The Amalfi Coast
Sorrento: At nine o'clock this morning, we found our
friends in the lobby of the hotel and had a happy little reunion. We hadn't
seen each other since July 20 last year! Shirley discovered Prosecco
(sparkling Italian wine) on the breakfast buffet table, so we-two-girls
toasted our reunion before hopping into their rental car to drive the famous
and scenic Amalfi Coast.
The view from our room in the Grand Royal Hotel this morning
The road hugs the cliff side
Martin & Shirley on the Amalfi Coast
The drive was incredible and we had perfect weather - sunny skies and
little wind. Our first stop was the quaint town of Positano. These Italian
towns are not hill top towns, but cliff-side towns! The town is built-up
from the rocky cliffs and buildings are built on top of each other, on
terraced land. You reach your house on foot - there is only one road going
through the towns. The Amalfi Coast road would definitely be a one-way road
in the US - it is so incredibly narrow - but it isn't here. Several times we
all had to shut our eyes as Martin maneuvered the teeny car past on-coming
traffic... usually with a motor scooter darting-in between the vehicles to
add to the excitement! A few times, he actually had to back-up into a wide
spot in the road to let a car pass. And, several times we had to flip-in the
side-view mirrors to pass-by tight situations. We reminded Martin he had to
do this when we were driving in Devon last summer... but the sides of the
road were hedges there, not sheer cliff sides or sheer drop-offs! We had a
great lunch in Positano, on the beach.
Shirley & Martin in Positano
I had a Caprese Salad
DT had a pizza Margherita - our two dishes have the same ingredients!
The Rocky Amalfi Coast
Amalfi Coast
Amalfi Coast
We drove through Amalfi and stopped in Ravello. Ravello is also a
charming town. Most of the towns on this peninsula produced lemons and make
limoncello - a very sweet, bright yellow, liquor. It is for sale everywhere,
along with lemon candies, cookies, pottery with lemons, etc. They also
produce quite a bit of pottery here - similar in style to Tuscan pottery,
but a little more intricate in design. There was a wedding at the church in
the town square and it seems nearly everyone in town must have been invited.
Ravello wedding
Ravello town square (wedding was in this church)
Pretty Ravello
Unfortunately, after you drive the Amalfi Coast, you must return, so we
turned the car around and drove back to Sorrento along the same route. We
had good views of the sun setting on the return trip. After a rest, we
walked to the town square and found a restaurant. The waiters were very
attentive and joked with the guys quite a bit. The food was very delicious -
it still seems to me that every restaurant has basically the same menu, just
the prices are different. We sat outside, under a cover. We enjoyed several
appetizers - Bresaola and bruschetta - and various meat, fish and pasta
entrees. I had a wonderful veal cutlet. After a while, the wind picked up
and it started to rain. Umbrellas appeared in the square and a few diners
had to be relocated to interior tables. But, by the time we had finished our
meal, it had stopped raining and we were able to get back to our rooms
without getting wet. A wonderful day spent with wonderful friends.
Veal cutlet
Grilled vegetables
The Grand Royal Hotel lobby, late night
Pedometer 11,623 (4.94 miles). Not bad, considering we were driving most
of the day. No gelato again. Drats - I need to work on this tomorrow!