Angie says we’re running out of adjectives used to describe the things we’ve seen! And today was no exception. We were ready at 7:30 for Pasquale (Buonorotti- as in Michelangelo!) to drop us at the bus pickup station. UNFORTUNATELY, none of the 3 of us remembered the voucher he had given us last night!! So he said he didn’t think it would matter. We just had to find the right tour bus, as there were maybe 10 that came and went while we were waiting. We kept asking tour guides if our names were on their list. Finally we found Melanie and she had our names! Fortunately, it was a smaller van type rather than the large full-size one. I think we had maybe 14 all total. 1/2 of them were French so we listened to everything twice, understanding only once!
Within maybe 20 minutes we were on the narrow switch-back road called the Amalfi Coast drive. I never did hear who built it or when but it looked pretty solid. We were lucky to get seats on the right side of the bus as that’s where the views were. Unfortunately, it was raining so many of the pictures had raindrops on the windows as we drove. I’ll have to do some editing.
The first town we came to was Positano. I thought we were stopping; Anna had even recommended we might want to stay there - she had recently vacationed there! But they didn’t stop; there is limited parking up on top and many stairs to get down to the town. The best way in is by boat! Tomorrow Angie and Cathy are going back, taking a public bus and explore there. I’m going to Herculaneum (smaller but better preserved than Pompeii) and then probably Pompeii on the way back. I was there in ’92 with the kids to Pompeii but have never been to the other. It was high on my list so I’m going on my own, taking the train from here for the day.
History says the town was created when ancient Greeks moved out of nearby Paestrum to escape the malaria carried by its mosquitos. Back then it was famed for its bold sailors and hearty fleet. But after a big 2343 tsunami and the pirate raids of the Middle Ages, its wealth and power declined. It flourished again under the Bourbon royal family in the 1700s when many mansions were built. Until the late 1800s it was accessible only by donkey or boat! In the 20th century it became a haven for artists and writers escaping Communist Russia or Nazi Germany. Today it depends on tourism and it’s 4000 hardy step-climbing residents live in the historic houses with terraced hillsides.
These towns are all squeezed in between high cliffs! There are many towers along the coast, raised as lookouts agains the Saracens (Turks) who constantly invaded. I don’t think the early settlers were even bothered by the Romans very much because they were so isolated. The exception was Amalfi which at one time was as powerful as Venice!
We took a break at a ceramics place; the ceramics here are gorgeous but heavy to carry! We were each given a plate in CS by Angela Maria #2 as well as a bottle of homemade wine we’re each carrying! So I wasn’t going to buy anything until Angie spotted a small turtle (turatuga) and elephant (elephant) for Jackson and Sarah’s collection that I’ve brought from all over the world. They also have the alabaster ones I bought in Volterra! Not sure how I’m going to get all this stuff to Plum Village! Going home isn’t a problem; but the weight restriction on RyanAir to Bordeaux might be problematic!! We’ll drink my wine in Rome so won’t take that! Mostly I’ve been buying magnets and dishtowels with the names of the places!
Angie got her cappuccino and I got a fresh squeezed orange juice! Did I mention the oranges right off the trees that I bought down the street from Pasquale’s on a farm the other day? They are to die for!!! Never tasted oranges like this anywhere, we all agree!
On we went passing several other small towns. The drive wasn’t as hair-raising as the “mamma Mia” drive yesterday on Capri so Angie didn’t have to hold my hand! I was able to enjoy it, although there was lightning in the distance and fog and rain so the views weren’t as great! But it’ll do!
We finally arrive in Amalfi and immediately boarded a boat for a cruise down the coast for maybe 1/2 an hour. It was great to see it from the water as well! The rain stopped so I was able to sit up on top with a bit of sun. We passed some famous homes, like Sophia Loren’s, Roger Moore’s, and up really high on top of a mountain Gore Vidal’s. They didn’t look that different from the others - nothing really extravagant like you see in Hollywood, except maybe Gore Vidal’s looked pretty large.
Amalfi’s heyday was the 11th and 12th centuries when it was a powerful maritime republic, rivaling Pisa, Genoa and Venice. Amalfi minted its own coins and established “rules of the sea” which still survive today. It, like other towns along this coast, was destroyed in 1343 by that tsunami caused by an undersea earthquake. Combined with the devastation of the plagues of that period, Amalfi was left a backwater town.
One of its famous citizens is the boy Flavio Gioia, the purported inventor of the magnetic compass. It also is famous for its paper, which it has produced since the Middle Ages up until 1969, when it was replaced by a modern facility nearby. I bought some beautiful sheets for Doug to do his calligraphy, along with the paper I’m bringing him from Bhutan -both homemade.
Back on land, we walked up the many stairs to the cathedral. It was pretty amazing! It had a collection of church items like vestments for the priest with gold threads, mitres from bishops - one from the 14th century, chalices and monstrances. Pretty impressive jewels on them!
The Cloister of Paradise has 120 graceful columns in a courtyard, which was a cemetery for some nobles in the 13th century. Also nearby is the crypt of St. Andrew with wonderful paintings. St. Andrew was one of the first apostles, who along with Peter left his fishing boat to follow Jesus to become the original “fishers of men.” There is a reliquary brought from Constantinople in 1206 during the Crusades - indicating the wealth and prestige of Amalfi back then. In the cathedral upstairs is a painting of St. Andrew with an x-shaped cross (he was crucified).
I had a delicious limon creme gelato here!! It was the best lemon I’ve had!! On we went inland to Ravello. This is a much less touristy town and we had a wonderful lunch there near the square and walked around a bit. We met up with the bus and headed back to Sorrento where we were dropped at the bottom of our road. Did I mention how strong my legs are getting from walking up and down this maybe 1/2 a mile steep road to Pasquale’s?
Angie and I made a delicious dinner with eggs, spinach, cheese and tomatoes along with bread and leftover wine! Cathy did cleanup duty. We saw Matt and Janet, our neighbors whom I had chatted with for an hour or more the other night when they arrived. They are from Virginia; he works for the military in Naples, retired Navy. They tried to go to Capri today (had driven Amalfi yesterday) and the boat had to come back, it was so rough!! They will try again Friday.
So off to bed and to the Roman ruins tomorrow!!
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