Amalfi and beyond

We left Rome for the world famous Amalfi Coast. We arrived in Salerno by train and bought ferry tickets for Positano. That’s when the fun or should I say confusion begun. We got off the ferry at the first stop because I recognized the hotel from pictures on the hotel’s website. As we were dragging our luggage along the dock, Jeff said that the ferry ride was supposed to be an hour and that this might not be our stop as it only took 30 mins… oops! Guess we got off at the wrong stop – or did we? We got back on the ferry and while we were sitting and waiting for the ferry to leave I thought I better check our location using Google Map on the phone… Hmm, it says 10mins away by foot, hmm, ok, we really need to get off! So we got off the ferry again after confirming with the crew that our hotel is located in Amalfi not Positano.

Amalfi

Lemons and oranges everywhere

The next day we took the bus to Ravello, another UNESCO world heritage site. The bus ride to Ravello was very interesting – switchbacks, hairpin turns and blind corners! Good entertainment on public transit for €1.50! The bus driver was extremely skilled in negotiating the narrow road to Ravello. Let’s just say that if the bus window was opened, I would be able to touch the stone retaining walls of the buildings along the road! The bus would negotiate the tight corners and sometimes with the added challenge of oncoming traffic. Then of course you have the blind corners… not a job for nervous drivers!

One of the famous site in Ravello is Villa Cimbrone. Villa Cimbrone is a historic building dating from at least the 11th century AD, it is famous for its scenic belvedere, the Terrazzo dell’lnfinito (the Terrace of Infinity). Well, we were at the Terrace of Infinity and saw nothing – the sky was so hazy that we can’t even see the water. What is this haze? Fog or smog in the Amalfi Coast? We did not know, what a waste of €8 each for admission! For all you literary buffs, DH Lawrence wrote Lady Chatterley’s Lover at the villa in 1927…

Villa Cimbrone… the haze prevented usfrom experiencing the spectacular view

Villa

The villa is also a hotel

As we were wandering around the town, we walked by Chiesa di San Francesco, a church built by St Francis of Assisi in 1222. The main doors were opened and I took a peep and there was a body under the altar in a glass display! I have a morbid curiosity and had to google more about it. The remains under the altar is that of the Blessed Bonaventure of Potenza, a Catholic saint that passed away in 1711…. hmm, okay, the guy has been dead for over 300 years! I find the display of a person who died a long long time ago a bit on the disturbing side (despite my Catholic background). But hey, people who get married in that church probably don’t think it’s a big deal.

Ravello is also famous for its ceramic goods. They are so beautiful but unfortunately we could not buy it unless we wanted broken ceramic plates in our luggage. We picked up local olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar is so yummy! After tasting so many different balsamic vinegar in our many restaurant meals we know exactly what we like.. (So done with eating out by now..)

The very next day we hiked the famous Path of the Gods trail. We caught the local bus again to a neighbouring town of Agerola where the trail begins.

Is this the view that from on high along the Path of the Gods, opens to our sight: it is the picture of the great loop of the Amalfi coastline that looks towards the west, towards the Island of Capri, that precipitous coast, steamy, hot, with the crystalline mountains where the gods of today are forsaken and you find a lost self again. Mediterranean, before you. DH Lawrence

The Path of the Gods trail is quite short – we finished the 7km in 1.5 hours even though the information board showed 3 hours.. I really don’t know who needs 3 hours to hike it as there is not much elevation change. The view from the trail is quite beautiful, fortunately not much of the haze from the day before and we could see the town and boats on the water.

Looking back at Agerola, where we started

Another view

Along the Path of the Gods

I have to say the hike was only ok, not terribly challenging and quite short. We actually preferred the hike at Cinque Terre that had good views too. At the end of the trail, there are 1700+ steps down to the village of Positano.. this was the part that I struggled with.. guess I still have more leg muscles to work on.

Approaching Positano in the distance

After lunch, we made our way to the dock to catch our ferry back to Amalfi. I was in no mood to climb up 1700+ steps under the hot sun and with high humidity to boot! ( I guess I could but I’m just tired from all the walking and heat…)

1700+ steps down and down…

Positano

With another full day in Amalfi, we were undecided on what to do next. We considered visiting Capri but the ferry schedule made it unappealing and the cost of renting our own boat and skipper (at €400 for 2 of us) was a bit too rich for our taste… We asked the hotel for suggestions and they highly recommended Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. Ok! Sign us up!

We weren’t too sure what to expect but our tour guide turned out to be very good. Luchia provided a brief history of Pompeii before we arrived at the ruins so that we have a better understanding and appreciation of what we were seeing.

The ancient city of Pompeii was once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city. The city had a population of 11,000 that perished under 20ft of volcanic ash and pumice. The site was lost for about 1,500 years until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years later by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748. The objects that lay beneath the city have been preserved for more than a millennium because of the long lack of air and moisture.

The town square in Pompeii

Pompeii, Temple of Jupiter

Sacrificial altar

Pompeii has been a tourist destination for over 250 years. Today it has the UNESCO World Heritage Site status and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year.

The romans were great engineers. Here is what remains of a lead pipe.

Theatre. Luchia had us clap our hands 3 times in unison, and than a quick round of applause. It was quite neat hearing the sound amplified in the theatre due to the design

The most popular destination in Pompeii is Lupanare Grande, the brothel. Why is it that every city tour has a brothel commentary of some sort? I guess prostitution is an old and universal profession.

If you need guidance at the brothel… Not the finest example of Roman art 🤔

Discrete sign on the sidewalk to the most popular/notorious house in Pompeii

Our guide Luchia explaining the lost art of depth perspective in paintings. The technique was lost and was reintroduced during the Renaissance

Never ending work of excavation at Pompeii

After Pompeii, we stopped for lunch at some restaurant that catered to bus loads of tourists. Not surprisingly it was our worst meal in Italy. After lunch we headed off to Mt Vesuvius and up the windy road we go.. The hike up to Mt Vesuvius took 25 minutes as the buses dropped off the visitors about 200m from the edge of the crater. But this is a long 200m if you are in poor shape. In fact we saw a lady laying on her back and someone was fanning her and giving her candy. The heat and the soft pumice/ash trail made the walk up a little more than an easy stroll in the park… I found it a bit tough as my calf muscles were very sore from walking down the 1700+ steps from the day before.

View of Naples and the Gulf (or Bay) of Naples

Another view of the crater

Looking at the crater of Mt Vesuvius

As we ascended Mt Vesuvius we could see all of Naples and cruise ships at the Gulf of Naples. We walked around the edge of the crater, we did not see any steam nor smelled any sulphur although others in the group said they did..

Anything for some euro. Have you ever paid to use a porta potty?

By the time we got back to the hotel it was almost dinner time… Darn it, we still have not stepped into any if the beaches yet. Oh well, I guess it is not meant to be… The next day we left for Naples via the ferry and then the commuter train