Day 19 Positano to Rome via Pompeii

We left the seaside town of Positano early this morning as we wanted plenty of time to navigate our way out of the twisting roads that lead back to the rest of Italian civilization.  Nevertheless, we still found ourselves winding through some "goat paths" until we neared Naples.  Our agenda for the day was Pompeii.  We set our course for the city center.  Wouldn't you know that is exactly where our GPS took us.   So who knew there was a Pompeii that is not the city covered with volcanic ash.  After some thrashing about in the car we finally found the ancient city of Pompeii.    We toured the town which was once covered beneath a blanket volcanic debris.  We could see ruts in the paved stone streets which spoke to a heavy volume of ancient traffic.  If my memory serves we were told that there was a earthquake in 62AD which devastated the city which was mostly rebuilt by the time Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.  They must have really pissed off one of their gods to have two such horrific events happen so close together.  I can't think of someone they didn't build a temple for.  Those things sprang up like Starbucks.  The ruins were interesting but not quite what I imagined.  I was hoping to see more artifacts and a museum type setting.  What we saw were a lot of old ruins that if they did not tell you were buried at one time you would have thought it was just an old city.  The signage was poor which we suspect leads to supporting the guides that escort tours.  We used a recorded series messages that were oriented by numbers on a map.  I was glad we visited but was not overwhelmed by the experience.  We are now in our Hilton hotel at the airport where we will hop aboard our plane in the morning and conclude our adventure.  Ciao!

Chris - I hated to leave beautiful, sunny Amalfi Coast for dusty ruins...and with ruins,  I always have trouble "seeing" what "was." When we took the kids to Rome when they were young I bought an overlay book that showed you what it used to look like and then you turn the overlay page and it showed you how it looks today. I actually found that VERY helpful, so I did that again today. Armed with my audio receiver, my book, my glasses, my camera, my hat, a map, and my backpack (with suntan lotion, a granola bar, gum, candy and all the necessary trappings for an outing) ... I was off. Pompeii was different than what I thought, I thought I'd see "scenes and people frozen in time"... so I'm not your sharpest crayon. We did see a few people that they had displayed, but mostly ruins of houses, temples, theaters, etc. I thought the ruins were interesting and I was impressed by how big the area was. I was also impressed by how sophisticated their lives were. I "happen" to hear an English speaking tour guide tell the group that the women shopped at the Forum market and then came across the street to the delivery store and had it sent to their house...just like UPS! The other comical piece to me is they had stores that served fast food type of fare. The picture where I'm standing behind the big hollow bowls,  is a store that served food to be eaten immediately...their own McDonalds! I was glad I went, I really enjoyed seeing the ruins. I was REALLY happy it was only 75 degrees with a breeze, I can't imagine how hot it would be in the heat of summer!

If all goes well here are the pictures you're looking at: Paul in a part of the Forum, Me at "McDonalds," Modetum's Bakery, both of us at the Temple of Apollo, a human remains, the Amphitheater, the rutted street with their version of a speed bump (to slow chariots down) and a Weighing Table (a marble slab with cavities of various dimensions, used to measure the merchandise on sale at the Forum.)

Tomorrow - Stateside! I've loved out trip and learned a lot...one thing was two double dip gelatos in one day MAY be too many!! My most valuable player this trip had to be my black fleece jacket. I used it as a jacket, a pillow, a blanket, as long underwear, a sometimes pajama top, a hand warmer, a foot warmer, a "buddy pillow," an iPad support, etc. It was a terrific multi-tasker!

Day 18 Positano and Amalfi

Amalfi was our destination for today.  We boarded a ferry for Amalfi this morning and sailed east down the coast to Amalfi.  Chris reported to me that Amalfi once was a rival of Venice and Genoa for influence in this area of the world.  That is somewhat hard to believe since it is such a small town located in a unprotected area of the coast.  They were once famous for their paper mills.   When I think of paper mills I think of Chillicothe, Ohio.  Sorry but the reference does not compare.  There is scant trace of their paper heritage save the paper mill museum we saw signs for today.
Our ride down the coast was very enjoyable and gave us a nice view of the coast line during the half hour journey.  We explored the side streets, few as they were and had lunch overlooking the gravel beach.  The weather was exceptionally pleasant and made the day a relaxing interlude in our somewhat busy schedule.  We caught the 3:00 boat back to Positano where we later had dinner overlooking the bay.  It was a very nice day as our last on the Amalfi coast.  Tomorrow we visit Pompeii on  our way to the Rome airport.

Chris - What a relaxing way to say goodbye to the Amalfi Coast! Our day, like all our days in Positano, started with a great, full breakfast eaten while overlooking the town of Positano from our hotel's patio restaurant. With all the rainy, cold weather we experienced earlier, we have been very blessed with gorgeous weather here on the Amalfi Coast!!! It was sunny and between 70 and 76 degrees since we've been here. It has really been wonderful to be able to eat all our meals outside overlooking either water or the Coastline. It was a fun and interesting morning, starting with sitting down by the water waiting for our ferry and watching all the privately hired or owned yachts take off for Capri. We enjoyed a relaxing day on the water and walking through the town of Amalfi. The Duomo there is impressive and was named in honor of St. Andrew, whose remains are said to be buried inside the Crypt. Reached by climbing steep steps, the cathedral is characterized by its black-and-white facade and mosaics. We were touring the cathedral when there was a wedding getting ready to start. I don't want to say it was informal, but Paul was able to wish the groom luck while he was standing at the alter waiting for the music to start. We waited about 5 minutes and we watched the bride come down the aisle and greet her groom. There were no attendants or music until the bride's traditional music when she walked down the aisle with her Dad. We then saw the small wedding party having their reception at an outdoor restaurant we walked by. This was the 4th bride and groom we witnessed on our trip. The most interesting one was actually on a turn of the road leading to the Amalfi Coast. We were delayed in a tunnel for about 15 minutes, and when we came out of the tunnel right above the bay on a small pullout on a turn, was a bride, groom , minister and a few people actually having the wedding.
Tonight for dinner I chose a restaurant, il Capitano, that hangs over the town of Positano near our hotel. It was a beautiful night and it was fabulous watching the twilight settle in over the water and hillside. The incredibly pretty setting made for a very special last dinner here in such a magical place.

On a side note- I just found "Castle" on our TV here, it's in Italian....but it's good to at least see them!

Tomorrow - Pompeii, with a whole different look than here!

Day 17 pictures

Day 17 Positano

Today we hired a taxi / guide to take us back along the Amalfi coast toward Solerno.  The idea was to give me an opportunity to actually get a look at the scenery rather than focusing solely on the perils of driving.  It was a lovely serene experience for me and worth the expense.  We had the driver for four hours.  Honestly he was not much of a guide since he only pointed out a few points of interest.  One of the places he identified is Sophia Loren's villa.  Chris and I think we saw her yesterday walking along the street.  At least that's our story and we are sticking to it.  We had the driver drop us off in the town of Praiano which is the next town down the coast from Positano.  We figured it would be easy to get back home from there.  We took the steps down to the beach quite a distance below.  By now it was about 12:30 and our early breakfast had worn off.  Fortunately, there was a small restaurant at the bottom where we were the only customers to have lunch.  Thinking better of the walk back up the steps we decided to take a water taxi back to Positano.  It was quite different to approach the town from the water.  Looking at the rugged coast line I wondered why anyone would choose to make this place their home.  Certainly there are more inviting costal areas that are more sheltered from the sea.  As you can see from the pictures the town is built on the steep side of the hill.  Beautiful but not practical.  There are so many rock and brick walls that support everything from the roads to the houses that a small earthquake would send this place tumbling into the ocean.   It was a very nice place to visit but I would not want to live here.

Chris - It was nice to ride up the coast with a driver who was born in Positano and knew the roads. Whereas he didn't narrate much along the way, really only pointing out the towns which I did the day before, he did provide a couple facts and a sure hand in driving....and, most importantly, Paul could enjoy the coast.  I did have him take us back to Vietri Sul Mare, where they are known for their ceramics, to see a large stairs area made of ceramic tiles. I had seen it yesterday briefly and I wanted to see where it lead...really only to a small gathering area they use for concerts. I was thrilled that he understood that I wanted us dropped in Praiano to look around and then make our way back to Positano by bus, taxi ... or water taxi.
We didn't see a whole lot of Praiano as I wanted to see the beach area below and try and eat down there first. After walking down for about 15-20 minutes, 99% of it steps, we found a restaurant, an oasis...a God sent!!! No joke we walked down forever! I wasn't even sure there was anything down there but water, but I was banking on the fact if you walked that far down there's gotta be SOMETHING there. The restaurant & bar, La Gavitella, really services a hotel that has an elevator down to the beach. The beach is a loose term for water, gravel and rocks. It was a beautiful view and really nice seafood restaurant. I knew I need something before I climbed up ALL those stairs. The waiter asked if we were with the hotel and I said "no" but knew I was desperate enough that I'd buy a room if need be to eat there! He asked how we got there, and I said "the stairs" and he made a face like yikes...all those stairs. He became my best friend when he said we could hire a water taxi back to Positano from there, if we wanted....we wanted!!!  So much for seeing Praiano, I traded seeing the town square and shops in for the water taxi! It was a calm and gorgeous ride, and I loved seeing the coast from the water. If I lived here I'd be thinner from all the walking....assuming I laid off the gelato. HUGE assumption!

Tomorrow - Ferry to Amalfi and on to another adventure!

Day 16 pictures

Day 16 Positano, Italy

I survived the drive!!!  From Positano to Salerno we drove the length of the Amalfi coast and back today without incident.  There were plenty of chances and we avoided them all, some by a very small margin.  My nomination for the worst job in the world is to be a bus driver along the Amalfi coast road.  I had my concerns with small car I was driving, but to drive a bus on that stretch of road would be torture.  Your insurance premium would be sky high.
We looked for places to park at a few of the towns along the way but were unable to find any easily noticeable ones.  We did make it a point to stop at Ravello on our return from Salerno.  We spent the best part of the day there enjoying the villas and having a nice lunch.  Ravello, like all of the other towns along this highway, is tucked into the hillside above the highway and provides wonderful vistas of the rugged coastline.   The villas we visited were not as ornate as the ones we saw in Tuscany but then again the ones in Tuscany did not have the views these do.  As we looked along the hillsides the terraces stretched in all directions.  It was difficult to tell what they grow on these flattened areas.  We did see many lemon trees and some orange trees as well.  The lemons they grow here are as big as volleyballs.  Limoncello is one of the products this area is famous for.  I purchased a small bottle and also plan on a nightcap tomorrow to try the stuff while we are still able to load up if I really like it.  They are also known for their buffalo mozzarella which I had for dinner tonight with some sliced tomatoes and it was fabulous.
I know I mentioned this earlier yesterday but I can't imagine this drive when their tourist season is in full swing.  One of the very best benefits of our hotel is that they provide parking.  The roads are jammed with cars parked in every place imaginable and some other places too.  So if you had to find your own parking you would have to look for a long time.   Arrivederci until tomorrow.

Chris - Riding in the "death seat" I too was relieved we survived the drive with no incident. It wasn't as dangerous as I worried, from a road standpoint, as there are stonewall "guard rails" about 4' high all  along the way so you don't worry about going over the edge at all. However, there are a number of tight turns and lots of narrow places that provide lots of driving challenges. Paul did a great job of dodging people, bikes, motorcycles, cars and buses ... thank goodness it's off season. There were a couple of towns I'd like to have stopped in had we seen a parking spot immediately... but I saved my determination for finding parking for the hillside town of Ravello. Ravello overlooks the seaside towns of Atrani and Amalfi and is the one town today that I wanted for sure to go to. It had two villas I wanted to see, for their gardens, not so much their villas. The first Villa was Cimbrone  that was originally built in the 15th century and  restored in the early 1900's by a very wealthy man from London who entertained people there like; Ibsen, Virginia Wolf, Greta Garbo, Tennessee Williams, etc. You couldn't go through the house as it's used as a hotel, but it's in the Moorish style, that predominates in Ravello. The English gardens are set about with classical temples, lots of statues and spectacular views. Any pictures with grottos or statues are from there. The other villa, Villa Rufolo, was an 800 year-old Arab-style palace that was really just shells of rooms, or empty stone rooms. You actually can only look in a few rooms as, once again, the focus were the gardens with the view. These gardens were full of pansies, impatiences and other flowers set about in various geometric designs. The views, once again, were incredible and from a little different angle. I loved Ravello and it far exceeded my expectations for views!! Back in Positano, the restaurant I researched for dinner tonight, "Campa Cosimo," came highly recommended for lobster linguine, so of course I had to do it!!

The weather is fabulous...mid 60's and sunny! I have really enjoyed eating on the terraces that hang on the sides of these cliffs and provide gorgeous views. Our hotel has a beautiful terrace where we eat breakfast every morning that overlooks both the town and the water. An observation....you know how nobody knew where Greta Garbo was and she was such a recluse?  Well... she was here on the Amalfi Coast, as almost everywhere claims she stayed or ate there...who knew?????

Tomorrow - Taking a bus up the coast. I thought we should take a bus so Paul could actually see something along the coast other then his white knuckled hands gripping the steering wheel!

Day 15 Picture ... take 2