Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

27/10

We woke to a break in the rain and so scuttled outside to exercise (5 round 10BX) before breakfast.  After school, we set our path for Sorrento, our jump off point to the Amalfi Coast.  We have had magnificent weather.  Hope our luck continues and this rain clears away.

Sorely tested again by the road conditions - narrow, drivers all over the place, expect a scooter in the most surprising time in the most wrong place, expect a pedestrian to step off the kerb in front of you, expect a large bus to come screaming around the blind corner towards you, fully on your side of the road.  In other words, expect to brake suddenly at all times.  

Wound our way to the sea cliffs looking back towards Naples and Vesuvius, Ed being strongly buffeted by a gale, and then in front of us the Sorrento coast appears, steep sea cliffs disappearing into the gloom of the rain, jammed with ugly high rise apartment blocks.  Navigated the tourist town centre and then to the camp ground sitting atop the Marina Grande with views across the bay to Napoli, unfortunately obscured by another storm rolling in.   Arrived exhausted after < 1 hr driving.

towards Sorrento

Jen fights the gale

Naples and Vesuvius

The kids ventured down to the beach but soon returned as Kel had a small fall, but so excited to report they’d found a chocolate factory.  Wil described a giant open vat of liquid chocolate with something bubbly through it and a large arm swinging about and stirring it. 

After a read, rest and a salad there seemed to be a break in the weather so we went out together down the hill to the marina heading towards the town.  The chocolate factory unfortunately proved to be a sewage treatment station.  Down to the Marina Grande with it’s black sand beach, wavelets whispering their peaceful rhythmic shwooshes, fishing boats of all bright pastel colours and nets piled up here and there, locals wandering about their business quietly, some fixing nets, others chatting in cozy bars that must surely get flooded in a spring tide, old ladies hanging out their high windows surveying the scene and uncovering their washing after the rain, and the ubiquitous seagulls wheeling about and squarking their familiar world wide call. 

Sorrento, Marina Grande

Marina Grande

Meandered slowly round the headland, through a short tunnel and up into the town where we had to shelter from a short heavy downpour thunderstorm, then continued on, looking for a pair of thongs for Jeff (a stray Napoli mutt stole one of his Crocs), trying the locally famous “Limoncello” - “blurk” said Jen, tastes like overly sweetened rocket fuel with lemon cordial & strepsils. What a way to murder the spectacular lemon - sorry John, not on your page with that one!   A coffee, some “Baba” - a dessert thing for the kids (they’d run out of Tiramisu), some information about the Amalfi transport options, then back to a high lookout where we marveled at the aerial skills of a young gull who sat on a pillar till we could nearly touch it,  then effortlessly launched itself off the edge of the cliff, provoking much discussion from the kids about dreams they often have of flying, and Wil hopes that reincarnation is for real because if it is he’s coming back as an albatross!

Strolled back past the Grand Marina (not much more happening) and up past the “Chocolate Factory” to the campground for a shower, a pasta dinner and a spot of “Blackadder.”         

28/10  AMALFI COAST

Another storm kept the adults hopping up and down through the night, taking in towels, closing vents, bringing in shoes as well as enjoying Ed’s gentle rocking.

Still raining at exercise time, we rolled over and snuggled in until 0830 by which time, our bladders woke up the younguns.

We ‘ummed’ and ‘ahhed’ over breakfast watching the clouded grey horizon - should we just dress up and dive into the adventure on our doorstep despite the 90% prediction of rain, cloud & possible storm or do we drive onto Sicily?  We agreed on doing our usual, take the day pass and explore as we are here…… and as usual, it was a great decision.

We walked a few kms to town, bought the tickets and sat relaxed on a tour bus that squeezed us around impossible corners & switch backs, many of which dangled over the edge of the world on roads like balconies. 

AND, cars, buses & scooters squeezed the other way.  Jeff sat back and let someone else work it out as we drank in the beautiful scenery regardless of the dreary day.  The kids passed the time playing charades and were giggly tour guides with heavy lisps.  We squiggled all the way to Amalfi past terraced slopes heavily cropped with lemons, citrus and some vines.  Finally, all the scraggily orange & green wound up nets tied between the stems of olives trees made sense as we saw them unravelled like hammocks beneath the trees pregnant with fruit. Small heavy pockets of juicy olives gather in the slings ready for gathering. Villages grow out of the cracks but are engulfed by grotty,plaster peeling homogenously arched 70s style Italian villas & holiday destinations for the rich. The ubiquitous rubbish collects in all crevices as well as on the small dark sanded volcanic beaches overlooked by sumptuous dining rooms.  Surely you could pay someone an hour/day to clean the view up!?

We jumped off at Amalfi and boarded an open-topped bus to beautiful Ravello, a medieval stone village on the hilltop with heavy Arab architectural influences, beautiful villas & gardens enjoyed by DH Lawrence, Wagner and Steinbeck (inaccessible now unless you pay - like so much of vista Italy).  

But, we took the steep stone staircases on which one could look back over them as well as see across the shapely coastline.  Expensive art galleries, clothes shops & eateries flower out of old cloistered courtyards.  We found ourselves in one and utterly entranced by another Italian artist, Meloniski (www.gruppopetitprince.com) that Kel described as playful and dreamy.  His paintings are sensationally joyful, full of glitter & music, moon & stars.  When we’re rich……

The wind by now was blowing ferociously & we’d all turned a bit purple, so we set our sights on a warm pizzeria back down in Amalfi.  We sat amongst the whirling leaves with a lonely lost-after-failed-love Frenchman at the bus stop for near on an hour.  When finally arriving back down the hill we took the first cozy joint and ordered a huge pizza each taking about a delicious hour to eat.

Warm and full, we explored the beautiful Duomo square with the layers of sculpture, in front the Renaissance Florentine Duomo Facade, behind the higher Saracen tower and behind and older than all, the magnificent craggy rock peaks of the Lattari mountains.

Amalfi Piazza with church

3 beautiful pillars

Another long wait for the bus to Positano had us forced back into the tourist shoe, pottery, gourmet foods & trinket shops.  The next scheduled bus was also full to the top but the driver pressed us in beneath each other armpits and off we went - no personal space - Italian style!! 

sitting in the bus stairwell

We fell out at Positano sucking in the fresh cool air & dribbled down really expensive & beautiful shopping alleys & arcades to the black, littered beach. 

Positano

Positano from the beach

Not inclined to linger with a coffee, we walked by up the mountainside & joined the haphazard queue waiting in the skinny winding road in the dark for the next sardine can to get us back to Sorrento.  Can’t believe the crowds on a windy, cold, rainy day in late autumn/early winter - would be asphyxiating in summer.  Apparently, environmental study groups reckon tourism here needs to be capped given the enormous strain on the limited infrastructure & natural resources.  The whole coast is less than 50km long & the strip we travelled, only 25 kms but given the winding road, and the fact that we were on public transport stopping all the time, the traveling time seemed quite long.  Apparently there is a magnificent 12km walk high up in the mountains connecting Positano & Praiano called  The Path of the Gods - next time.  Desperate to dismount, we got off way too early but delighted in the 4km brisk walk home to a hot chocolate and bed.

Jen’s best part - not having to cook lunch

Jeff’s - the setting of the Duomo in Amalfi, someone else driving 

Wil & Kel both voted for playing charades on the bus trip to Amalfi