On the first day of the 2009 Pearmund Cellars Mediterranean Wine Cruise, we visited Sorrento and enjoyed an organized shore excursion to Mastroberardino Winery and Pompeii.
Sorrento is small, stunningly beautiful city in southern Italy. The city itself is just 16,500 inhabitants, but draws thousands of tourists each year attracted by Sorrento's rough terraine. Its steep cliffs ending at waters edge of the Gulf of Naples makes the views impressive, and its close proximity to Pompeii, Naples, and the island of Capri make it a great launching point for exploring southern Italy.
From Sorrento, our private excursion first took us to the Mastroberardino Winery located in Altripalda, Italy. If you visit here, don't expect to find yourself among lush picturesque vineyards. This winery is quite industrial, and vineyards are nowhere to be found. Mastroberardino, however, has a long, distinguished history of producing fine wines. The oldest records found at the winery date to 1170, and it has been producing wines for more than 300 continuous years. It is in fact one of the oldest wineries in Europe, and yet is one of the most advanced wineries in Europe in terms of production techniques. One other interest fact about Mastroberardino is that it is the only winery to grow vines within the city walls of ancient Pompeii, following ancient growing techniques. Among its better wines, its Radica Riserva recently won best red wine in Italy.
The winery offers tours that cater to the layman, not knowledgeable wine enthusiasts. It includes a short videotape covering the basics of wine production, and a guided tour of the barrel rooms. It will prove interesting if you are not especially knowledgeable about wine production, but perhaps too basic for wine experts. Following the tour, we had arranged for a private lunch and wine tasting for our group at the winery. The lunch was typically European, consisting of a selection of hams, cheeses, an interesting but tasty cold bean soup, and a sampling of several wines, both white and red.
From the winery, our next stop was ancient Pompeii. Visiting Pompeii in the afternoon proved beneficial because the crowds (which can be enormous here during peak season) were small. Our licensed guides, who also were historians, offered tremendous insights in this ancient civilization destroyed in 79 A.D. with the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. I had visited here in 2006, but because the ruins are so facinating at more than 2,000 years old, this is a place I could return again and again and not get enough. From the houses of nobility, to the remnants of beautiful mosaics, the numerous bordellas, the baths, the roads designed for chariot passage, and the many storefronts, you can almost image the bustle of this busy city during its hayday.
Following our Pompeii visit, we returned to Sorrento. One of the many benefits of sailing on a line like Oceania Cruises is the long port stays. The ship remained in port until 11 p.m., leaving us plenty of time to explore Sorrento's many narrow streets and shops, and sample one of its many fine restaurants. It also gave us time to sample what Sorrento is famous for -- limoncello, a delicious drink made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar.
In all, it was a great day, and only a taste of what was to come.
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