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Amalfi 'Walk of the Gods'
This was about half way up the mountain. The view was fantastic and everything I hoped it would be. There I was back in my least favourite city in Europe - I guess you’ve got the message by now that I don’t like Naples. There’s one of those silly sayings of questionably origin that says “see Naples and die ...” well I can understand it, but I suspect not as the original meaning intended. Anyway, I was lucky this time to arrive on a Saturday afternoon because the traffic is normally horrendous during the working week.
After having a typical Italian type argument with the taxi driver over the €20,00 fare, I arrived at the first hotel of this tour. Basically, taxi drivers in Italy are out to rip visitors off; they should either have a (working) metre or must write the fare down as a quote before you get into the cab. However they try to add extras on like handling your bags and opening the door for you etc so be diligent and be prepared to stand up to them.
My hotel this time was in the Centro Storico district, started on the third floor of the building and had a lift which must have been there for appearances only because it didn’t seem to work
Amalfi 'Walk of the Gods' group
The group at the top of the walk not long after the sea mist had cleared. the whole time I was there. This I might add is very typical of Naples (there I go again); everything is crumbling, garbage is left piling up around neighbourhoods and the people perpetually look like they are either going to or coming from a funeral.
I’m on a walking tour of the Amalfi coast and the group is made up of five Aussies (one couple from Sth Aussie, a very fit 73 year old lady from Brisbane, a male solicitor from Sydney and me), a Kiwi couple, and two women from the UK. Our tour leader is an American Italian who did a good job hiding his embarrassment as we toured the graffiti enhanced monuments and historical sites on our introductory Naples walking tour before (thankfully) heading off to Pompeii. It is interesting however that the UNESCO date referencing code has finally been forced upon Italy and historic signs are slowly being replaced with the now universal CE or ‘Current Era’ - BCE for ‘Before Current Era’ and ACE for ‘After Current Era’ rather than the old religiously based BC and AD.
Pompeii was really something. While I had seen lots of pictures of the site, I wasn’t
What a poser!
On the ferry between Capri and the Amalfi coast. expecting anything so impressive. Considering that the entire site was totally covered in ash etc and had to be painstakingly excavated by hand, it is truly remarkable.
From Pompeii we got a bus to one of the tiny villages that hang above the Amalfi coast. This is a fantastic place. Wrap up the best of all the Greek Islands into one package and you basically have the picture. While still relatively quiet now in terms of tourism, there is little doubt that this place would be packed in another few weeks. We stayed up in the mountains for the first two nights and did several local walks, basically getting a feel for the area. Then we attacked the “Walk of the Gods” which is not for the feint hearted. There are some seriously steep ascents and descents on this walk which can only be described as spectacular! A good level of fitness is definitely required and allow plenty of time to stop and enjoy the scenery.
Despite the breathtaking scenery, it amazed me that the few trekkers we came across seemed only intent on doing the walk as quickly as possible instead of immersing themselves in the beauty of the area. With the early morning sea mists playing hide-and-seek among the rugged mountain gorges, we trekked through impossibly tiered farming land, which has been cultivated for many generations, before climbing higher on the narrow and often precarious, track. Four hours later we stopped for lunch in a local house before descending down 2,000 steps into Amalfi and our new hotel for the next four nights. This is a walk that I’ve wanted to do for years and for me it was like fulfilling a dream.
Saturday we visited Carpri which was interesting but very busy and touristy. Prices on the island were two to three times that on the mainland and to be honest it wasn’t anything more spectacular than the Amalfi coast.
From Amalfi I get a local bus on Sunday to Sorrento and then a train to Naples (again) from where I start the last tour in southern Italy.
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willem
non-member comment
100% again?
You must be a 100% fit again because there is not a word about of your ankle in your blog. And no description of any food or wine. That's very rare. Enjoy your last week down there before going futher down.