Exploring The Amalfi Coast

7/25/2013

I took 2 trips to the Amalfi Coast during my stay in Salerno. The first trip I made on my own by taking a bus from Salerno Central Station. It ended up being packed with locals and more specifically those of the younger variety. I thought I was in the clear since it was the middle of the week, but since the kids are off on summer holiday it didn't much matter. Thankfully most of them got off within the first couple of stops. I almost wanted to depart at the same stop as I assumed it must be a great local beach if so many were going there, but figured I would save that for another day because I really wanted to see Amalfi and Positano on this trip. Once the bus cleared out it ended up being an enjoyable ride, that is, if you dont mind the barely-there AC on a boiling hot bus (note: if you are visiting Italy in the summer just bring a hand fan with you everywhere...it will save your life!). The scenery was fantastic as we hugged the coast all the way to Amalfi Town. The sky was clear and blue and the water was even more so. The vibrancy of the waters blue was a picture perfect contrast to the grey of the cliff face, and we were skirting right along its edge, on a road only wide enough for one car, though it served as a two way street. Each time we neared a bend in the road the driver had to honk his horn to warn other drivers coming from the other direction. It was quite a ride! We drove through many small towns along the way, each one dotting the cliff side with white stucco homes and shops. Amalfi was clearly different from the rest, much larger, with a bus terminal of sorts and tons of tourists and touristy shops lining the streets. I took a walk around the streets and took some pictures but didn't stay too long. It was all too much for me. Too crowded, too expensive, and forget trying to even get on the beach, which was rocky not sandy, because there was not a space to be had. It was a cute town, definitely worth a look, but I was ready for Positano, so I boarded another bus. Positano was, in my opinion, a much nicer town. The houses climbing the cliff face were multi-colored and though it was still crowded with tourists, it also seemed very quaint. Again, I took a walk around taking pictures before I settled myself on the beach, which was packed, but I was able to find a spot at least. It was stony, just like in Amalfi, which I hated. The rocks were small to medium size stones, not pebbles, and they were black so they were burning hot! When I laid on my blanket the stones were still burning my skin straight through the cloth. The water was a lovely reprieve though. Crystal clear to the bottom and perfectly cool and refreshing for such a hot day. At the end of the day I decided to take the ferry, instead of the bus back to Salerno. It was nice to view the coast from the water, and the breeze was fantastic.

My next trip to the coast was that weekend with my roommate, Massimo, his girlfriend and 4 others. This time we would drive to a town off the coast called Ravello and hike down to Amalfi Town. It was a really pleasant walk through towns, woods and lemon groves, and took us nearly 4 hours. I was really missing my boots/sneakers, which I discarded earlier in my trip, trying to lighten the load and thinking I would no longer need them. Instead I walked the whole way in my TOMS, which are looking pretty rough at this point in my travels. We even got caught in a little tropical thunderstorm where we ran for cover first under a giant fig tree, but eventually needing to retreat to some nearby ruins along the trail. It's amazing that these structures are even here. It seems like every time you turn around there are ancient ruins starring you in the face. It's so normal to Italians that they hardly even notice that we are escaping the rain under a roof that has been standing for hundreds or possibly thousands of years.

The best part of the walk were the many gorgeous waterfalls all along the way. We stopped for some lunch at one, and another we had to veer off the trail and actually walk through the water to reach the really stunning part where water was trickling and falling through moss covered walls and over shallow caves. This is where it is nice to have a local leading the way. You would never find this place on your own. By the time we reached the beach in Amalfi we were all pretty tired, so we grabbed some lemon ice and laid out in the late afternoon sun. As the sun started setting we got a bus to take us back up the cliff to our car.