, Daniele, who was fantastic. She took us through the town, which was covered by ash during the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD. It is less famous than Pompeii, but much better preserved. Herculaneum was covered in ash, which quickly turned to mud due to a storm. The mud perfectly preserved the whole town, even the perishable items like ropes, food and wood. Unlike Pompeii, the roofs of the houses were intact. The wall paintings, floor mosaics and furniture were in the condition they were in 2,000 years ago when the volcano erupted. The mosaics in particular were in perfect condition, like they were made yesterday.

A macabre scene at Herculaneum was the beachside buildings where the people gathered hoping for boats to come and save them. There were rooms simply filled with skeletons.

Our next stop was Mt Vesuvius and we climbed to the top of the crater and peered down inside. The views of Naples from up there was incredible on the way up. After we had seen the crater, the clouds rolled in and we walked down in the clouds, with no view whatsoever. Our timing could not have been better.

As soon as we climbed into the car, the rain started. By the time we got to our next stop, a winery where we enjoyed lunch, a massive storm had hit and it was pouring rain. The lunch was great, with wines paired to each course and by the time we finished eating, the storm had passed.

We drove to our last stop, Pompeii and met Daniele there for a tour around this fascinating town. It is much larger than Herculaneum, however the roofs of the buildings had collapsed during the eruption so the buildings are not in as good condition. The mosaics, murals and artefacts are incredible though. We spent an hour and a half there in very uncomfortable conditions. The rain had increased the humidity and in the 37 degree heat, even shade provided no relief.

We were very happy to return to our air-conditioned van for the return trip to our hotel. That night we enjoyed a lovely dinner at our hotel on an outside table.

The following day, Lidia and Tona took a shuttle into Sorrento to go shopping and Alex and I took the car to a tiny town called Termini so that we could do a hike to the very tip of the Amalfi peninsula called Punta Campanella.

We parked the car and started on our hike. Before we left the town a local came up to us and explained that when we finished the hike we could visit his restaurant for a refreshment. He seemed lovely and so I said to Alex we should go there after our hike for a lemon slush.

We hiked down to Punta Campanella, enjoying views of the entire island of Capri as we went. The point had an old ruined military fort, which was interesting. The hike back up the mountain was taxing and the weather very hot. By the time we arrived back in Termini I was totally ready for a lemon slush. We went to the restaurant of the man who approached us before our hike to have a drink.

The restaurant was a tiny shopfront run by the owner, his wife and his mother. There were no tables inside, the plastic tables and chairs being across the road in a parking space on the road. When we arrived, the owner explained that he had just finished squeezing his lemons for the day to make his limoncello and lemon slush. We sat down and had two lemon slushes each. They were exactly what we needed after a hike in the heat. Before we had finished, the owner approached us and outlined his lunch menu. They had caprese salad made with fresh tomatoes and basil from his garden, including mozzarella made by his wife and olive oil he had made himself. He also had fresh linguine made by his mother that morning, served with lemon, parmesan and olive oil. We ordered one of each. The meals were the most fresh and delicious we had eaten in Italy. They were absolutely incredible. You could not wipe the smiles of our faces with a sledge hammer and we left completely rapt in our decision to eat in a dodgy little restaurant which was as authentic as you can get.

Meanwhile, in Sorrento, Lidia and Tona were spending up a storm. Lidia bought two dresses and Tona bought three pairs of shoes, a shirt, a dress, a necklace, a bag and a shirt for Malcolm. Apparently during their shopping spree they stopped off at a limoncello store we had visited the previous day and tried some samples. Tona drank one of her shots, throwing her head back and causing her glasses to fly off her head. Lidia tried to save the glasses and in the process threw her limoncello across the shop.

That night we took the car and drove to a tiny town called Meta for a cooking experience. Our hosts, Gio and Sascha were fantastic and welcomed us to their home with open arms. We made the most delicious gnocci and tiramisu with them. Alex told Sascha that Lidia made delicious tiramisu at home and he asked Lidia how she made it. She explained it was a Jamie Oliver recipe. Sascha said in a serious voice "Jamie Oliver? He is funny, but he can't cook." At the end of the experience, Sacha and Gio gave us each kisses and hugs and sent us on our way.

On the way out of Meta, the streets were so narrow you could barely fit a donkey through them. They were definitely not built for cars and I had to fold the mirrors in on the car to drive through the street, with mere millimetres on each side. At one stage the street was simply too narrow for the car and I scraped the side of the car along the wall. I'm glad I took out the extra insurance on the rental!

The next morning we checked out of our hotel and drove to Naples. We had booked a food walking tour around the city and met our hostess, Natalia at 11:00. There was only one other person on the tour, an Englishman named Julian, and we spent the next 4.5 hours walking around Naples, seeing the major attractions and eating along the way. Everything we ate was delectable and we enjoyed sfogiatelle, fresh apricots, a wonderful pork pastry, cheese, cold cuts, pizza, limoncello, pasta ragu, gelato and coffee. During our walk we passed a fishmonger on the street who was throwing water over his fish. The water was splashing over onto the cobblestones and I was talking to Julian and didn't notice that the cobblestones were wet. I was wearing thongs and must have stood on some water mixed with fish slime. My foot slipped and I drove my big toe straight into a cobblestone, only saved from falling by grabbing Julian's arm. My toe was throbbing like a jackhammer after this and apparently I had splashed fish slime back onto Alex's legs as she walked behind me.

After our tour ended, we walked back to the carpark to pick up our car. The girls stopped into the train station to visit the little girl's room and I waited for them outside. While I was waiting an American lady approached me and said "Scusi Signore, CAN YOU TELL ME……PARLI INGLESE?" I replied "I hope so, I'm Australian!" and then showed her where the Museum of Archaeology was.