The trip along the Amalfi Coast is not for the faint at heart! I have driven on numerous windy, twisty, narrow roads with a dangerous drop to the sea, but nothing can prepare you for this adventure. It is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula. In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape. It is a producer of lemons, and thus, the Amalfi Coast is known for its limoncello liqueur. And for the hordes of tourists.
The magnificent 25-mile Amalfi Drive is a roadway that is etched into the side of towering white cliffs that drop precipitously to the sea below. Villages and seaside towns are perched precariously along the side of the mountains.
We rode in a mini-bus instead of a regular size bus; the ancient roadway was not designed for cars. It is a driving nightmare. The roadway has been adapted for the modern world, but two large buses can barely pass each other; they must fold in their sideview mirrors. Since it was a national Italian holiday, the traffic was horrible. People parked on the side of the road, leaving cars, buses, people, and motorbikes to "thread the needle" without taking out the other guy. The guide had to get out and stop oncoming traffic to make room for our bus to pass. Cars would pull in their sideview mirrors and backup and pull so close to the wall that you were sure that a pice of paper wouldn't fit between the rock wall and the hard place of the car. Our driver was amazing, only scraping the right sideview mirror once. The motorbikes were like kamikazies; I seriously think the drivers had a death wish. In any event, I must get over the traffic issue, but boy, it was some adventure.
Throughout the area, one could see old steep stone staircases criss-crossing the mountains, great for real hikers. Many of the homes on the steep hillsides had no road to them, so people park their cars where the roads ends and walk the rest of the way to their home. We saw homes with white rounded roof tops so they could collect rainwater in cisterns under the home. There was no electricity or running water to many of these homes until the 1940s. Some of these places are really remote and it seems as civilization has passed them by.
At each turn, the steep and winding road revealed one incredible sight after another. The area has been occupied for 2,000 years by a variety of peoples. We saw watch towers, ancient churches, and old castles that have been converted into hotels that need elevators to reach them. We drove up to the quaint village of Ravello, which is perched on a 350 foot high cliff overlooking the Gulf of Naples. The church in the town piazza was built in 1086. We then visited the garden of Villa Rufolo that was still well preserved. With a little free time, I perused the shops selling exquisite ceramics. I found a few three foot tall flower vases that would look smashing on my patio; too bad they wouldn't fit in my suitcase.
After our visit to Ravello, it was time to go back down the mountain, having fun negotiating the steep and sharp switchbacks. Our destination was Positano and lunch. The traffic nightmare continued as it took almost 2-1/2 hours to reach the San Pietro Hotel where lunch awaited. Positano is a seaside vacation retreat with small boats bobbing around in the clear blue water and a pebble beach. Homes and hotels are built hanging from the steep cliffs. Flowers were everywhere. Shopping is expensive but interesting, with beautiful laces and linen clothing.
This picture is the hotel entrance. All that is here topside is an elevator to take you down to the hotel and dining room. The meal was fantastic, with three courses and dessert plus wine. Needless to say, with a full belly and some wine I was ready for a siesta.
On the way back to the ship, we had a brief tour of Sorrento before heading back to the ship.
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