Culture, cuisine, cliffs and coastlines:
12 days in Campania
12 days in Campania
Amalfi Coast, part 3
June 16: Is that thunder I hear?
Our plan for today was to explore Ravello, and maybe a bit of Amalfi. But
first, we wanted to do a little hiking closer to home. We went for our usual
breakfast. By now, we were becoming ‘regulars’ at Bar Internazionale.
Each morning, the woman working the pasticceria asked us what we were
going to be doing that day. The man working the register helped us with
our Italian phraseology and pronunciations. And so did the younger
woman working the gelato counter in the late evenings.
Our landlord, Stefano, had warned us about the path of the gods. “If you go
up there, you might be there for several days,” he said. But we were well
armed. We just didn’t have the time to do it right. We decided a nice
compromise would be to walk down to Positano from Nocelle, so we
caught an early bus there on this morning. Nocelle is a very quiet little
town, to say the least. It commands an impressive position over Positano,
with superlative views. There is a small parking area on the outskirts of
town; otherwise, it is traffic free. At 8am on a weekday morning, we almost
felt like we were intruding in the lives of these locals just by walking down
their street.
We wanted just a sample of Il Sentiero degli Dei, so we took the path
leading out of the town toward Agerola. The Sunflower book does a good
job of helping you find and stay on the route, and there are route markers
along the way. The path leaves town by way of some steps, then eventually
becomes a dirt trail, climbing up the mountain at a gentle incline (although
not quite gentle enough for Allie; we’d promised her a downhill walk). We
went about 15-20 minutes along the route, just to get a feel for it and the
views it provides. Stunning. We’ll be back here, some day.
During this diversion, we began hearing a low rumbling noise. Looking
back, we could see some clouds beginning to thicken and descend over
the other side of Positano. Thunder? Rain had been in the forecast for the
day. Now concerned, we turned around, headed back toward Nocelle and
the path/steps down toward Positano. We wanted to enjoy our time up
here. But we didn’t want to be rained upon. Walking back through Nocelle,
we discovered a very different reason for the rumbling noise: two men
working on a water tank. So much for the rain, but it was time to continue
on.
We chose to take the direct path down to Positano, although we could have
opted for a route via Montepertuso. That route required walking on the road
for part of the way, so we figured the other might be more scenic. Yes and
no. For the most part, it descends through olive and lemon groves, so it is
quite shaded and doesn’t provide extensive views – but when we did have
views of the coast, they were nothing short of incredible. As we found out,
this path is all steps – several thousand of them it seemed, from Nocelle
to the coast road. Good thing we were going down. The Sunflower book
said you’d have to be a masochist to take this path in the other direction.
Well, we passed a group of about 20 Italian and German masochists,
huffing and puffing, on their way up. Apparently, they were going all the way
to Amalfi that day. We hated to tell them that they had a long way to go just
to get up the steps to Nocelle.
The path intersects the coast road about a kilometeter from Positano. The
walk in passes the Ceramica Casola store, from which Chris and Allie had
to drag Marisa. We had to get to Ravello. After showers and a little more
breakfast, we hoped on the SITA bus to Amalfi. The man at Bar
Internazionale suggested ‘giorno’ tickets for 2.70E, which enabled us to
ride all the way to Ravello and back on one ticket and, more importantly,
prevented us from having to spend time acquiring tickets at each stop. We
had a 20 minute wait for a bus at Amalfi, then we were on our way up to
Ravello.
We were surprised by all the vineyards terraced into the hillsides and up
valleys. This is a very scenic, if slow, drive.
We spilled out of the bus at 2pm, very hungry and not really knowing where
to go. We saw a sign for Villa Maria, recognized the name, and so our
decision was made. The hotel has a lovely, shaded terrace with a view
over the valley. Its restaurant is somewhat more formal than most of those
we’ve been frequenting (with prices to match), but it was very nice and the
food was quite good. The highlight was an excellent bottle of local white
wine.
As we were eating, we again began to hear low rumbling noises.
Thunder? No, Chris surmised that it was just the rumble of a delivery cart
on the path out beyond the hotel grounds. So we continued to eat. Just as
we finished lunch and requested ‘il conto,’ it began to pour. Yes, thunder.
We tip-toed out of the restaurant and huddled under a tree, afraid that the
whole Ravello experience would now be a wash.
We spent a little while examining the selection of postcards in a small
coffee shop and then made our way to Villa Cimbrone once the raindrops
began to let up. Villa Cimbrone, built in the 1800s, includes an array of
ancient architectural artifacts. Most significantly, it commands a prominent
position on the edge of Ravello overlooking Amalfi, the coast in both
directions, and the lush terraced vineyards of the valley. A photographer’s
dream. It was a bit of a disappointment not to have any sun, but as a fellow
tourist from Britain noted at the time, “gardens often look their best just
after it rains.” How true. We spent much longer than we’d intended.
On our way back into town, we passed a limoncello factory store, which, to
our delight, was providing samples. They had all kinds of fancy, decorative
bottle, but the basic one-liter bottle was going for only 9.5€. It would have
been at least $30 at home. We’ll take one! Then the real shopping started
– we hit the ceramic shops. The first shop owner, upon learning that we
were from Chicago, regaled us with stories of how Oprah Winfrey visited
and purchased from his store. We, instead, shopped at Ceramiche d’Arte,
just off the main piazza. Its selection was nearly overwhelming, but after
three trips around the store we settled on a nice large canister to become
our new cookie jar – one in a muted red that will go nicely with our new
kitchen tile. Our big decision was ship or carry. For 60E, we decided to
carry. It wasn’t a large purchase, but don’t worry; Marisa does have the
website, and she will be shopping for that set of dinnerware later.
Now laden with a large bottle of limoncello and a large, well-wrapped
ceramic canister, we set off to explore Ravello a bit before our bus arrived.
We thought we’d take a look at the other villa, Villa Rufalo, but the signs led
us to the Hotel Villa Rufalo. We weren’t interested in looking at a hotel. We
just missed a bus, but no problem: the schedule indicated that the next
would be in 20 minutes. Twenty minutes came and went, and no bus. And
oddly, no one else waiting for a bus. Turns out we had mis-read the
schedule and were waiting for a bus that only comes on holidays. Pay
attention to the letters at the top of the columns on the bus schedule.
So back into town we went for about a half hour until it was time to catch
the next bus at 6:35. And we did it again. Somehow, in the late afternoon,
there is a gap of two hours between weekday buses to Amalfi. We were
feeling like real rookies.
With the extra hour, we finally found the real Villa Rufalo, which, ironically, is
not far from the bus stop. Villa Rufalo was built in the 13th and 14th
centuries and is known for its gardens and doubled-arched courtyard.
Today, it is somewhere on the path to becoming a ruin. Its grounds,
however, are the setting for summer classical music concerts that draw
many to this town. While not nearly as large as those of Villa Cimbrone, the
grounds offer a nice view over the coastal areas of Maiori and Minori. The
clouds had cleared for the most part, and the sun was now shining.
We made good time getting back to Positano and decided that, after our
bus mis-adventures, we would have a simple meal at La Grottina Azzurra:
a couple of antipasti, three pastas, wine and water for 35€. Like at Bar
Internazionale, we had almost become regulars. The family running the
restaurant smiled and greeted us as we walked past it during the day.
When we arrived for dinner, the waiter remembered, from a few nights
previously, that Allie had been reading Angels & Demons, and he asked
her about it.
For the third time today, we heard some rumbling/booming noises and
immediately assumed it was fireworks. We couldn’t see Montepertuso
from our table, but we’d become accustomed to the fireworks there, day
and night, marking the week’s celebrations. More booms. A few flashes. It
wasn’t until one prolonged set of booms that we took notice. Fireworks or
thunder? Sure enough, in an instant the skies opened, and the people at
the outdoor tables suddenly filled the restaurant (we were almost a part of
them, as we had a choice of in or out when we arrived).
With rain came the realization that we had a load of laundry drying on the
terrace. So with that, we called it an evening.
June 17: Our last full day on the Amalfi Coast
It would have been a nice day for some hiking, but it seemed a shame to
leave the Amalfi Coast and not spend any time in the town of Amalfi. But
first, we had some business to attend to. After much wavering, we’d
decided to hire a driver to take us to Naples. We were going to what was,
but some accounts, a relatively difficult-to-find address. And with the
purchases we’d picked up along the way, we figured this would simplify
things a bit. It couldn’t be any more a waste of money than the 90E we
spent on the guide at Pompeii. Unfortunately, on such short notice we were
unable to connect with any of the drivers recommended on Fodors (sorry,
Francesco, we did try to call…..). Stefano hooked us up with Positano
Limos, and for 90€ plus tip, we were all set for the next day.
We also wanted to arrange a nice dinner to mark our last night in Positano,
and our evoked set consisted of Donna Rosa, Il Ritrovo, and La Tagliata in
Montepertuso. Donna Rosa was our first choice, but it would not provide
car service, so we called Il Ritrovo. At 10am, there was no one there who
could speak English (we could have made the reservation in Italian, but
were unclear about the transportation). We’d call back later.
The ferry to Amalfi takes a relatively quick 30 minutes and provides nice
views along the coast; similar to those we had on the Gennaro e Salvatore
boat trip, but from further out. The view of Amalfi bathed in sunlight as you
approach is quite memorable. We didn’t have much of an agenda for
Amalfi. We wanted to see the Duomo, which we did. Walk around town a
little. Walk along the coast road over to Atrani, which we were able to do
until we hit the tunnel. It was a nice day, if a little hot. After lunch in one of
the tavola calda on the main street, we took the ferry back to Positano. We
were a little disappointed to find out that the boat with the comfy-looking
deck chairs was, in fact, going to Sorrento, not Positano.
We eventually connected with Il Ritrovo and confirmed that a driver would
meet us at Bar Internazionale at 8pm. Il Ritrovo came very highly
recommended from a variety of sources. It has a nice location overlooking
the valley and town of Montepertuso, but not Positano. We felt da
Costantino had a much better view. Nevertheless, we were directed to a
nice table right at the edge of the terrace. The menu is almost
overwhelming, and the wine list even more so. We lingered over the
complimentary prosecco and bruschetta, perusing pages of options, and
eventually placed our order.
But that’s when the evening began to go downhill. Ten minutes later, the
antipasti arrived. It was good, but didn’t begin to compare with the quantity
or quality of da Costantino, although that perception was probably
exacerbated because we were unable to enjoy it along with some wine.
The wine hadn’t been delivered yet. We figured it would be here any
minute. Eventually, we finished the antipasti and the plates were cleared,
and still no wine. We reminded one of the waiters. By now, we were just
plain thirsty. Because we had no wine, we had drained our bottle of aqua
minerale and it sat empty on the table. We asked for more water, but it was
a good ten minutes before that came. Still no wine. Finally, some 45
minutes after we ordered it, our bottle of wine arrived at the table – a
versatile local red. Our dinners fared the same – 30 minutes between the
time Marisa’s fish and Chris’s mixed grill plate were served; Allie’s mixed
grill was somewhere in between. The food was okay, but in our opinion not
great. We had a difficult time determining what was what on the mixed grill
plate – an issue since Allie was not keen on trying the rabbit (which we had
asked to be omitted from her plate, but were pretty sure it was not). Finally,
at about 11pm, we asked for il conto pronto (okay, we didn’t say pronto;
despite the poor service, we were trying not to be rude) and wondered how
we would get back to our apartment. We decided not even to wait for the
dolci that was part of Chris’s menu. Fortunately, the driver was waiting, and
we hightailed it out of there. We have no problem enjoying a long, leisurely
meal, but this was a real disappointment. Hopefully, they were just having
a bad night.
Next > Naples
See all of our trip photos
our travels
home
contact us
June 16: Is that thunder I hear?
Our plan for today was to explore Ravello, and maybe a bit of Amalfi. But
first, we wanted to do a little hiking closer to home. We went for our usual
breakfast. By now, we were becoming ‘regulars’ at Bar Internazionale.
Each morning, the woman working the pasticceria asked us what we were
going to be doing that day. The man working the register helped us with
our Italian phraseology and pronunciations. And so did the younger
woman working the gelato counter in the late evenings.
Our landlord, Stefano, had warned us about the path of the gods. “If you go
up there, you might be there for several days,” he said. But we were well
armed. We just didn’t have the time to do it right. We decided a nice
compromise would be to walk down to Positano from Nocelle, so we
caught an early bus there on this morning. Nocelle is a very quiet little
town, to say the least. It commands an impressive position over Positano,
with superlative views. There is a small parking area on the outskirts of
town; otherwise, it is traffic free. At 8am on a weekday morning, we almost
felt like we were intruding in the lives of these locals just by walking down
their street.
We wanted just a sample of Il Sentiero degli Dei, so we took the path
leading out of the town toward Agerola. The Sunflower book does a good
job of helping you find and stay on the route, and there are route markers
along the way. The path leaves town by way of some steps, then eventually
becomes a dirt trail, climbing up the mountain at a gentle incline (although
not quite gentle enough for Allie; we’d promised her a downhill walk). We
went about 15-20 minutes along the route, just to get a feel for it and the
views it provides. Stunning. We’ll be back here, some day.
During this diversion, we began hearing a low rumbling noise. Looking
back, we could see some clouds beginning to thicken and descend over
the other side of Positano. Thunder? Rain had been in the forecast for the
day. Now concerned, we turned around, headed back toward Nocelle and
the path/steps down toward Positano. We wanted to enjoy our time up
here. But we didn’t want to be rained upon. Walking back through Nocelle,
we discovered a very different reason for the rumbling noise: two men
working on a water tank. So much for the rain, but it was time to continue
on.
We chose to take the direct path down to Positano, although we could have
opted for a route via Montepertuso. That route required walking on the road
for part of the way, so we figured the other might be more scenic. Yes and
no. For the most part, it descends through olive and lemon groves, so it is
quite shaded and doesn’t provide extensive views – but when we did have
views of the coast, they were nothing short of incredible. As we found out,
this path is all steps – several thousand of them it seemed, from Nocelle
to the coast road. Good thing we were going down. The Sunflower book
said you’d have to be a masochist to take this path in the other direction.
Well, we passed a group of about 20 Italian and German masochists,
huffing and puffing, on their way up. Apparently, they were going all the way
to Amalfi that day. We hated to tell them that they had a long way to go just
to get up the steps to Nocelle.
The path intersects the coast road about a kilometeter from Positano. The
walk in passes the Ceramica Casola store, from which Chris and Allie had
to drag Marisa. We had to get to Ravello. After showers and a little more
breakfast, we hoped on the SITA bus to Amalfi. The man at Bar
Internazionale suggested ‘giorno’ tickets for 2.70E, which enabled us to
ride all the way to Ravello and back on one ticket and, more importantly,
prevented us from having to spend time acquiring tickets at each stop. We
had a 20 minute wait for a bus at Amalfi, then we were on our way up to
Ravello.
We were surprised by all the vineyards terraced into the hillsides and up
valleys. This is a very scenic, if slow, drive.
We spilled out of the bus at 2pm, very hungry and not really knowing where
to go. We saw a sign for Villa Maria, recognized the name, and so our
decision was made. The hotel has a lovely, shaded terrace with a view
over the valley. Its restaurant is somewhat more formal than most of those
we’ve been frequenting (with prices to match), but it was very nice and the
food was quite good. The highlight was an excellent bottle of local white
wine.
As we were eating, we again began to hear low rumbling noises.
Thunder? No, Chris surmised that it was just the rumble of a delivery cart
on the path out beyond the hotel grounds. So we continued to eat. Just as
we finished lunch and requested ‘il conto,’ it began to pour. Yes, thunder.
We tip-toed out of the restaurant and huddled under a tree, afraid that the
whole Ravello experience would now be a wash.
We spent a little while examining the selection of postcards in a small
coffee shop and then made our way to Villa Cimbrone once the raindrops
began to let up. Villa Cimbrone, built in the 1800s, includes an array of
ancient architectural artifacts. Most significantly, it commands a prominent
position on the edge of Ravello overlooking Amalfi, the coast in both
directions, and the lush terraced vineyards of the valley. A photographer’s
dream. It was a bit of a disappointment not to have any sun, but as a fellow
tourist from Britain noted at the time, “gardens often look their best just
after it rains.” How true. We spent much longer than we’d intended.
On our way back into town, we passed a limoncello factory store, which, to
our delight, was providing samples. They had all kinds of fancy, decorative
bottle, but the basic one-liter bottle was going for only 9.5€. It would have
been at least $30 at home. We’ll take one! Then the real shopping started
– we hit the ceramic shops. The first shop owner, upon learning that we
were from Chicago, regaled us with stories of how Oprah Winfrey visited
and purchased from his store. We, instead, shopped at Ceramiche d’Arte,
just off the main piazza. Its selection was nearly overwhelming, but after
three trips around the store we settled on a nice large canister to become
our new cookie jar – one in a muted red that will go nicely with our new
kitchen tile. Our big decision was ship or carry. For 60E, we decided to
carry. It wasn’t a large purchase, but don’t worry; Marisa does have the
website, and she will be shopping for that set of dinnerware later.
Now laden with a large bottle of limoncello and a large, well-wrapped
ceramic canister, we set off to explore Ravello a bit before our bus arrived.
We thought we’d take a look at the other villa, Villa Rufalo, but the signs led
us to the Hotel Villa Rufalo. We weren’t interested in looking at a hotel. We
just missed a bus, but no problem: the schedule indicated that the next
would be in 20 minutes. Twenty minutes came and went, and no bus. And
oddly, no one else waiting for a bus. Turns out we had mis-read the
schedule and were waiting for a bus that only comes on holidays. Pay
attention to the letters at the top of the columns on the bus schedule.
So back into town we went for about a half hour until it was time to catch
the next bus at 6:35. And we did it again. Somehow, in the late afternoon,
there is a gap of two hours between weekday buses to Amalfi. We were
feeling like real rookies.
With the extra hour, we finally found the real Villa Rufalo, which, ironically, is
not far from the bus stop. Villa Rufalo was built in the 13th and 14th
centuries and is known for its gardens and doubled-arched courtyard.
Today, it is somewhere on the path to becoming a ruin. Its grounds,
however, are the setting for summer classical music concerts that draw
many to this town. While not nearly as large as those of Villa Cimbrone, the
grounds offer a nice view over the coastal areas of Maiori and Minori. The
clouds had cleared for the most part, and the sun was now shining.
We made good time getting back to Positano and decided that, after our
bus mis-adventures, we would have a simple meal at La Grottina Azzurra:
a couple of antipasti, three pastas, wine and water for 35€. Like at Bar
Internazionale, we had almost become regulars. The family running the
restaurant smiled and greeted us as we walked past it during the day.
When we arrived for dinner, the waiter remembered, from a few nights
previously, that Allie had been reading Angels & Demons, and he asked
her about it.
For the third time today, we heard some rumbling/booming noises and
immediately assumed it was fireworks. We couldn’t see Montepertuso
from our table, but we’d become accustomed to the fireworks there, day
and night, marking the week’s celebrations. More booms. A few flashes. It
wasn’t until one prolonged set of booms that we took notice. Fireworks or
thunder? Sure enough, in an instant the skies opened, and the people at
the outdoor tables suddenly filled the restaurant (we were almost a part of
them, as we had a choice of in or out when we arrived).
With rain came the realization that we had a load of laundry drying on the
terrace. So with that, we called it an evening.
June 17: Our last full day on the Amalfi Coast
It would have been a nice day for some hiking, but it seemed a shame to
leave the Amalfi Coast and not spend any time in the town of Amalfi. But
first, we had some business to attend to. After much wavering, we’d
decided to hire a driver to take us to Naples. We were going to what was,
but some accounts, a relatively difficult-to-find address. And with the
purchases we’d picked up along the way, we figured this would simplify
things a bit. It couldn’t be any more a waste of money than the 90E we
spent on the guide at Pompeii. Unfortunately, on such short notice we were
unable to connect with any of the drivers recommended on Fodors (sorry,
Francesco, we did try to call…..). Stefano hooked us up with Positano
Limos, and for 90€ plus tip, we were all set for the next day.
We also wanted to arrange a nice dinner to mark our last night in Positano,
and our evoked set consisted of Donna Rosa, Il Ritrovo, and La Tagliata in
Montepertuso. Donna Rosa was our first choice, but it would not provide
car service, so we called Il Ritrovo. At 10am, there was no one there who
could speak English (we could have made the reservation in Italian, but
were unclear about the transportation). We’d call back later.
The ferry to Amalfi takes a relatively quick 30 minutes and provides nice
views along the coast; similar to those we had on the Gennaro e Salvatore
boat trip, but from further out. The view of Amalfi bathed in sunlight as you
approach is quite memorable. We didn’t have much of an agenda for
Amalfi. We wanted to see the Duomo, which we did. Walk around town a
little. Walk along the coast road over to Atrani, which we were able to do
until we hit the tunnel. It was a nice day, if a little hot. After lunch in one of
the tavola calda on the main street, we took the ferry back to Positano. We
were a little disappointed to find out that the boat with the comfy-looking
deck chairs was, in fact, going to Sorrento, not Positano.
We eventually connected with Il Ritrovo and confirmed that a driver would
meet us at Bar Internazionale at 8pm. Il Ritrovo came very highly
recommended from a variety of sources. It has a nice location overlooking
the valley and town of Montepertuso, but not Positano. We felt da
Costantino had a much better view. Nevertheless, we were directed to a
nice table right at the edge of the terrace. The menu is almost
overwhelming, and the wine list even more so. We lingered over the
complimentary prosecco and bruschetta, perusing pages of options, and
eventually placed our order.
But that’s when the evening began to go downhill. Ten minutes later, the
antipasti arrived. It was good, but didn’t begin to compare with the quantity
or quality of da Costantino, although that perception was probably
exacerbated because we were unable to enjoy it along with some wine.
The wine hadn’t been delivered yet. We figured it would be here any
minute. Eventually, we finished the antipasti and the plates were cleared,
and still no wine. We reminded one of the waiters. By now, we were just
plain thirsty. Because we had no wine, we had drained our bottle of aqua
minerale and it sat empty on the table. We asked for more water, but it was
a good ten minutes before that came. Still no wine. Finally, some 45
minutes after we ordered it, our bottle of wine arrived at the table – a
versatile local red. Our dinners fared the same – 30 minutes between the
time Marisa’s fish and Chris’s mixed grill plate were served; Allie’s mixed
grill was somewhere in between. The food was okay, but in our opinion not
great. We had a difficult time determining what was what on the mixed grill
plate – an issue since Allie was not keen on trying the rabbit (which we had
asked to be omitted from her plate, but were pretty sure it was not). Finally,
at about 11pm, we asked for il conto pronto (okay, we didn’t say pronto;
despite the poor service, we were trying not to be rude) and wondered how
we would get back to our apartment. We decided not even to wait for the
dolci that was part of Chris’s menu. Fortunately, the driver was waiting, and
we hightailed it out of there. We have no problem enjoying a long, leisurely
meal, but this was a real disappointment. Hopefully, they were just having
a bad night.
Next > Naples
See all of our trip photos
our travels
home
contact us
Il Sentiero Degli Dei (Pathway of the
Gods)
Gods)
View of Positano walking down from
Nocelle
Nocelle
Ravello
Ravello, Villa Cimbrone
Ravello, Villa Cimbrone
Ravello, Duomo
Ravello, ceramic shopping
Amalfi, from the water
Amalfi Duomo
Amalfi
Atrani
