A full day of our tour was devoted to an exploration of the Amalfi coast. The plan was to drive along the 50-kilometer road that hugs the coastline from just west of Positano to Vietri sul Mare in the east, taking in the dramatic views. We were hoping to take a boat ride when we reached Amalfi for a different view of the rock formations and cliffside villages.
Before we departed from Sorrento at 8am, I had checked the forecast for Amalfi. It mentioned rain but I was cautiously optimistic that the weather wouldn’t interfere with our plans. The autoroute brought us from Sorrento down to the southern coast of the peninsula where we picked up the winding two-lane coastal and marveled at the dramatic views out over the Gulf of Salerno.
Traffic can be a real problem when traveling between the different towns since there is only one coastal road. This road snakes constantly as it follows the contours of the narrow, steep valleys. The valleys are actually limestone canyons, carved by water over millions of years and now filled with lush vegetation. Lodo told us that private buses, like ours, are only allowed to go in one direction (east) on this road. The only bus that can travel in both directions is the public bus.
I was encouraged to see that it wasn’t raining when we approached Positano and made a quick photo stop. I had made a day trip to Positano on my own the day after I arrived in Sorrento. It is one of the oldest towns on the Amalfi coast and it certainly has a picturesque setting – and way too many tourists. Most of the year, they outnumber the 1200 people live in Positano year-round. By mid-January, most of the tourists have left and many shops and restaurants close until tourists return in the spring.
Although the vistas were beautiful, it was impossible to ignore the serious dark clouds off in the distance, especially in the direction of Amalfi.
Just past Positano, I looked back at the terraced slopes of the town as we drove on to the next town, Praiano.
We stopped briefly in Praiano to take photos of the Parish Church of San Gennaro (Saint Januarius). Its dome and the spire atop its belltower are covered with majolica tiles. According to Lodo, San Gennaro is the most important saint in the area.
Our next stop on the coast was a shopping opportunity at Conca dei Marini. The huge roadside store was filled with the colorful ceramics that the Amalfi is famous for. I didn’t buy anything, and no photos were allowed in the shop but I took this photo outside.
Finally, shortly after 11am, we found ourselves looking out over the town of Amalfi.
Amalfi began as a small fishermen’s village and eventually grew into the most important town on coast. During the Middle Ages, Amalfi was one of the four powerful maritime republics on the Italian peninsula, along with Genoa, Pisa, and Venice. From the Moors, who controlled Sicily, the citizens of Amalfi acquired a great deal of knowledge, including how to make paper. The Moorish influence can be seen in Amalfi’s architecture. In the 13th century, the magnetic compass, invented in China, arrived in Europe through Amalfi.
Amalfi became a fashionable resort destination in the 1950s and 60s. Today, the town has a year-round population of 5,000 people and its economy is heavily dependent on tourism. I was looking forward to strolling through the picturesque cliffside town and looking at the architecture as well as taking the boat ride. But faced with dark rain clouds, gusty winds, and rough seas, we were forced to change our plans. In fact, no boats at all were leaving the harbor. Even the ferries were cancelled, leaving many people stranded.
Our original plan called for a return to Sorrento by ferry from Amalfi. Now that this would impossible, Lodo and our driver implemented Plan B, and we drove past Amalfi without stopping.
Soon the rain was lashing against the windows of the bus.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, we saw blue skies again.
We stopped when we reached Maiori, a coastal town that was founded by the Etruscans and was later conquered by Rome. Maiori is known for its beach, which is the longest uninterrupted beach on the Amalfi coast. For this reason, it’s popular with Italian families who come to enjoy its relaxed atmosphere.
We began our visit to Maiori with a walk along the seaside promenade. Lodo noted that this beach is where U.S. Navy Seals arrived in September 1943 as part of Operation Avalanche, the Allied landing in Salerno.
We walked into the town to visit the 17th century Church of San Dominic, where we met with a local resident and learned about Maiori’s World War 2 history. The church was heavily damaged during the war. After the Allied landing, the convent connected to the church was turned into a field hospital for the U.S. Army Rangers, with the sacristy serving as an emergency operating room. The church has a room set up as a gallery where we spent several minutes studying black and white photographs that the document the events of 1943-1944.
After a casual al fresco lunch (pizza Ortolana – with roasted vegetables and mozzarella on plum tomato sauce with a crispy crust), I continued exploring the town.
The walking was easy since the terrain was fairly level.
I eventually returned to the seaside promenade to watch the waves crashing on the dark sand of the beach.
The next town along the coast was Cetara. From the bus, we saw the famous majolica-tiled dome and 11th-century bell tower of the Chiesa San Pietro Apostolo. When I saw the colors gleaming so brightly in the sunshine, I sighed and thought, “If only the weather had been like this in Amalfi….”
Although I was disappointed that we had missed the famous coastal resort and the boat ride, I’d gotten an excellent overview of the entire Amalfi coast and I was quite happy that we had spent some time in a much quieter town with “real” people as opposed to tourists.
After passing Cetara, we got a glimpse of Vietri sul Mare before our bus turned onto Autostrada and headed back up north towards Sorrento.
Back in Sorrento, I had dinner in reverse, i.e. I had gelato first, and then went in search of a main course. I was attracted to this particular gelato shop because of its sign.
While the day hadn’t gone quite as expected, it had turned out fine in the end. And I was certain the next day, in Naples, would be equally satisfying.
No comments:
Post a Comment