Italy's Scenic Southern Coast

November 30, 2017

I hope you've seen some of my photos from Dubai on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 - I've posted quite a few and will be sharing many, many more with you in an upcoming blog.

In the interim, if you're planning a trip to Europe, consider adding a visit to southwestern Italy, along the Gulf of Naples, to your itinerary.

Earlier this fall, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, spent several days touring Sorrento, Pompei and the Isle of Capri. Ryan, and a group of friends, visited Capri's iconic Faraglioni rocks, walked through the ancient ruins of Pompeii, and saw the beautiful sites of Sorrento, the historic seaside town known for its sweeping water views - it's the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. He also saw a number of stunning gardens, age-old trees, and lots of gorgeous lush green plantings. Enjoy these photos.

: Ryan stayed in a villa surrounded by all these beautiful olive trees. In fact, many of the terraced hills that rise up above Sorrento are planted with olive trees.

: The villa where he stayed is located near the center of Massalubrense, the last town on the Sorrentine Peninsula.

: The villa is completely surrounded by luxurious vegetation and trees. Here you can see a wooden pergola underneath the canopy of foliage.

: Here is a view of the villa taken with a drone.

: This is another drone snapshot of the villa’s spa area.

: And here is an olive grove, where the trees have been carefully pruned using open center or vase pruning techniques to let in as much light as possible. I admired the orchard ladder in the middle of the grove. It is made out of old driftwood.

: There were also lots of terra cotta urns and art work on the property.

: Here, you can see all the cycads under the canopy of vines. Cycads are an ancient group of seed plants with a crown of large compound leaves and a stout trunk. I have many cycads in my greenhouse.

: Here is a lovely agave in an urn shaped similar to some of the urns I have at the farm.

: Here is one of the staircases decorated with local tile mosaics – such pretty details.

: On this day, Ryan and his friends took a boat ride to Capri’s most iconic sight – the dramatic Faraglioni, three towering rock formations which jut out from the Mediterranean just off the island’s coast – so stunning.

: Capri is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy.

: These views are breathtaking. From this view, you can see so many of the beautiful villas on the island.

: Here are some more terra cotta pots filled with bougainvillea, an immensely showy and hardy plant. A native to coastal Brazil, the bougainvillea was discovered in 1768 in Rio de Janeiro by French naturalist Dr. Philibert Commerçon. The plant is named after his close friend and ship’s admiral Louis-Antoine de Bougainville.

: Ryan took this photo from a restaurant on Capri. Here, he saw lots of yuccas, palms, and more bougainvillea.

: The area was filled with plants and built-in planters with different herbs.

: Here is a planter built into the wall. The specimen is an aptenia succulent. Aptenia is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Aizoaceae. They are native to southern Africa.

: Here is a giant agave growing on top of another wall – Ryan was amazed with all the plants.

: And here’s another agave. I am a big fan of agaves, and as many of you know, I love to display them in my courtyard during summer.

: Ryan loved the details over some of the doorways, but he also noticed the jade plant below.

: Capri also had many vendors on the streets selling plants.

: Here are some of the plants for sale. In the upper left corner, you can see the flower of a medinilla plant. Sometimes called Rose Grape, Philippine Orchid, Pink Lantern plant or Chandelier tree, Medinilla magnifica is a small evergreen shrub native to the Philippines where it is usually found growing on trees in tropical forests. I have one in my greenhouse – it’s so pretty.

: These are ornamental chili plants. Striking when in full fruit, ornamental pepper, Capsicum annuum, is a shrubby plant bred for ornamental use. These plants hold their peppers in an upright position above the foliage.

: And, here are the edible peppers – also sold in large number around Italy.

: While touring Pompei, Ryan and his friends walked through this garden. It is located in the back of a noble’s house. You could see all the rooms from this courtyard.

: The boxwood and shrubs reminded Ryan of my terrace parterres outside my Winter House.

: The ancient city, Pompeii, which was buried by the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius is fascinating. Ruins here include the city’s amphitheater.

: Ancient artifacts can also be seen in the ruins of the old city including a human casing.

: Pots and other artifacts are on display on shelving.

: Also in Pompei, an allee of ancient evergreens.

: Here’s Ryan and his group of friends celebrating a birthday – all in white.

: This is a pepper tree – Ryan’s favorite kind of tree. The pepper tree, Schinus molle, also called California pepper tree, Peruvian pepper tree, or Peruvian mastic, is an ornamental tree from the cashew family, native to dry South America and cultivated in warm regions. Its piquant fruits, often called “pink peppercorns,” are sometimes used in beverages and medicines.