Sorrento Palm Sunday

 I woke up very excited for Palm Sunday. I read that they decorate the Palms in Sorrento with flowers, ribbons, and food-sugared almonds that they eat after the service. I had planned to go to the Cathedral of Sorrento. I just attended there last night for a lovely concert for the “Passion of Christ.” It was a nice concert and there were other churches….

There just so happened to be a church right next to my accommodation. I went in for about 15 minutes and I thought, “This is not my church for Palm Sunday.” It was definitely all the locals, very small and intimate.. I could feel the stares of a guy looking at the tourist wearing pink and I left around 10:20am with time to make it to the cathedral.

I was waiting for the bus and the local guy was really nice. The older men can be very grumpy or very cute and friendly. He said to me, “Bus come.” “Wait, wait.” Then his friend came by and he explained the whole bus and train system, which was very nice for someone to take time to do this.. he said that the bus comes at 11 and I knew that would be too late. So I thought I would just walk, which only took 30 minutes with my pace….I saw locals all walking with the decorated palms in their hands…they definitely weren’t walking all the way to Sorrento. I realized there was another church just right up the street.

It was right on the square and it was just perfect. The priest was so nice. He only spoke Italian, but he made sure someone spoke English to explain to me the service is outside and then everyone comes inside for the service. I had felt good spiritually with his presence and I knew this was the location for me. Everyone joined outside in the square holding their palms up in the air and he gave everyone a blessing with splashes of holy water. We all followed one another and walked inside. I managed to get a seat in the front behind a very nice Italian family (everyone dressed perfectly for the occasion). It was a local church with no tourists and very local, authentic experience. The service was lovely and I shook the hand of the priest on the way out and he said, “Buena Dominica.” He was so nice and he really made me feel good. I went on with my day going near the port down by the small beaches. I just walked and walked and realized this was just such a tourist trap…beautiful, but just too many tourists. The day was beautiful and that was all that mattered- the birds flying through the sky in a V.

Everyone was sitting outside with the Aperol spritz and drinking….it was just was not appealing to me. I took a couple rounds in the grocery store, saw some shopping stores, sat in the park, and walked back around 5:30 pm just in time for sunset from the rooftop of the accommodation. It was quiet and peaceful and no one was up there…It was Palm Sunday and I was in Italy staring at the most beautiful view, orange and lemon trees, a futbol field, and local homes. On Palm Sunday, everyone was with their families having a nice family dinner and I was here just admiring the peace of the sunset. am always walking around on a holiday when everyone else is sitting with their family enjoying Palm Sunday and the “Sunday dinner,” which is like sacred for Italians. The local girl from the gallery said that Italians always try to get together on Sunday. It is important to have this time together as Italians it is part of the tradition.

As someone once told me on a regular basis, 

“Family is everything Priscilla.”