Napoli and the Amalfi Coast - October 10

A fortress overlooking the harbor in Naples before dawn

We arrived early this morning in Naples to partly cloudy skies. We set off on our tour to the Amalfi Coast, one of our favorite places on the itinerary. Our guide was Allessandro, the same one we had last year. He’s a very engaging fellow who laughs a lot and is full of all kinds of information about both the ancient and modern history of this place. As we drove out of Naples Mt. Vesuvius loomed large on the left side of our minibus but the summit was shrouded in clouds. We passed through a tunnel and emerged on the Amalfi Coast. Despite the clouds the sea was a brilliant blue and the coast was as gorgeous as it always is.

The ride to the town of Amalfi is one that I’m glad we didn’t have to drive ourselves. The road winds around the cliffs and makes it’s way down to the sea. In Amalfi we had an opportunity to stop and wander the little streets. Among other things we had to visit the most wonderful ceramics shop. We’ve bought things there before and we had to pick up something this time too. Some bowls and plates are on their way home to Virginia. Before we left Amalfi we stopped at a café on the main square and had a cappuccino and shared (I confess I ate most of it) a delicious lemon pastry.

Next we were on our way to beautiful Positano. The town is poised on a steep hillside going all the way down to the seaside. The residents must have incredible legs because to get anywhere you have to walk up and down steps or steep slopes. As we wandered down the main street we heard a thunderous roar and along came 15 or 20 Ferraris. It must have been a rally of some kind. We had lunch at Le Sirenuse Hotel which has one of the most spectacular locations I’ve ever seen. It sits perched on the hillside with terraces overlooking the sea. The food and wine were good and coupled with the view made for a perfect lunch.

Our last stop of the day was Sorrento. We walked down to the cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples and had a magnificent view of Naples and Vesuvius since the clouds had cleared from around the summit.

All in all, it was a wonderful day seeing some of our favorite places in Italy.