Amalfi

Sunday 5^th June

Yesterday we said our farewells to Rome and began our journey to the Southern Campagna region. A pleasant 3 hour train trip to Salerno and a harrowing, nail biting hour and a half bus ride later along a  perilous cliff face barely wide enough for two cars, let alone buses, where we finally arrived at our destination, Amalfi. Throughout the  bus journey we were teased with glimpses of towns along the coast, nestled among the lemon trees, as if jewels set in vertical rugged rock cliff faces.

Just to the south of Naples lies the Sorrentine Peninsula.  Along its south coast lie the enchanting villages of Maiori, Manori, Atrani, Amalfi and Positano, and located somewhere between the azure sky and the impossibly deeper azure sea. We have chosen Amalfi as the place to stay to visit this area. Above us lies the hill-top town of Ravello, famous for it’s icy cold, lemony flavoured liquor, Limoncello. Punctuating the peninsula, like the dot beneath the exclamation mark, lies the magical island of Capri, a short ferry ride from Amalfi. For those of you who remember LP record, it feels like we have dialed the speed from a frantic 78 in Rome to a less than leisurely 33 1/3 – such peace.  With six days ahead of us here, we relish the thought of doing very little and dictating the speed of our lives on our own terms.

After meeting James  and navigating many, many steps we arrived at our hotel (another 42 steps up to our room) – we decided to rent an apartment for our week in Amalfi, with a kitchen and a living area separate from the bedroom and bathroom.  So much space to move! Thankfully we are only about twenty metres above the main road, and perched above a tunnel, easily accessible and not too daunting. Other hotels are further along the hill-side, accessible by what seems, narrow goat tracks of stairs!



Our room is in the pink building
with the two awnings and balcony.



Amalfi

Last night we cooked our first meal in six weeks, a deliciously simple dish of tortellini with our own blend of local tomatoes and garlic, mixed with spices, simmered with a dash of local red wine. Simple, satisfying, delicious! Maybe it was the blend of spices herbs, maybe it was because we cooked it ourselves, or maybe because we were sitting near our open window in Amalfi, overlooking the sea, or perhaps a combination of all three, but for us this was the best meal we have had on our trip so far! 

The origins of Amalfi date back to 400AD, during the time of King Constantine, when a group of families, who were descendants of Roman refugees sheltered on the Amalfi Coast. Amalfi was a huge sea-faring town. At the end of the tenth century, Amalfi was a great trading port with far away oriental cities supported by a very powerful military navy. Flavio Gioia, the inventor of the compass is a proudly remembered Amalfitan. With knowledge gleaned from the Arabian world, the Amalfitan people learned the techniques to manufacture paper during the 13^th century. Today only two paper mills are still active, producing manuscript paper in the same traditional way, and used by the Vatican.

The views from the balcony and windows are spectacular, like looking at a living postcard, where the scene changes subtlely so that your interest never wavers, always surprised by what you see and wait in anticipation of what could happen next. We overlook the sea and boat harbour, and to the right, the mountain side dotted with hotels,  homes and terraced lemon groves .

This morning, in that haze before being fully awake I thought about where I was and what I remembered about our stroll through the main street of Amalfi last night and the night lights twinkling along the coast and thought that I must have dreamt it. How could a view so spectacular, and place so amazing be real!

Amalfi harbour at dusk.

Thankfully, when I stood on the balcony and looked out across the water and to the harbour, I knew this was real, and is to be our haven for the next six days. Paul has found a day bed in the living area, in a prime spot next to the balcony. I think I will have a hard time separating him from it!  Actually, think I’ll join him, with a coffee and the incredible view of fishing boats leaving for the hope of the catch of the day . What more could we want!

We wake up to this view each morning! Bahahaha!!

Tuesday 7^th June 2011

Today will be a day of leisure and of slowly meandering  through the yet undiscovered (by us) streets and paths in and around Amalfi. We’ll call out ‘Buon Giorno’ to the familiar shop keepers (such as the local fruit and veg) we pass, we might see the woman who sang in the piazza a few nights ago when her son opened his cake shop, we may even stumble across the elderly lady who, from her top floor window offered us a coffee. Such is life in Amalfi.

This small shop only sells zucchini and
its flowers.

Yesterday was a full day of bus travel to visit some of the other towns that dot this wonderful area. Needless to say, the bus journeys were harrowing and we often said our prayers before each bend. We were constantly reminded that back home our life generally operates horizontally. Most of our travel is on flat plains with slight rises and dips as we journey through our Adelaide Hills or the surrounds. Here, life is vertical, homes and gardens are built on steep sides of mountains, all beautifully terraced and well maintained. Cars, buses and scooters travel on roads and paths that perch on the very edge of these same mountains, hairpin bends are common, the view is magnificent but the drop barely a metre away is frightening. People here are used to this, they travel these roads and tend to their gardens every day without a thought to the dangers or challenges they bring. To them, life probably wouldn’t be complete if it was any different.

 

Positano

 We visited Sorrento, Positano and Ravello, all beautiful, quaint, unique. Positano is a sea-side town, not unlike Amalfi. Prices are high for just about everything – from souvenirs to food to clothing. The dark pebble beach and crashing waves were enjoyed by locals and visitors to the area. We continue to realise how fortunate we are of our white, sandy, free beaches back home. Ravello is a hill-side town, it was much later in the day when we visited, and so were pleasantly entertained by the number of children playing in the main piazza before they were taken home for dinner and bed.

Maiori

 Thank goodness the centre of Amalfi is quite flat, the piazza’s are linked by walking tunnels, narrow streets and flights of steps that gently rise or fall. The outer edge of this quaint town is ringed by private homes and services and the gradient to these residences increases. We’re convinced that it is not only the Mediterranean diet that contributes to longevity and good health, as is often professed. We have found that  people here walk far more than we do, not just for fitness but as part of their daily life. We have learnt to do the same! How strange it will seem when we return to Adelaide and need that extra one or two forgotten items from the supermarket ….. how easy it is for us to go by car, and yet, how much better for us would it be to walk.

Yes, we are walking and feeling trim and incredibly energetic …… pity about the croissants, brioche and gelati that we are constantly tempted with!!!!

(We did say there were many, many stairs we needed to climb to get to our apartment, and it felt that way the first time, with small suitcase in hand …..but….. after a few days here, we realise that they are not many at all, and we’re able to bound up and down them and get to the main piazza within two minutes!)

 Later this week we head to Capri and then back to Rome for our last night before regretfully leaving this wonderful country.

We'll try and blog again, but if no, we'll blog again when in Rome!

Hope everyone is well back home. Thinking of you all. Thankyou for all your comments, we love reading them.

Happy 50th birthday Meg for Saturday. Hope you have a great day. Sorry we can't be there.... we might have come back earlier if we were invited! ("At least we don't need to buy a present".... said Paul) Love Paul and Tina