Brad and I had the wonderful privilege of enjoying the breathtaking Amalfi coastline. Thank you
mum mum for watching the kids!
We left our house around 4:15 am on Friday to catch our 6 AM flight and we made it with about 90
seconds to spare.
We arrived in Naples around 10 AM local time and they had shuttle buses to carry us to the
terminal to get our luggage. And another stamp in the passport. Luggage took a bit but we walked
out to find our driver Stefanie waiting for us. She was our driver and guide for the day and I am
soooooooo thankful we did not try to drive ourselves because the roads were so narrow and in her
words, the traffic laws are " just suggestions" in Italy! She was very knowledgable and a superb
driver as well.
We immediately left the airport and drove past Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii. I definitely want to come
back to explore that area with the kids, you can even climb to the top and see the steam coming
out of the top. We drove up into the mountains and took in the beautiful views. Stefanie told us all
about the numerous types of agriculture in the area: grapes, olives, lemons, pine nuts.
Here are some facts we learned about the crops:
Olives: green olives are 20% oil, 80% water where black olives are 100% water. Extra Virgin olive
oil is made from olives that have only been pressed once. The olive trees had green net
underneath to collect the olives that have fallen off the trees.
Lemons: the lemons are kept covered by black nets to ensure they could be kept warm enough.
They use all parts of the lemons, the leaves are used to wrap fish, the fruit or ours and the peel for
the famous limoncello.
Pine nuts: these come from the pine cones of the umbrella pine tree and they must be roasted,
taken from the cone and cleaned.
Chestnut trees: the trunks were everywhere and are used to make poles and many other things
It was amazing to see all the grape trees and olive trees all nestled into the sides of the mountain.
Cypress Trees: These trees are tall and skinny are used around cemeteries; they are pointed up to heaven.
We drove through the town of Firore, which is one of several towns in Italy where artists have
painted on the outside walls of the homes. As we approached Amalfi, we learned the history of
why it's called the Amalfi coastline: of all the villages, the Amalfi was the wealthiest because one of
their inhabitants invented the compass. It was once comprised of numerous monasteries and
convents but most of them are now hotels and restaurants. The Santa Rosa monastery is a hotel
that costs £2700 per night!!!!
We stopped in Amalfi and walked through the little town and got a sandwich and then stopped at
the Pansa bakery which has been around since 1830.
We ate the sfogliatelle, a pastry filled with
sweet ricotta cheese which was so very yummy, as well as a delicious cappuccinos. It was perfect!
We enjoyed people watching and listening to the small band that started playing a few minutes
before we were finished. It was comprised of a bass, clarinet, guitar, and tambourine. They were
singing "Volare" (fly). We strolled down to the beach and took in the views of Amalfi.
Next we were off to Ravello, a much smaller village that is home to the Ruffalo villa and gardens.
Back to van and off to our B&B in Nocelle up the mountain from Positano. We drove through a
couple of other small towns, one called Praiano where an artist has made numerous houses on the
side of road. There is also a very beautiful church there.
There were many towers along the coastline, most of them in various states of crumbling down. Stefanie explained that these towers are defense towers that were used to see enemies approaching. Also in many of the buildings, there were holes in the sides, which were used to place scaffolding so the buildings could be built taller.
We checked into Villa La Quercia, and we were greeted by Carmella, the host. We rested for a bit
and the had a drink before heading to get our ride to the restaurant La Tagliata,
which was very
highly recommended by Stefanie. We met another couple from Canada who were going to the
same place. It's a family restaurant so the driver was also our waiter! It was quite an experience,
as promised!! So much food as we were promised!!! The first course was bruschetta, followed by antipasto of buffalo mozzarella, salami, pepperoni, and feta cheese. Then they brought out three more plates of beans, roasted vegetables, and a few casseroles. Next course was 4 different kinds of fresh pasta: ravioli, gnocchi, penne and Mama's specialty, which was similar to lasagna. Next course: an entire plate of MEAT.....7 different types: sausage, chicken, lamb, ribs, beef. At this point, we were so stuffed, but we had to try it all. As we were eating, we also drank 2 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of still water. The last course was dessert of course, which we were able to manage about 2 bites! There was a large party sitting in the middle of the restaurant, and we had guessed it was a wedding, and we were correct...in the middle of dinner, the bride and groom stood up and gave toasts. The bride's name was Lauren! After dinner was over, the singing and entertainment began! The even provided instruments to the diners and Mama came out to greet everyone. And the entire dinner for both of us including transportation and about 8 courses was 70 Euros!!!!! That is such a deal!!! It was AWESOME!!!
Saturday, we slept in a bit but breakfast was served until 9 AM, so we couldn't sleep too late. We were considering walking up the Path of the Gods, but it looked a bit like rain so we decided to walk down to the village of Positano instead. The Path of the Gods is pathway through the hills of Positano, which ends with some beautiful views. We will have to do that hike next time!
The walk down to Positano was awesome, we walked down 1400 steps (as told to us by the owner of the B&B), it was amazing because they were just carved into the side of the mountain, and were afforded some beautiful views of the sea, the village and all the amazing agriculture. After we got down to the road, we walked a bit on the narrow, narrow, narrow roads. It wasn't as scary as I imagined it was going to be, but none the less, it was a bit odd walking along the road.
We stopped for a coffee just outside of Positano and enjoyed the view. It had looked like rain, but as soon as we got to the village, the sun came out and it turned into a perfect day!
Positano is known for fashion and shopping, so we did some shopping! We had pizza and a very delicious caprese salad for lunch, right on the beach.
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| Sunset whilst eating dinner |
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| See the moon in the background |
After that, we went a sat on the beach for a while. It was a rocky beach, but there were several people swimming in the water and even sunbathing! It was quite warm!! We had some super yummy gelato and then did some more shopping and then found a perfect little bar overlooking the beach, showing the Rugby World Cup. We were surrounded by Wales fans, so we felt like were in London!
We had an early dinner so we could take the bus back to the B&B in time to get ready for the Michigan-Michigan State game which was starting at 9 PM local time. We set up in the lobby since that was the only place with Wifi. Brad was sort of annoyed because the Canadian couple came in and the guy started watching the Blue Jays game and the wifi couldn't really handle both games. It was a great game until the last 10 seconds.....
