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Published: November 19th 2007
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We were on a mission - we had decided that we wanted to get married in Positano on the Amalfi Coast in Italy - yet we had never been and with the big day fast approaching (in wedding planning terms) we ducked off for a long weekend to meet up with our wedding planner and scout various wedding venues around Positano.
We flew out early Friday and after a rather bumpy flight we arrived in Naples. Cynthia (our wedding planner) had conveniently arranged for a car service to pick us up which made for a completely enjoyable and hassle free trip from Naples to Positano.
As we sat back in the big comfy seats of the Mercedes, our driver (and to him I apoligise as Ange and I keep forgetting his name) was amazing and gave us the full service. His english wasn't perfect but he made the trip very informative. He was really good at pointing out the sites as we ventured pass them on our way from Naples to Sorrento (our first stop to check into our hotel and drop off our bags).
The two main sites he pointed out for us were of course Mt
Vesuvius and Pompeii - which surprised Ange and I with how close they are to Naples - in fact Pompeii is just nestled amongst the surburban sprall of Naples. We were also surprised how far from Mt Vesuvius, Pompeii actually is (we thought it was near the base of the volcano).
The trip from Naples around to Sorrento was about an hour by car - in fact you basically just follow the curved bay around (you can see each town/city from each side). The closer you get to Sorrento the more mountainous the area gets. So after a quick stop off at our hotel to check in and throw our bags down, our driver then took us up and over the headland to the other side where Positano was situated about an hour away.
Oh I had forgotten to mention that the weather on the day we arrived was somewhat unstable - they had had a far bit of rain and it was rather overcast and threatening rain. But that was not going to stop us.
As you come over the mountains to the Amalfi Coast you are greeted with an amazing sight of steep mountains meeting
the ocean. This reminded us so much of the roads around Croatia - the most picturesque drive along the roads hugging the cliffs. The drive along the coast and into Positano itself was fantastic.
Positano itself is definitely a striking town and Ange and I knew immediately that we were glad we had chosen this as our wedding location. It married the best of both worlds for us (notice the pun) - the mountains and coastline in such a striking way. In fact Positano from beach to mountain top rises a swift 1400m.
Now with small streets and little room to manoveour - the roads are hair-raising and always getting jamed up with buses (they say it is awful in peak time). The main transport is either Moped (which is a risk in itself) or walking. And I will pre-warn everyone who is coming to our wedding - I hope you've been working out on the step machine because you will need it.
Now I won't go into much detail as to how we spent our afternoon with our wedding planner Cynthia, as that is somewhat of a surprise for those coming to the wedding itself -
but let me say - the people are so friendly and hospitable, the location is amazing, the hills are steep, the views from every angle is superb, the food and wine is unbelievable, and the views are amazing. And yes I know I mentioned the views twice, but they truely are spectacular.
So after an amazing afternoon pacing around Positano checking out possible venues, we caught the last bus back to Sorrento to get a good night sleep. We woke Saturday monring to a much nicer day and decided we would venture once again over to Positano on the bus to just take in Positano and recap for ourselves what our options are for the big day. So basically this meant we took a lesuirely stroll around followed by a very long "Italian" lunch consisting of Bellini's, carpaccio, seafood pasta, red wine, tiramisu, poffiteroles, and esspresso. Needless to say everything was amazing and very satisfying. This was followed by a chance for us to watch the sun set across the headland and ocean as we waited for our bus back to Sorrento.
Now yes we were full, but both our driver the day before and our wedding planner
The beach front disco
Plan to cut a rug here next time we visit had mentioned a little pizza place in Sorrento that we shouldn't miss - so we took the challenge and had a late dinner. We couldn't come to Italy and the region around Naples and not have a pizza.
After a big sleep - mainly to digest all the food - we woke Sunday to another nice day. We were to fly out again Sunday night from Naples, but until then we had a good few hours to have a wander leisurely around Sorrento. This town is much more geared towards the tourist market and you could see that in peak periods, it would be a mass of people. But at this time of year we had things a bit easier. So we wander around the streets full of designer clothes stores, 'authentic' Italian trinkets and along the headland looking down over the ports and across to Mt Vesuvius and Naples across the bay.
The one thing we were really drawn to were the fruit trees just growing everywhere, even on the footpaths. They were so full of fruit - it was quite a sight.
So after a lesuirely morning we hoped on the train back to Naples.
Now as for Naples - the less said about this place the better. We had been warned about it being quite dirty and unsafe, but even we were surprised how bad it seemed. Lets just say we held onto our bags very closely and got out of the town rather swiftly and into the normailty of the airport.
So all in all, we had a great time - we are over the moon with our wedding destination for April, and we are really looking forward to experiencing it all again in a few months with our close family and friends. Plus we will get a chance to do the few touristy things we want to do with everyone - like Pompeii.
Till next time...
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