A drive along Italy’s answer to the Gower Peninsular. The Amalfi Coast.
Day 6: The Amalfi Coast – Positano, Amalfi & Ravello: After breakfast, depart for a scenic drive along the Amalfi Coast, one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world. Enjoy a photo stop in Positano, famed for its pastel-colored buildings cascading down to the sea. Continue to Amalfi, once a powerful maritime republic. Visit the impressive Cathedral of St. Andrew, stroll through the charming town center, and enjoy free time for lunch. In the afternoon, head to Ravello, a hilltop town beloved by artists and musicians. Visit Villa Rufolo, with its gardens and spectacular views. Return to Sorrento in the early evening. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Today we are reunited with Wednesday Adams, the teenage driver who brought us from the airport. Whilst her fearless driving attitude had scared us on arrival, her bravery would prove essential for us to make any headway on the narrow coastal road. Drivers in this neck of the woods have a slightly laissez-faire approach to the highway code. They don’t hesitate to overtake on a blind bend. Even if something is coming the other way. But there’s no road rage, people are happy to help each other out. At one point we met another bus coming the other way on a road too narrow for us to pass. Rather than waving arms and shouting, other drivers got out of their and guided others, shuffling cars into wider sections so we could all squeeze past. All very civilised.
Except for scooter riders, who zip through any gap even if you’re trying to reverse into it.
The coastal road is so narrow and busy, tourist busses are only allowed to drive southbound. They have to use inland roads to head back north.
A bus driver and a priest die and are met by St Peter at the Pearly Gates. St Peter says “there’s only room for one of you today, so the bus driver can go in, the priest will have to wait”
The priest protests, saying he had dedicated his life to God.
St Peter replied; “When people attend your services they fall asleep. When people travel on this driver’s bus, they are constantly praying.
Victoria, tour guide and comedian
I had expected the drive to be beautiful, but this UNESCO protected coastline exceeded all expectations. It is incredibly picturesque. Simply stunning.
It also defies logic. What kind of headcase would build houses on such steep rocky coastline? We are glad they did though. It’s the steepest village in the world. Like Blaenavon on Sea.
Victoria tries to ram more information into our heads about Sirens, shipwrecks and Greek invaders but none of it lodges. We do learn about some of the many rich and famous who have made this coastline their home, including Sophia Loren and… erm, some other people.
First stop is a layby overlooking Positano. It is slightly chaotic with tourists jostling for position to take photographs. Whilst this is an incredibly beautiful place, I wouldn’t want to live here. Tourists crawl all over the place and it’s not even tourist season yet. (Yes, guilty as charged.) Megan dives into a nearby hotel to use the loo then finds herself locked in. The barrier wouldn’t open. Oh how we laughed when Victoria pointed to the pedestrian gate as Megan had one leg over the barrier…
We continue our drive, eventually stopping for a walk around Amalfi town. Slightly bigger than the other towns, it has a marina and lots of cafés and lemony shops. There’s a statue of a fella who apparently invented the compass who was from here. I would imagine sailing to and from here was less hazardous than driving.
There are many steep steps linking houses. Back in the day they utilised donkeys to transport their Amazon delivery up to the terraces above.
The town was used as the location for the film ‘Equaliser Three’ with Denzel Washington. Clearly they must have closed the town for filming because there’s no tourists in the film. (And there’s no dead gangsters in the streets today.)
After a coffee and a wander we are transported to Ravello, up on top of the mountain. It’s still busy(ish) but much more relaxed and less busy. We go for a wander around the gardens of Villa Rofilo before tucking into a pre-booked pasta lunch. Ravello is, by far, the most beautiful of the towns we visited. Or at least the least chaotic, up in the mountains it has fewer visitors making it a little more chilled.
The area inevitably attracts a lot of artistic types and a lot of people with the money to buy art. One couple from our tour spot a table they like and order one customised with their names on it to be shipped back to England.
Eventually we are back on the much wider inland roads heading for the hotel.
After dinner, we nip down to a local pub for a swift pint and head back for an early night. The Jolly Blu is not bigging itself up as a British pub, but it definitely has that vibe. Lots of football shirts on the wall and TV screens. And they serve their draft beers in pint glasses. I opt for an unknown beverage that the barman simply calls ‘strong beer’. Andrew donates a Cardiff City hat for the pub collection.
I ask the barman what time they close, he simply says “when last person finishes drinking”. Dispite this, and us only going out for a swift pint, he chucks us out just after midnight.
Tomorrow’s blog? A bit of a summary, some recommendations, and tales of more cocktails.