We traveled down the Amalfi Coast on the first of our final three days in Italy with a mini-bus driver Antonio who had a slight facial resemblance to Roger Federer. A Sorrento local, he knew the coastline well and agreed to take us through the most scenic route through villages.The trip down the coast was punctuated by spontaneous karaoke sessions by the girls in the back seat, photo stops where we admired how the road had been cut into the sheer cliff face that large coach drivers battled with traffic to fit on the correct side of the road.
Amazing Scenery
The scenery along the coastline was amazing - it is one of the most beautiful stretches of road for driving in the world.
Antonio and the girls
Gorgeous pink hibiscus
Gaps between houses are covered by flowering bushes
Overlooking the bay at our first stop
The first stop for a drink and stretch of the legs was at Ravello, a 5th century AD village which is famous for its scenic views. The place was postcard pretty and definitely got us in the mood for exploring the rest of the area.
The view from Ravello
The medieval buildings at Ravello
The cafe for our first drink stop
Buying local ceramics was tempting,
however we were put off by the thought of transporting the fragile items
Amalfi
From there, we travelled a bit further to the next town - Amalfi, once famous as an independent maritime Republic in the 7th century AD; however now more known for its lemon granita, souvenirs and the impressive Saint Andrew's Cathedral in the main square. At this time, we realised that a summer straw hat was necessary to protect ourselves in the searing heat; but to be avoided was the quirky 'natural viagra' stands that sold bunches of chilies that were guaranteed to give you more than just a kick to the taste-buds.
The church and tower at Amalfi
Natural viagra
We were introduced to a local restaurant by Antonio for lunch, where we made three amazing discoveries - the largest ever pepper mill, the gastronomic joy of stuffed courgette flowers and a trip-favourite cocktail of mixed lemoncello and meloncello liqueur.
Lunch time
A tasty gnocchi appetiser
How long is that pepper grinder
Stuffed courgette flowers
Seafood pasta cooked in a paper bag
Hotel Miramare, Positano
We arrived in Positano quite late in the afternoon, with Antonio helping us to organise a full day excursion by boat with a local tour operator for the next day. Our hotel, also called Hotel Miramare was located at the bottom of ~ 70 stairs with a beautiful balcony that offered views of the beach, bay and hills. Relaxing with an ice-cold beer from the mini-bar was our number one priority, before meeting up with the others for a quick swim.
Our hotel in Positano - highly recommended
Enjoying a beer on the balcony
View of the Duomo from above
Beach time
Unfortunately for us, European beaches generally consist of sharp slippery pebbles instead of nice soft sand that we are used to in Australia - quite a painful experience for the barefoot beach-goer. However, the sea temperature was nice enough for a quick dip after a long day sitting on the mini-bus.
The main beach at Positano
The houses stacked up on the cliff face at Positano
Mei, Wai and Farrah
After some research, we found a restaurant for dinner that was located on one of the hillsides surrounding Positano, which became quite an adventure to locate in the dark as we only realised there was a stair based shortcut on the return trip.
Panoramic lights
Island of Capri
The next day we started early with a buffet breakfast from the hotel and then met up with the rest of the group at the pier where Pepo the captain met us for the day excursion to the island of Capri. The luxury of a private speed boat was definitely something we could get used to, and it seemed very glamorous to be able to give directions to the captain on our preferable activities and destinations; and let him plan the day.
Our private boat with Pepo the captain
Rob and Wai
Roopa and Mei
Olie holding Mei whilst the boat bounced along the waves
Rob and birthday girl Allee
Finally the sea calmed down a bit
Millionaire's yachts
Count the cameras!
The beautiful archway, icon of the Amalfi Coastline
Exploring Capri
On arrival at Capri, we took a taxi up to the main square where we separated to explore the town, eating more lemon granita and collecting another set of magnets. The town was a tourist favourite, with all manner of luxury brands being available. We stayed for just under two hours before we met up with the captain again, this time having a small transporter take us to our boat as the captain got in trouble for taking his boat into the small harbour.
Overlooking the view at Capri
Lucky day Farrah
The queue of boats trying to get into the Blue Grotto
Enjoying the sunshine
A day of relaxing and eating
The rest of the day was a blur of sun-baking, snorkelling (seeing a range of fish species), fishing (although Pepo was the only successful fisherman), and of course eating. In doing the latter, we were lucky to be treated to the family's own hotel where Pepo's wife was the chef - indulging in small plates of more stuffed courgette flowers and more than a dozen types of antipasto.
Squid with potatoes
Fresh anchovies
On our return to Positano, the boat was captained by a 10 year old boy (Pepo's son) who was clearly very experienced in the local waterways and we arrived back safely.
Pre-dinner Drinks
We all agreed to meet at Rob and Allee's hotel for drinks prior to dinner. When we re-grouped, we ended up doing a mass photo session and a crash course in night photography - trying to get everyone to pose like statues whilst the camera self-timer did its magic.
Posing for the group photo
First rain clouds of our entire trip
Our last dinner in Positano
Dinner was at a small restaurant near the beach where house-wine was served from a barrel, the lemon gelato came inside a lemon and the seafood tasted as a fresh as the sea-side breeze. Post-dinner drinks was an opportunity to laze around the pier and finish off the bottles of lemoncello and meloncello - a great way to end our last night in the Amalfi Coast.
Lemon gelato inside a lemon rind
Enjoying the meloncello
A video of our adventures.
Back to Naples (and reality)
The next day we had our last opportunity for sun-baking on the hot pebble beach. Our golden tans flourished (much to the envy of our London colleagues) and we had one more meal of seafood, veal with lemon sauce and stuffed courgette flowers (definitely think we have consumed an entire bouquet this trip) before we caught a taxi driven by a complete maniac back to Naples for the onward journey back to London town.
Last meal of the trip
Veal with lemon sauce
Seafood pasta
So long summer. See you in another 6 months.
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We traveled down the Amalfi Coast on the first of our final three days in Italy with a mini-bus driver Antonio who had a slight facial resemblance to Roger Federer. A Sorrento local, he knew the coastline well and agreed to take us through the most scenic route through villages.The trip down the coast was punctuated by spontaneous karaoke sessions by the girls in the back seat, photo stops where we admired how the road had been cut into the sheer cliff face that large coach drivers battled with traffic to fit on the correct side of the road.
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