For years as a travel consultant I have been advising clients that if they want to go to Europe, because of the long flight there and back, they should look at a minimum of 2 weeks. Well in June of last year my perception of that was thrown completely out the window. I had an opportunity to fly to Rome from Toronto but the return flight was in 7 days, which only allowed for only 6 nights in Italy. The price on the air was so great I thought to myself I just can’t pass this up. Just then my wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday, which was just coming up, and I said, “let’s fly to Rome and go to the Amalfi coast”. Her first question was for how long and I said “6 nights”………her reaction was predictable “your nuts”. She then reminded me that with her Celiac Disease that requires a very strict Gluten free diet this could be a problem. After a quick Internet search we were able to find a number of restaurants in Sorrento area that had gluten free menus including pizza. That clinched it, so in very short order I put together an itinerary that included a car rental with 1 night stay in Rome and 5 nights in Sorrento.
Ten days later, on my birthday June 7th, we were at the Toronto Airport waiting to board our overnight flight with Air Transat to Rome.
We arrived at Rome Fiumicino airport at 2:30 p.m. on June 8th and picked up our Lancia air-conditioned automatic car at the airport. Getting out of the airport was very easy. As the drive to Sorrento could take up to 4 hours my wife suggested that we would spend the 1st night in Rome. Having driven in Italy before I knew that I did not want to stay in the city center and besides a visit to Rome would be for another time. So, I located a hotel very close to the Ring road – the Cristoforo Colombo Hotel and nice 4 star hotel that also included breakfast. Even though the hotel was just off the Ring road it was not easy to find and I had my first experience at driving in crazy Rome traffic….. but we survived and eventually found the hotel. It was a very nice with a swimming pool and next to a very large shopping mall that we ended up walking to. The restaurant at the hotel indicated that they could provide my wife with a gluten free meal so we stayed there rather than trying to find another restaurant in the city. The ones we found on the internet were quite a distance from our hotel and after our driving experience on arrival common sense dictated we stay at the hotel and not attempt driving the Rome streets at night. The hotel restaurant did their best and my wife’s meal although gluten free was not the best tasting…….. but again, we survived.
Next morning at breakfast my wife had her own gluten free cereal that she always brings with her and with the fruit etc. everything worked out great. After breakfast we checked out and headed on the Ring road, which would take us to the A1 Autostrada to Naples. Although it was only the beginning of June the weather was fantastic with temperatures up to 29 degrees Celsius and sunny. The A1 to Naples is a toll highway with the cost from Rome to Naples being around 12 euros one-way. The Autostrada is a joy to drive on. The scenery along the highway is stunning and the service centers are huge and conveniently located every 50 kilometers. As was my luck I missed the cut off for Sorrento, however we were able to turn around at the next exit and get back on track. From the Autostrada the highway becomes 2 lanes that almost immediately takes you through a 2 km tunnel through the mountain but once you were out on the other side …….wow what a view. There was the Bay of Naples with the city Naples to the right and to the left the highway hugging the cliffs and winding down the coast towards Sorrento. Coming from the darkened tunnel, which we had been driving through what seemed like 15 minutes and then having this vista open up before you was just breathtaking. The drive down the coast was also amazing with every bend in the road opening up to another gorgeous sight with hotels seemingly built into the cliffs and the beaches way down below. It was a little tough driving to Sorrento not because of the traffic, which was fairly heavy, but that you didn’t want to miss anything. Also, one of the main modes of transportation in this area are motorcycles and scooters who you would think have a death wish the way they weaved in an out of traffic and passed even on a blind curve. So you always had to watch out for them. As we approached Sorrento high in the cliffs and the last bend you could see the town way below and as there was an area you could pull off we did and got some beautiful pictures of course not realizing at that time that our hotel was actually right below us. 
We were staying at the Hotel Alimuri in an area called Meta Sorrento just before Sorrento. View of Hotel from cliffs at left. I found that my Map quest printout of the area was of little help so we stopped at a Tourist information stand to ask directions. Turns out we were right at the corner of the road that takes you into the hotel. We started driving into Meta Sorrento going down small narrow streets following the signs that are almost at every corner indicating where the hotels are when we pass the Pharmacy that we had searched out on the internet that sells Schar gluten free products. Talk about luck, it was on the way to the hotel. The streets in this town are so narrow in places that there is stoplights that allow traffic to alternate down that section. Although cars obeyed the traffic lights that cannot be said about the motorcycles and scooter drivers that seemed to just go in and out wherever they pleased. As we finally went through a tunnel we spotted the hotel on the left side of the road facing the Bay of Naples. As the entrance to the hotel is right on the road at first glance both my wife and I thought, OK what are we getting into….. We were pleasantly surprised as the hotel was beautiful with most of the rooms facing out on the Bay with a small private beach just below and a pool. For more info you can check out their website www.alimuri.com .
After checking in, our next task was finding a restaurant that would provide gluten free menu. As it turns out we were very close to the Ristorante Tico Tico. When we arrived at the restaurant we were taken to the 2nd floor and were seated at a table by an open window overlooking the Bay of Naples……..talk about romantic… When my wife provided her information about Celiac…..the answer was no problem…..you can have any pizza gluten free and there were other items on the menu that were also gluten free. The pizzas arrived and they were huge and very reasonably priced …they were 5 euros each about $ 8 Cdn. They were also delicious. My wife’s first gluten free dining experience in Sorrento was a success with beautiful location and very good food. The other restaurant we found was actually in the center of Sorrento located at the Hotel Eden – Ristorante Pizzeria Villa Rubinacci. The same thing happened there when my wife provided her celiac information. The response again “No Problem”…….and it wasn’t. This restaurant was by far the best when it came to gluten free meals…..the pizza was excellent and again very reasonably priced. My wife was in heaven…..as she had not had a true taste of pizza for a long time. As you can see from the picture the location was beautiful in a garden like setting outside covered in bugonvillias. Because of this we went to Sorrento every night for supper. 
Over the 5 days we drove through the Amalfi area stopping in beautiful little towns such as Positano. The experience of driving along the roads that hug the cliffs is hard to put into words. As you come out of every curve in the road you come on a beautiful vista better than the last one. The nice thing is that all along the road you can pull off in areas where you can stop, get out and take your pictures. One day we drove to Pompeii, which was only 26 km away to visit this archeological wonder. Again a bit of a challenge to find but with the help of locals we found it. We always timed out excursions leaving right after breakfast at the hotel, included in our stay, so that we were back in the early afternoon and out on the beach. The hotel had a private area of the public beach with parasols, lounge chairs and provided towels. We also had lots of time for shopping. 
Again, driving in Sorrento initially seems like a challenge but after a day or so you get used to the driving aggressively like the Italians and watching out for all the scooters and motorcycles weaving through the traffic. Parking on the streets is not free so you have to make sure you find a pay machine, which could be a half block away and place the ticket on your car dashboard. 
Our last day in Sorrento was a sad one as we had such a wonderful experience here. On the drive back up the coast to the Autostrada we had an opportunity to again enjoy the beautiful view of Naples and the coastline. Getting back to the airport was relatively easy other than the slight delay we had because of a traffic jam on the Ring Road. We dropped the car off at the airport and headed to the departure lounge. Our flight was on time and it was back to Toronto. What can I say about Sorrento and Amalfi coast but “Magnifico”. Can it be done in 7 days? The answer is evident, not only can it be done but the experience is one that you will never forget. I would be more than happy to arrange a trip for you similar to the one I did. Just email me.
