Culture, cuisine, cliffs and coastlines:
12 days in Campania
12 days in Campania
Amalfi Coast, part 2
June 13: More Positano
Today was supposed to be our Amalfi Coast boat trip, and given that it
didn't leave until 11am, we slept in. More breakfast goodies – with
particular emphasis today on those that included chocolate, or Nutella as
the case may be.
Arriving at the dock at 10:45, we were disappointed to learn that our boat
trip had been cancelled due to a problem with one of the boats and the
need for the captain to take it in for repairs. Because we were staying in an
apartment rather than a hotel and the cell phones wasn't within reception
range in Positano, they had no way to inform us in advance.
What to do?
First, we made a beeline to the internet café to check the weather forecast
for the rest of the week. It indicated that the following day would be partly
sunny, but that there would be a good chance of rain after that. Based on
that, we rebooked the boat trip for the following day and considered our
options, including trying to get ourselves to Paestum instead. By now, it
was almost noon, and with several hours in transit each way, that just
didn't seem like a doable thing.
Allie, in particular, was disappointed about the boat trip. This was the one
thing she was most anticipating for the whole trip, so we did the next best
thing: we rented a pedal boat at the Positano beach for 12€ per hour, and
set off down the coast a bit. This was actually quite nice, and we had a
chance to gawk at some of the homes just past Positano. We pedaled all
the way to the San Pietro and back. The water is very still along here, which
made for an easy trip (unlike our little rowboat experience at Versailles in
the wind a few years ago).
Back up at our apartment, we decided to see where the steps adjacent to
the Chiesa Nuova would take us. This is the non-touristy area of Positano,
and the narrow stairway winds up past homes and several small piazzas
before becoming a mountain path that joins up with Il Sentiero degli Dei,
the pathway of the gods. We continued on well above the town, stopping to
take pictures as the view became more dramatic at every turn. We didn’t
have a lot of time to devote to this, as there were dinner reservations at da
Costantino awaiting us at 8pm. But we were inspired. At some point this
week, we were going on a hike.
One of the nice things about da Costantino, and some of the other
Montepertuso restaurants, is that they will provide a driver to and from the
restaurant. Even though there is bus service, it becomes much less
frequent in the evenings (and who wants to wait for a bus on a full
stomach). So this is a nice service for those who don’t have cars. And it is
a nice service for those who do have cars, because the road up to
Montepertuso is very narrow, and we saw more bus/truck battles here than
anywhere else. da Costantino actually is not in Montepertuso proper; it is
really just a short distance from the beginning of the road up to the town.
We could have walked there from our apartment, but we probably wouldn’t
have wanted to walk back in the dark.
On the way to the restaurant, we heard some very loud booms and saw
some puffs of smoke coming from the general area of Montepertuso. We
had noticed this while hiking a few hours earlier, as well. Perplexed, Chris
asked the driver (who didn’t speak any English), “Signore, uh, …..boom?”
Although we don’t understand much Italian, we gathered that this was
related to the feast of San Vito, the patron saint of Positano.
Da Costantino occupies a very nice setting, with large windows that look
down upon Positano. Having made our reservations early, we were
rewarded with a very nice table at the window, and we decided to make this
a feast. And a feast it was. Complimentary bruschetta and prosecco while
we looked at menus. The antipasti misti – a huge amount of marinated
and grilled vegetables, along with salami, proscuitto, mozzarella, olives,
and pickled peppers; so much that it filled two large plates. Cheese
crepes, a house specialty. Gnocchi alla sorrentina. Mixed, grilled seafood
for two that included swordfish, aqua pazza, calamari, and monster
prawns. And a very nice Campania white wine. To make things even better,
we were serenaded by a proper fireworks show from the top of
Montepertuso at one point. And we enjoyed sitting next to a large family
gathering of about 25 people.
We didn’t even look at the prices on the menu and were expecting a bill as
large as the meal. What a surprise that it was only 63€. Complimentary
limoncello in frozen glasses capped off the meal, and we were off to treat
our food comas on the terrace of our apartment.
June 14: Cruising and eating our way along the Amalfi Coast
After yesterday’s chocolate fest, we decided to get more healthful with
breakfast – yogurt, bananas, and just a couple of cornetti. We even
squeezed what we thought were a couple of oranges for juice and were
amused when they turned out to be grapefruit. We should have known
when it said pompelmo on the package. We did take French, after all, and
know that pamplemousse means grapefruit. Good thing that Marisa likes
grapefruit juice.
We decided we better get down to the dock and determine the status of our
boat trip early, so that we had time to make other plans if it was not going
to go. It was on, and there were five other people aboard as well. We spent
our free hour checking email and the weather forecast. It said that today
would be sunny, and that tomorrow there was a 70% chance of rain. Good
thing we booked for today.
By the time we were ready to board the boat, it had clouded over, the
temperatures had dropped noticeably, and raindrops fell within a few
minutes of leaving the dock. Fortunately, that was about it for the rain, but it
remained cloudy and cool for a good part of the day. Not great for pictures,
and not great for relaxing on the boat after a swim in the brisk water. But
that’s okay, it was still a lot of fun.
Salvatore was our captain for the day, and Gloria (an American expat who
has been accompanying their tours for many years) was along to assist
and mingle with the guests. We were joined by a couple from Colorado
and a family from New York City.
Many will say that the best way to see the coast is from the water, and we
found that to be very true. We took the ferry down to Amalfi later in the trip,
but the slower pace of this trip provides more opportunity to observe the
various towns, villas, and luxury hotels along the way. Praiano looked to be
larger than we thought it would be (we’d looked at a number of possible
rentals there, as well as in Positano). In all, we traveled all the way from
Positano to Maiori and back during the seven hour trip.
We cruised down the coast a bit, and then stopped for a swim in a cave
near Praiano. On initial contact, the water was COLD. Those who chose to
go in via the boat’s ladder took a very long time doing so. There is only one
way to do this: jump! It is a shock initially, but it only takes a few minutes to
warm up in the water. Waves were minimal, and it was easy to swim
around and into the cave. It isn’t quite the Blue Grotto, but there is a bit of a
blueish-green luminescence the further back you go. We made a second
stop a bit further along, to swim in a cove that also had a cave with a sandy
beach at the back.
After drying off, we motored in to Ristorante di Teresa, on a secluded
beach in Conca dei Marini at about 2pm. To be honest, we weren’t really
expecting lunch to be a highlight of the trip. And we weren’t really expecting
this, or any other meal, to top the one the night before.
The waiters began offering up the antipasti from large platters. Potatoes.
Green beans. Zucchini. Melanzane, prepared two different ways. Peppers.
Mozzerella. Proscuitto. And then seconds. Then came the seafood – all
part of Salvatore’s morning catch. Lightly battered smelt, and lots of it. You
could just peel it right off the bone with your fingers. Raw tuna marinated in
lemon – perhaps the best individual seafood dish we’ve ever tasted.
Mackerel prepared two different ways. Then a pasta in garlic and herbs
(Allie, the non-seafood eater, had several helpings of this). Then more
mackerel. And finally a large platter of fresh fruit – melon, cherries (which
ended up all over Allie’s shirt), and the best pineapple we’ve ever tasted –
with maraschino liquor to drizzle on it. Oh yes, the large bottle of limoncello,
left on the table for seconds. Accompanying all of this was a nice, chilled
local red wine. Marisa, sitting next to Salvatore, kept finding her glass and
plate continuously refilled.
It was hard to go swimming after all this, but several did, including Chris
and Allie. We stopped for a swim at a waterfall near Maiori, but the
increasing tide made this a bit treacherous. Of course, now the sun was
out, so we at least could enjoy the ride back to Positano on the boat’s front
cushions.
Needless to say, most of us were not hungry for the rest of the day – except
Allie, who didn’t partake of the vegetable and seafood bonanza. We actually
put our apartment kitchen to use to fix her dinner. Otherwise, we settled for
gelato from Bar Internazionale and called it an evening.
Next > Pompeii Day Trip
See all of our trip photos
our travels
home
contact us
June 13: More Positano
Today was supposed to be our Amalfi Coast boat trip, and given that it
didn't leave until 11am, we slept in. More breakfast goodies – with
particular emphasis today on those that included chocolate, or Nutella as
the case may be.
Arriving at the dock at 10:45, we were disappointed to learn that our boat
trip had been cancelled due to a problem with one of the boats and the
need for the captain to take it in for repairs. Because we were staying in an
apartment rather than a hotel and the cell phones wasn't within reception
range in Positano, they had no way to inform us in advance.
What to do?
First, we made a beeline to the internet café to check the weather forecast
for the rest of the week. It indicated that the following day would be partly
sunny, but that there would be a good chance of rain after that. Based on
that, we rebooked the boat trip for the following day and considered our
options, including trying to get ourselves to Paestum instead. By now, it
was almost noon, and with several hours in transit each way, that just
didn't seem like a doable thing.
Allie, in particular, was disappointed about the boat trip. This was the one
thing she was most anticipating for the whole trip, so we did the next best
thing: we rented a pedal boat at the Positano beach for 12€ per hour, and
set off down the coast a bit. This was actually quite nice, and we had a
chance to gawk at some of the homes just past Positano. We pedaled all
the way to the San Pietro and back. The water is very still along here, which
made for an easy trip (unlike our little rowboat experience at Versailles in
the wind a few years ago).
Back up at our apartment, we decided to see where the steps adjacent to
the Chiesa Nuova would take us. This is the non-touristy area of Positano,
and the narrow stairway winds up past homes and several small piazzas
before becoming a mountain path that joins up with Il Sentiero degli Dei,
the pathway of the gods. We continued on well above the town, stopping to
take pictures as the view became more dramatic at every turn. We didn’t
have a lot of time to devote to this, as there were dinner reservations at da
Costantino awaiting us at 8pm. But we were inspired. At some point this
week, we were going on a hike.
One of the nice things about da Costantino, and some of the other
Montepertuso restaurants, is that they will provide a driver to and from the
restaurant. Even though there is bus service, it becomes much less
frequent in the evenings (and who wants to wait for a bus on a full
stomach). So this is a nice service for those who don’t have cars. And it is
a nice service for those who do have cars, because the road up to
Montepertuso is very narrow, and we saw more bus/truck battles here than
anywhere else. da Costantino actually is not in Montepertuso proper; it is
really just a short distance from the beginning of the road up to the town.
We could have walked there from our apartment, but we probably wouldn’t
have wanted to walk back in the dark.
On the way to the restaurant, we heard some very loud booms and saw
some puffs of smoke coming from the general area of Montepertuso. We
had noticed this while hiking a few hours earlier, as well. Perplexed, Chris
asked the driver (who didn’t speak any English), “Signore, uh, …..boom?”
Although we don’t understand much Italian, we gathered that this was
related to the feast of San Vito, the patron saint of Positano.
Da Costantino occupies a very nice setting, with large windows that look
down upon Positano. Having made our reservations early, we were
rewarded with a very nice table at the window, and we decided to make this
a feast. And a feast it was. Complimentary bruschetta and prosecco while
we looked at menus. The antipasti misti – a huge amount of marinated
and grilled vegetables, along with salami, proscuitto, mozzarella, olives,
and pickled peppers; so much that it filled two large plates. Cheese
crepes, a house specialty. Gnocchi alla sorrentina. Mixed, grilled seafood
for two that included swordfish, aqua pazza, calamari, and monster
prawns. And a very nice Campania white wine. To make things even better,
we were serenaded by a proper fireworks show from the top of
Montepertuso at one point. And we enjoyed sitting next to a large family
gathering of about 25 people.
We didn’t even look at the prices on the menu and were expecting a bill as
large as the meal. What a surprise that it was only 63€. Complimentary
limoncello in frozen glasses capped off the meal, and we were off to treat
our food comas on the terrace of our apartment.
June 14: Cruising and eating our way along the Amalfi Coast
After yesterday’s chocolate fest, we decided to get more healthful with
breakfast – yogurt, bananas, and just a couple of cornetti. We even
squeezed what we thought were a couple of oranges for juice and were
amused when they turned out to be grapefruit. We should have known
when it said pompelmo on the package. We did take French, after all, and
know that pamplemousse means grapefruit. Good thing that Marisa likes
grapefruit juice.
We decided we better get down to the dock and determine the status of our
boat trip early, so that we had time to make other plans if it was not going
to go. It was on, and there were five other people aboard as well. We spent
our free hour checking email and the weather forecast. It said that today
would be sunny, and that tomorrow there was a 70% chance of rain. Good
thing we booked for today.
By the time we were ready to board the boat, it had clouded over, the
temperatures had dropped noticeably, and raindrops fell within a few
minutes of leaving the dock. Fortunately, that was about it for the rain, but it
remained cloudy and cool for a good part of the day. Not great for pictures,
and not great for relaxing on the boat after a swim in the brisk water. But
that’s okay, it was still a lot of fun.
Salvatore was our captain for the day, and Gloria (an American expat who
has been accompanying their tours for many years) was along to assist
and mingle with the guests. We were joined by a couple from Colorado
and a family from New York City.
Many will say that the best way to see the coast is from the water, and we
found that to be very true. We took the ferry down to Amalfi later in the trip,
but the slower pace of this trip provides more opportunity to observe the
various towns, villas, and luxury hotels along the way. Praiano looked to be
larger than we thought it would be (we’d looked at a number of possible
rentals there, as well as in Positano). In all, we traveled all the way from
Positano to Maiori and back during the seven hour trip.
We cruised down the coast a bit, and then stopped for a swim in a cave
near Praiano. On initial contact, the water was COLD. Those who chose to
go in via the boat’s ladder took a very long time doing so. There is only one
way to do this: jump! It is a shock initially, but it only takes a few minutes to
warm up in the water. Waves were minimal, and it was easy to swim
around and into the cave. It isn’t quite the Blue Grotto, but there is a bit of a
blueish-green luminescence the further back you go. We made a second
stop a bit further along, to swim in a cove that also had a cave with a sandy
beach at the back.
After drying off, we motored in to Ristorante di Teresa, on a secluded
beach in Conca dei Marini at about 2pm. To be honest, we weren’t really
expecting lunch to be a highlight of the trip. And we weren’t really expecting
this, or any other meal, to top the one the night before.
The waiters began offering up the antipasti from large platters. Potatoes.
Green beans. Zucchini. Melanzane, prepared two different ways. Peppers.
Mozzerella. Proscuitto. And then seconds. Then came the seafood – all
part of Salvatore’s morning catch. Lightly battered smelt, and lots of it. You
could just peel it right off the bone with your fingers. Raw tuna marinated in
lemon – perhaps the best individual seafood dish we’ve ever tasted.
Mackerel prepared two different ways. Then a pasta in garlic and herbs
(Allie, the non-seafood eater, had several helpings of this). Then more
mackerel. And finally a large platter of fresh fruit – melon, cherries (which
ended up all over Allie’s shirt), and the best pineapple we’ve ever tasted –
with maraschino liquor to drizzle on it. Oh yes, the large bottle of limoncello,
left on the table for seconds. Accompanying all of this was a nice, chilled
local red wine. Marisa, sitting next to Salvatore, kept finding her glass and
plate continuously refilled.
It was hard to go swimming after all this, but several did, including Chris
and Allie. We stopped for a swim at a waterfall near Maiori, but the
increasing tide made this a bit treacherous. Of course, now the sun was
out, so we at least could enjoy the ride back to Positano on the boat’s front
cushions.
Needless to say, most of us were not hungry for the rest of the day – except
Allie, who didn’t partake of the vegetable and seafood bonanza. We actually
put our apartment kitchen to use to fix her dinner. Otherwise, we settled for
gelato from Bar Internazionale and called it an evening.
Next > Pompeii Day Trip
See all of our trip photos
our travels
home
contact us
Positano - view from the trail above town
Positano - another view
A leisurely lunch in Positano
Positano, duomo
Positano at night from our terrace
Salvatore, captain for our boat trip
Amalfi Coast, from the boat
Amalfi Coast, from the boat - a SITA bus
navigates the coast road
navigates the coast road
Swimming near Maiori
