#formia

Detour Destinations 📌Formia 🇮🇹

I have recently visited Sorrento and Formia. While Sorrento is popular with tourists, offering a view over Vesuvius and the bay of Naples, I was charmed by the quiet tranquillity of Formia.

Day 5 - 🌊Beach Walk vs ⛰️Mountain Hike

🌊It was a nice sunny day, so in the morning I walked east towards San Pietro and took a long walk along the sandy beaches.

⛰️In the afternoon, I hiked up the mountains above Formia. I believe they are part of Parco Naturale dei Monti Aurunci. The air up there was very fresh and I was surprised that I didn't see anyone else hiking up to capture the view over the sea.

Day 4 - Enjoying Formia

🏝️I took a long stroll between Formia and Gaeta, mostly walking along the beach. It's out of the tourism season, so I had the whole beach to myself.

🌊The water is clear and with pleasant temperature. It was cloudy, yet warm. I could clearly see the dark cloud forming around the mountain peaks, but down on the coast the weather was calm.

🍝I had lunch at a beach-side restaurant with a view over Gaeta. The Pasta al Pomodoro was just right!

🌧️On my way back, it started drizzling and then very quickly the weather turned and before I knew it I was waking back fast, in the pouring rain. Luckily I had an umbrella, otherwise, I was going to be stuck under the nearest shelter.

🍊I visited the local supermarket and got myself tomatoes, meats, cheese and olives for dinner. I also got some local oranges.

Day 3 - Mainstream vs Hidden gem

🚊I started my day with an early train trip from Naples to Sorrento. It's important to note that the Central station in Naples has two levels - upper lever is Naples Central with fast trains and mainline trains, and Naples Garibaldi which is for local trains (like Circumvisuviana, the Metro lines and Campania Express). Delays of the local trains are quite common, so I was prepared for some waiting.

🙌🏻I had a Campania Express ticket and everyone such ticket had a space in the first carriage of the train and we had a guide for the ride.

📸The trip took about hour and a half with a stop at Pompeii. The trip costs about £12. I arrived at Sorrento and quickly made my way to the main viewpoint of the town - Villa Cumonale. This is the most famous place in Sorrento and it gets quite busy, but if you go slightly down the stairs, you can get amazing photos without the crowds. Everywhere you look, it's very beautiful!

🍕I sat at a local restaurant and had a Margherita Pizza, which was very delicious (the tomato sauce was very fresh and full of flavour). If you are travelling on a budget, however, be aware that the tap water and pieces of bread they brought to the table were not complimentary and they charged for it. In the end, they tripped the tip I wrote that I was willing to give them, which explained why they tilted the card machine in a way I couldn't see the number on the display. They ended up changing me double for the pizza I ordered and if you are calculating money for food, this is something you need to be aware of (although other places may not be doing the same). The pizza was worth it, though!

🍋This area of Italy is known for its lemons and I highly recommend you try the lemon sorbet!

🚊Another advise I would give is that if you are using a local train and plan a connection with a mainline train, leave yourself plenty of time. My train out of Sorrento broke down shortly after we left the station. When I saw the driver jumping on the tracks, I knew something must have been quite wrong. However, they took us back to Sorrento, moved us all to another train and we arrived back at Naples with about 45 minutes delay.

☕I had a coffee and boarded the train to Formia. This is mainline train, leaving from the upper level of Naples Central in the direction of Roma Termini.

🥰I immediately fell on love with Formia! The colours, the flowers, the views…! The air is fresh with the town positioned between tall mountains and the sea. I walked around and found that this is actually a very lovely little town. My AirBnB is great - clean, on a quiet street just few steps away from central Formia. The host was very welcoming and ensured I had everything I need before he handed me the keys and showed me my private garden.

Londra, epoca vittoriana. Primrose Wells, diciotto anni, vive con i genitori in un ricco quartiere. È una ragazza serena, trascorre il tempo alternando il volontariato in un negozio di stoffe alla lettura di opere letterarie e filosofiche. Durante le passeggiate con Isabelle, la sua cameriera, le due si separano sempre, senza farsi domande sulle rispettive destinazioni. Primrose si reca in…