This is our second stop in Naples. The first time we toured Pompeii and today we will visit Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. I am excited to return to the Amalfi Coast. It has been 15 years since Stu and I met our friends Greg and Leslie to spend some time hikng and enjoying this beautiful section of Italy.
We have a bit of a bus ride, 45 minutes to take us to Sorrento, on the ankle of Italy.
Taking photos from buses is difficult, but I think I got a nice shot of us approaching Sorrento. It is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula and is perched atop high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea an the Bay of Naples.
We wander through the historic center. It is fairly early and the crowds have not yet arrived.
In 2009 Stu and I had lunch at this restaurant in Piazza Tasso, a cafe lined square.
Our tour includes lunch. We meet at the designated spot and our guides leads us to the restuarant where have a soso lunch of gnocci, a chicken dish, desert and wine. After lunch we reboard the bus for the drive along the very very windy Amalfi Coast Road. Again photos out of the window of the bus as we pass by Positano. There is a lot of boat traffic coming and going into Positano as it is an iconic destination on the Amalfi Coast. Unfortuneately we only have so much time and Positano is not on our itinerary today.
Our next stop is the town of Amalfi. In 2009 Stu and I stayed on the Amalfi Coast and spent a few nights here in this town. There is a very unique fountain in the square. It is called Fontana Sant’Adrea or Saint Andrew’s Fountain. It features a nymph with water spouting from her breasts. I have a photo of Stu from that trip filling up his water bottle here. Most Italian cities have fountains that have safe potable water so that you can refill your bottles. This time I asked Alex and Adam to re-create that photo. 😁
When we were here in 2009 we spent our days hiking in the hills behind Amalfi town. Today and to some extent back then the town is jam packed with day trippers. Some from cruise ships like ourselves, others seeing the coast on bus tours from Naples, Sorrento or Salerno. By the time we were done our hikes and cleaned ourselves up, the day trippers were gone and we could enjoy a lovely meal and wander the almost empty streets.
The first hike we did in Amalfi in 2009 started part way up the main street. It doesn’t really look like a trailhead, more like a staircase. A local police officer took a photo of Leslie, Greg, Stu and I as we left the town that day. Today Michael, Adam, Lindsey and I made our way up the main street weaving through the many tourists wandering up the street, trying to find the “spot“. We found it! There have a couple small changes in 15 years. The planter that sat empty in 2009 now has lush foliage, the wall on the left has been painted, but still very recognizable. We posed for another re-creation of that old photo. We left some our Travelling Fish in the planter. I think he would love this location. We always said that this 2009 trip was the BEST!!!
Some of the beach here in Amalfi have the rental loungers and umbrellas but there is a public beach next to the breakwater. It was here that in 2009 we would take a dip in the ocean after a hot day of hiking. We haven’t been able to find a suitable spot to dip our toes into the ocean yet. We are running out of time as today is our last port day. We head over the spot and get that tiny dip in the Mediterranean.
Returning to the bus loop, which was our meeting spot, we wait trying to find some shade. There was not much available. Eventually our guide arrives and we head to the pier to take a boat to Salerno.
The pulls out of the marina and we get the view of Amalfi from the sea. It really is a magical place, especially without all the people 🤪
After arriving in Salerno there is a tour of a cameo factory. Basically a shopping trip. We did learn how they make cameos. I have seen cameos for years, but I had no idea at all how they were made. It really is quite fascinating. The take a shell, like a scallop shell that has layers of colour. They then hand carve the shell to expose the darker shades. They are really very intricate. We certainly could have spent a lot of money 💶💳💰🤑here!!
As we approach Naples we get a better view of Vesuvius. The volcano is monitored constantly. We were told this day that all was well. It was just a couple of days later that the mountain was rumbling there were concerns of an eruption. The fear of an eruption is something that the people of this area live with everyday.
Our last port day is done. We have one more sea day tomorrow before arriving once again in Barcelona.