Amalfi Coast
Once again it's been a while since I've written anything. But I do have an excuse, we have been traveling a bit. For memorial day weekend we drove up to the Amalfi coast, and shortly after that we made a short trip to the states.
My birthday this year fell on Memorial Day weekend, so we hit the road. Most of our travels thus far we've flown, but we decided to drive for this one. When I had visited the Amalfi coast on my own a handful years ago I was taking public transportation, which really does work well, but you are stuck to the bus or the train schedule, and sometimes you can't get to where you want to go. I knew that someday I wanted to return to the Amalfi coast with my own car, and be able to explore whatever and whenever I wanted. I got my wish, and with an added bonus, the man of my dreams!
We left Friday morning and found our beautiful hotel later that night, after about nine hours of driving, and so much construction it made my head spin. Our hotel was not right along the coast, but up on the top of the mountain where on the drive up we could see both Naples bay and the Gulf of Salerno. We had a beautiful view looking out on Sorrento below and across the bay Mt. Vesuvius. The hotel staff were the best I've ever come across, so incredibly helpful and friendly.
On our first night we asked for a good place to go eat and were told of a local Agriturismo that would come and pick us up. We went to a beautiful farm and the restaurant was fantastic. I'm not sure what it was previously used for, maybe a barn? The food was very good and we left painfully full, vowing to ourselves that we would very eat like that ever again. Also the other experiences that we've had with Agriturismo's is the menu is set (you may have a few options), and the price is also set. Well after stuffing our faces, wishing that we hadn't eaten so much we got our bill for every single item of food. It was a pretty expensive meal, but we don't go out very often. However, had we known that we could have skipped a course (or two, or three), we would have. It was an expensive and at times painful lesson learned!
The next day we went to Pompeii in the morning. It gets awfully hot there during the day and there isn't much shade, so it's best to try to get there early. Although we left at a reasonable time I think we got there at the exact time you're supposed to stay out of the sun, but at least it was May and not August. At the entrance there are guides that are available, and we were able to get into an English speaking group for a fairly inexpensive, yet very educational tour. It was my second time here and I was just as amazed by my surroundings. When you're standing there in the main square, or someones ancient living room and you glance towards Mt. Vesuvius it seems like it's so far away. I thought to myself 'Surely, people had time to escape.' But of course, that's not true and the eruption killed many thousands of people.
After we left Pompeii we went into Sorrento to wander through the streets. Sorrento is nothing more than a tourist trap, but it has a charm to it all the same. We meandered down to the cliffs above the water, went into an old cloister, picked up some cherries and nectarines from an ancient couple selling them from the back of their tiny truck, and enjoyed each others company.
The next day (Sunday, our last full day) we made our way along the Amalfi coast stopping in Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. The one thing that I was worried about most when deciding to drive was having to find places to park, especially in such touristy areas. Italy does not have abundant space to have massive parking lots and parking garages. Sometimes I get anxious over nothing though. We had no problems in any of the three towns, and it was surprisingly inexpensive to park.
In Positano we parked on the hill and made our way down the ever winding streets to what lay below us. The town is essentially cut in half by a cliff that the town is built around, over, and through. Many of the streets are nearly vertical and are actually long stretches of stairs. There is only one one-way road that leads through the town, and it is always full of tourists. We stopped in shops, took photos, watched a first communion processional, and once we got to the beach and took a few more photos we simply made our way back up.
Our next stop was Amalfi, a pretty little town right on the water. This was a quick stop, I think because it was inundated with cruise ship tourists. Dang these tourists! I always thought growing up in Alaska was bad with cruise ships, and motor homes, and motor homes, and cruise ships. But Alaska's got nothing on the Amalfi coast, with its stunning views and beautiful towns, and millions of visitors every year, mostly in the summer. (Though I still prefer Alaska, of course.) The town is quite small because in 1343 there was a big earthquake and most of the old town sunk into the sea taking a multitude of people with it.
Ravello was perhaps one of my favorite stops. I think because it wasn't nearly as busy, and it was up in the mountains a bit more. The winding road is so narrow that there's about a 5 mile stretch that has two lights at each end, only allowing one way of traffic at a time. Often as we were driving through the area I was imagining what it would have taken to construct these buildings even a hundred years ago, or today for goodness sake. And did someone just look and think 'What a spectacular place for a home!', right on the edge of a cliff. Here's a fun fact about Italy, that we definitely saw first hand on our drive, Italy only has 14% flat land! So I suppose you make do with what you have. In Ravello we went toVilla Rufolo, a villa dating back to the 13th century with many repairs being made in the 19th century. It had beautiful gardens, and a stunning view below.
The next day (Monday) was my birthday and as we knew we'd be driving back home we decided to celebrate my birthday Sunday night. However, we were pretty exhausted and tired of driving so we opted to stay and eat at our hotel. Which was wonderful because it really had one of the best views in town. During our meal Patrick let the Maitre'd know that it was my birthday, and I got a nice surprise. The small staff brought out a gelato cake and sang to me (in English) Happy Birthday. Then after they were done the next room (a large group of French tourists) sang to me in French. And an old French man came over to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. At the end I was a bit teary eyed and very touched. It was a wonderful birthday!
My birthday this year fell on Memorial Day weekend, so we hit the road. Most of our travels thus far we've flown, but we decided to drive for this one. When I had visited the Amalfi coast on my own a handful years ago I was taking public transportation, which really does work well, but you are stuck to the bus or the train schedule, and sometimes you can't get to where you want to go. I knew that someday I wanted to return to the Amalfi coast with my own car, and be able to explore whatever and whenever I wanted. I got my wish, and with an added bonus, the man of my dreams!
We left Friday morning and found our beautiful hotel later that night, after about nine hours of driving, and so much construction it made my head spin. Our hotel was not right along the coast, but up on the top of the mountain where on the drive up we could see both Naples bay and the Gulf of Salerno. We had a beautiful view looking out on Sorrento below and across the bay Mt. Vesuvius. The hotel staff were the best I've ever come across, so incredibly helpful and friendly.
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| Sorrento is in the bottom left, and Mt. Vesuvius is in the background. |
On our first night we asked for a good place to go eat and were told of a local Agriturismo that would come and pick us up. We went to a beautiful farm and the restaurant was fantastic. I'm not sure what it was previously used for, maybe a barn? The food was very good and we left painfully full, vowing to ourselves that we would very eat like that ever again. Also the other experiences that we've had with Agriturismo's is the menu is set (you may have a few options), and the price is also set. Well after stuffing our faces, wishing that we hadn't eaten so much we got our bill for every single item of food. It was a pretty expensive meal, but we don't go out very often. However, had we known that we could have skipped a course (or two, or three), we would have. It was an expensive and at times painful lesson learned!
The next day we went to Pompeii in the morning. It gets awfully hot there during the day and there isn't much shade, so it's best to try to get there early. Although we left at a reasonable time I think we got there at the exact time you're supposed to stay out of the sun, but at least it was May and not August. At the entrance there are guides that are available, and we were able to get into an English speaking group for a fairly inexpensive, yet very educational tour. It was my second time here and I was just as amazed by my surroundings. When you're standing there in the main square, or someones ancient living room and you glance towards Mt. Vesuvius it seems like it's so far away. I thought to myself 'Surely, people had time to escape.' But of course, that's not true and the eruption killed many thousands of people.
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| Ancient carriage wheel ruts. |
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| This was essentially a bread factory. The odd shaped stones in the foreground are grinders, there were sticks placed through the holes and either workers or donkeys were used to turn the great grinders. The brick oven is in the background. |
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| The ancient market. |
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| An Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli realized in the 1860's that the decomposed bodies of humans left a void in the cooled lava flow. So he started pouring plaster into the voids and excavating the molds. |
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| Mt. Vesuvius in the background, before the eruption the volcano was nearly twice this size. The volcano is still active (though not like our Etna with lava shows and steam vents), and because it hasn't erupted in some time people are a bit worried that it is due. |
After we left Pompeii we went into Sorrento to wander through the streets. Sorrento is nothing more than a tourist trap, but it has a charm to it all the same. We meandered down to the cliffs above the water, went into an old cloister, picked up some cherries and nectarines from an ancient couple selling them from the back of their tiny truck, and enjoyed each others company.
 |
| We walked by a covered area where there were about 10 tables of old men playing chess and shooting the breeze. In Italy, in every town, in nearly every square you pass by groups of old men sitting around, smoking, drinking coffee, people watching. I figure while they are doing this their wives are enjoying their husband-free time back at home, probably cooking the evening meal. |
In Positano we parked on the hill and made our way down the ever winding streets to what lay below us. The town is essentially cut in half by a cliff that the town is built around, over, and through. Many of the streets are nearly vertical and are actually long stretches of stairs. There is only one one-way road that leads through the town, and it is always full of tourists. We stopped in shops, took photos, watched a first communion processional, and once we got to the beach and took a few more photos we simply made our way back up.
Our next stop was Amalfi, a pretty little town right on the water. This was a quick stop, I think because it was inundated with cruise ship tourists. Dang these tourists! I always thought growing up in Alaska was bad with cruise ships, and motor homes, and motor homes, and cruise ships. But Alaska's got nothing on the Amalfi coast, with its stunning views and beautiful towns, and millions of visitors every year, mostly in the summer. (Though I still prefer Alaska, of course.) The town is quite small because in 1343 there was a big earthquake and most of the old town sunk into the sea taking a multitude of people with it.
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| Amalfi Cathedral |
Ravello was perhaps one of my favorite stops. I think because it wasn't nearly as busy, and it was up in the mountains a bit more. The winding road is so narrow that there's about a 5 mile stretch that has two lights at each end, only allowing one way of traffic at a time. Often as we were driving through the area I was imagining what it would have taken to construct these buildings even a hundred years ago, or today for goodness sake. And did someone just look and think 'What a spectacular place for a home!', right on the edge of a cliff. Here's a fun fact about Italy, that we definitely saw first hand on our drive, Italy only has 14% flat land! So I suppose you make do with what you have. In Ravello we went toVilla Rufolo, a villa dating back to the 13th century with many repairs being made in the 19th century. It had beautiful gardens, and a stunning view below.
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