July 19: Italia - Sorrento

On the road again. At the back of the bus again, going down the boot of Italy, down, down to the deep, deep South. Down to Sorrento. As I write this, I look out to my left and there along the horizon, almost staring at me is Mount Versuvius. Amazing isn't it? During my Jurassic school-boy days I used to dream about seeing this volcano, having learnt so about it from my old Latin classes. Sleepy Versuvius still smoking. A black silent shadow that has whisps of lingering cloud crawling around it gingerly. As my bus passes Pompeii, my mobile phone chimes into life. It's a text message from my old boss in Australia. As I am passing through Napoli I am invited to go and visit his family, who live on the nearby island of Ischia. Once my bus arrives in Sorrento, the first thing I'll do is check on ferry times. Invites are too important to ignore.

At the beginning of 2002 I undertook a change of careers. In the Northbridge suburb of Perth, Western Australia, I went to work at a small, Italian restaurant called Sorrento. I felt I was going nowhere in my then office job and really wanted to have a trade under my belt. Hospitality seemed perfect for what I was looking for at the time. Working for the following three years at Sorrento I soon learnt much more than I'd anticipated. It was one of the best jobs I've ever had. It was very hard work, but so enjoyable - on one of my first days I remember being told, Remember, you are here to enjoy your work - if you can't enjoy what you do, you'll never be any good at it.

Sorrento Restaurant was a source of so much laughter - I made so many friends through the place (some of whom I am meeting up with on this European trip) and shared so much laughter. When I went in there on Christmas Eve last year, and told them I was thinking of undertaking this six-month sabbatical but had a few doubts lingering as to why I shouldn't, they listened and gave me the best advice I could've hoped for - giving up my job (Get another one when you return), I had just met a girl that I liked (If she loves you, she'll wait), I didn't think I had enough money (Take no money with you - you'll only resent spending it when there. Work there and travel off that). In the end my doubts had gone... just go and enjoy yourself. It's once in a lifetime.

Sorrento is beautiful. It slides down towards the Mediterranean blue from somewhere up on the Amalfi high. The bay of Napoli stretches out around an arc of breathless coastline and disappears in a dreamy hue. Off the main road of Sorrento run rabbit warren side streets drenched in cooling shade - the best place to be when the town closes for siesta. There are plenty of places to eat or doorways to explore. I chatted to one old woman called Carmel, outside her home, crushing dried herbs and chilli to make as a seasoning for her oil. I passed one shop selling legends of how mermaids and Ulysses enjoyed each others company in the sacred waters of the Amalfi. Another sells shirts of a different legend who came ashore here - Diego Maradona, the Argentine footballer who inspired little SCC Napoli to the Serie A Scudetta in 1987.

Walking around Sorrento it felt as if I had come a full circle. Because of a job in a restaurant in Australia, I was able to speak good enough Italian to order a coffee, and chat with locals and understand what they were saying. It was magic. Part of this trip to Italy was to visit Sorrento. When you work for a place like Sorrento Restaurant something stays in your heart forever, and I had to go and see its namesake for myself. If anything, just to say I'd been there and to send a postcard down under; Ciao de Sorrento, et grazie.