We spent the entire day on the mountain-hugging, twisting Amalfi Drive between Salerno and Sorrento. That direction ensured that we'd be driving on the mountain side of the road, rather than the sea side; in other words, we opted to be crushed into the rock face, rather than drown, should it come to that!
The day was beautiful -- warm and sunny -- though Tom thought the photo ops would be limited by an offshore haze. No matter, there were plenty of gorgeous views to take in and he took plenty of photos; they will tell most of the tale today, and I'll just briefly (we all dearly hope) describe some of the towns and scenes.
Soon after starting on the coastal road, we exited it in order to drive downhill to the small town of Erchie, where we got as close to the water as we did all day. We walked along the pebbly shore, where there were a couple of sun bathers and a swimmer, whose entry into the water made us think it was going to be a chilly dip. Along the beach, workers were painting and doing other jobs in preparation for the upcoming season.
Back up the drive, our next stops were in Ravello, which sits above the coast and is accessed via a narrow road that winds about four miles above the Valley of the Dragon. The town was very crowded and we stopped only to take in the spectacular views of the sea, the resort towns of Minori and Maiori below, and the terraces of lemon trees that lined the green mountains above and below us.
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| From Ravello |
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| Amalfi |
Speaking of lemons, as we drove along the Drive today, periodically we'd pass trucks set up selling the fruit, lemon ices, limoncello, and pretty much anything else made from the abundant citrus. The other characteristic product of the area is ceramics, also sold in many shops in the towns along the way. In a combination of the area's two hallmark commodities, the milestones -- ok, kilometer markings -- along the road were made of ceramic tiles bordered with a lemon motif.
We wound our way through beautiful Positano, whose warm-toned buildings spill down the mountain to the water, but did not stop in town. Just beyond, we found several places that afforded wonderful views back at the stunning scene -- mountains, town, boats below, their slow progress etching white wakes in the navy and turquoise water. This is Fantasyland, sigh...
The drive on the Drive, though, is less than heavenly. There was actually much less traffic than we expected, but even so, a narrow road made more so by cars parked wherever they can squeeze, and the experience of encountering LARGE oncoming tour buses makes for challenging navigation, negotiation, and calculation, as well as a fair amount of grit. All this, Tom handled ably, and with the use of only two hands; with all the gesturing that goes on on Italian roads, I think a dedicated third hand would make the country a lot safer!
Soon after we left Sorrento, we were back on the wide, straight autostrada headed back to our apartment, the real world, happy hour on the terrace, and out for dinner. We're near Naples, so pizza it was!
In the morning, we head north to Perugia, in the region of Umbria, where we'll be staying for four nights.
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