The Traveling Sisterhood welcomed 5 new ‘sisters’ on this, our 9th annual trip.
Cindy Bartosek, Linda Mathison and Kim Harty from FL …
and ‘the young-ins’, Josie’s granddaughter Alyssa Newman and her friend Deanna Deriso, both from NY, who joined us for the Sicily portion of the trip.
Our trip started with a gorgeous sunset at the Hotel Mediterraneo in beautiful and hilly Sorrento.
One of our excursions from Sorrento was Amalfi — and while we had a rainy experience, it didn’t take away from the beauty that is Amalfi.
Another day when the weather cancelled our Capri excursion, we hopped on the train to Vico Equense
to explore that town and sample ‘pizza by the meter’.
We toured the ruins of Pompei before heading to Palermo.
where one of the highlights of our visit was the day we spent ‘cooking with the Duchess’ in a fabulous palazzo.
and meeting the Duke!
In Taormina, our last leg of the trip, we were treated to spectacular sunrises at the very special Atahotel set in a cliff in Capotaormina.
The big adventure on this leg of the trip was the 7K drive up the winding mountain to the foot of Mt. Etna where we took a cable car to the top at 9K altitude.
In sum, Sorrento and Sicily were memorable visits offering good food, wine, experiences and beautiful backdrop vistas we won’t soon forget. And, of course, the continued camaraderie of our group.
The Traveling Sisterhood 
My favorite part of every trip is being with “my friends” but in addition on this venture I loved the day with the Duchess. Although most of our trip is already a blur to me the day with the Duchess is an experience I will never forget. Thank you Joni.
Joan, you do such a great job on the website and taking such great pictures. I also loved the day with the Duchess but also like that we end our trips at a spa for a much needed massage, sun, a dip in the Mediterranean and spending time with friends. Good times.