Blogs from Amalfi, Campania, Italy, Europe

Today was the day we had arranged with our old friend and guide, Francesco Ruggiero, to visit the Amalfi Coast and its popular tourist haunts of Positano, Amalfi Town and Ravello. Dee and I had made this day trip 7 years ago, and we were excited to share the experience again with John and Cindy during their stay. We could not have hoped for more ideal weather conditions, with clear blue skies and temperatures in the upper 60s throughout the day. The so-called Amalfi Drive, the two-lane road that meanders its way from Sorrento to Salerno, hugs the southern coastline of the Sorrentine peninsula adjacent to the Gulf of Salerno (part of the Mediterranean Sea, as is the Gulf of Naples in Sorrento). The breathtaking views along this route are world famous, while the switchbacks and ... read more

My last blog entry was in 2015. Needless to say, it is not that I have not travelled over the last six years. Rather, much of life's business consumed the blank white space that is otherwise known as my writing platform. Yes my blog posts are always interspersed with nice photos of the places I've visited, but it is the writing that I come for. And go for. I will work my way backwards through a myriad of travel as I play catchup with my posts. So. Italy. Not just Italy, the Amalfi Coast. Described as "an intriguing mix of sophistication and simplicity". Here there are super yachts, and chauffeur driven cars and five star hotels, set amidst the rural simplicity of precariously stacked villages, farmland, vineyards, cheese makers, churches and small fishing communities. "The link ... read more

The last two days were really amazing. On Friday we arrived in Amalfi, the very famous coastline where the houses are simply built into the cliff to present a stunning picture of the Italian coastline. We took a ferry from Amalfi to Positano, a little fishing village up the coast one-half hour. There we spent the day looking in shops and having a little wine and pizza. Coming from the panhandle of Florida where the sand is so white, the sand here was strikingly black due to the volcanic soil. On Saturday we docked at the port just outside of Rome. Sophie and I both visited the main sites in Rome, so we chose to take a bus into the city and explore some artwork by the artist Caravaggio, which are located in two churches in ... read more

It took a bit of maths...not so easy after a couple of wines/beer...we needed to be up really early to catch the train to Sorrento before the queues started for the bus to Amalfi... and just as well we did as we certainly left quite a queue behind.. The bus took 2 hours over the peninsula and the views both sides was fantastic...who actually needed to go see Amalfi?? But that was a bonus too.. We wandered through the narrow streets & stalls & hundreds of people. Into the 9th century Duomo (San Andre) which dominated the small fishing town. Down the waterfront to the boats & admired the town from across the bay while we put our feet in the water. A very picturesque day...& the weather was perfect as most of the haze had ... read more

Geo: 40.6344, 14.6026One of the surprising highlights of Amalfi was the Duomo (cathedral). The exterior, with its gold leaf decoration, caught the afternoon sun brilliantly. Inside, the 13th century Paradise Cloister had a Moorish feel with intertwined arches supported by 120 slim columns... very elegant combined with the Mediterranean garden in its centre.I nearly didn't enter the Crypt, as my previous experiences with these have been austere and solemn spaces. This was quite different - this crypt is the real heart of the Amalfi Duomo, highly decorated and revered as it is where the relics of St. Andrew are kept. The marble columns and mosaic floor, the colorful frescoes and the bronze sculptures make for a really beautiful and special place.The Amalfi locals were dressed in their very finest as we walked past the Cathedral on ... read more