Our trip to Amalfi started with Luca insisting on taking us all the way to our hotel in Amalfi, instead of dropping us off at the bus station in Salerno (the original plan). If you have read my previous posts, you are already familiar with his perilous driving, just add some high cliffs, tight turns, inability to see around corners, and two lanes with no shoulder, and you have a very frightening experience. However, well worth it once you arrive. Melissa if you read this, I thought about you on the ride, when I was getting nauseated.
Amalfi
Our hotel is about a 20 minute walk from the center of Amalfi. The walk is pleasant, with a nice breeze and beautiful views all along the way. Since we are a little ways out of town, our hotel is situated high on a cliff, right above the Mediterranean. We have a tiny room, that has a sea view, and was the cheapest hotel in Amalfi, with free wifi, AC, and breakfast. The hotel also has a private beach.
Me on our walk into town.
When we arrived to Amalfi, it was just before noon, and of course we were hungary. We immediately headed into town to find some lunch. We settled on a typical restaurant in the piazza del Dogi called Restorante Da Baracca. Richard had Spaghetti con vongole, and I don’t know what I had exactly but it involved fusilli, swordfish, capers, a little tomato and herbs, it was wonderful! We also enjoyed a bottle of wine for 8euro!!! That’s $10 in a restaurant for a bottle of wine, I love this place!
We had a light lunch, so we forwent our usual nap, and took a stroll through town. We bought some gifts for Leo and his soon to be little sis (hope it’s a girl), took a look at the main church, and had dessert at la pansa. Before coming to Amalfi, Guilia told us about a pastry shop immediately to the right of The Church in Amalfi with a fabulous lemon cake. So we took her advice and had the lemon cake, but we also had a chocolate hazelnut torte, they were both to die for.
The delicious desserts
After dessert we took a stroll down the pier, where we seized some photo opportunities and relaxed in the sun. It was at this point that we decided it was time to enjoy the private beach back at the hotel. Little did we know…
On the Peir
We headed back to the hotel, suited up, and headed to the beach. But there were so many stairs, it didn’t seem quite so bad on the way up. Once we arrived at the beach it was beautiful with silky smooth pebbles covering it, no sand, and only one other couple in occupancy. It felt like our own little piece of paradise, until the sun started setting behind the cliffs and it was time to ascend the dreaded steps. Our legs already felt like jello from all the walking, and climbing we’ve done lately, so the steps were especially daunting. We decided to make the best of it and count as we went along… 465 STEPS! Straight up the side of a cliff (it’s 2330 now and I am feeling the work already).
These are the steps, that white building at the top is our hotel.
We were exhausted after this, so we retired to our little luxury box for some R&R and blog time. After a couple of hours we felt recuperated and depleted, so we got dressed and headed back to the center of Amalfi for dinner.
Once we arrived we couldn’t decide where to eat, we tried and tried to find something outside the immediate (tourist filled) city center, but could only find bars. So finally we settled on a restaurant called Taverna degli Apostali, it was actually in the church, with a nice patio facing the main square. However, a couple of minutes in, after our wine had arrived we realized we weren’t at that restaurant at all. Another restaurant around the corner had one table on the same patio, this restaurant was called Il Chiostro (the cloister). So the running joke of the evening became the nuns vs the apostles. The dinner wasn’t quite as good as lunch, but we heartily enjoyed every minute. After we finished dinner, and paid the check, we visited il bagno. While there they had a first aid box on the wall, and I am in some desparate need of Neosporin (bacitracin) and when I went to the farmacia (pharmacy) they refused to sell me any antibiotic ointment, so I decided it was time to steal it. I tried but was unsuccessful…I have no idea what was in there, the only things I could identify were band-aids and cotton balls. I guess petty theft just isn’t my game.
After our failed theft attempt, we stopped for some gelato for the way home. Gelato in hand we headed up the dark, treacherous mountain little hope of coming out alive. Well, maybe I am a little bit dramatic, but remember the previously mentioned crazy traffic? Dealing with that traffic in the dark is a completely different ball game all together. Richard did nothing to soothe my paranoid ideations, by mentioning the possibility of being mugged as well as being left for roadkill. But after all my frantic pacing up the hills and around the curves we arrived safely to our hotel.
We then participated in our first international skype conversation with my mom. It was kind of crazy, I could see her in her kitchen half a world away. Technology really is an amazing thing. Until tomorrow, Buone Notte!
One of the many Lemoncello stores, the Amalfi coast is the birthplace of the beverage.
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