2008 ITALIAN ODYSSEY - Praiano/Amalfi

Wednesday October 8, 2008 – Praiano/Amalfi

Today I finally got the rest day I have been pursuing. I actually applied for two days but Alas! we are off to Amalfi tomorrow. In our original planning I had thought to drive through to Pompeii today – and possibly even drive up to the summit of Mount Vesuvius. Although it was less than 50 km to Pompeii and another 20 km or so to Vesuvius, it meant driving to and fro along the dread road again. The forecast was also for a warm day – in the high 20sC and so I gave it a miss. (My good friend Lars could not believe that I had been so close to these two iconic destinations and not visit them, but I was more philosophical – you simply can’t do everything you want.)

Looking along the coast from Priano towards Amalfi

The church at Praiano

So we had a very pleasant day. We slept in late after our ‘big night out’, had a late breakfast and strolled down the road to see the bits of the village that we hadn’t seen until now. I was hoping to go down to the beach – only 300 steps down the cliffside – but blew my chances last evening after we had woken from our snooze and before we went out to dinner. We had gone down to the newsagent to pick up a Daily Mail which Rab loves (good Right Wing paper that it is!) and I had persuaded her to walk a little further up the upper road to get a better view from higher up. I had glanced at a map of the village and thought that there was a path that would lead us back to the main road. Sure enough the path and steps were there. Unfortunately they led to an empty plot after about 200 steps so we had to make our way back up all those steps and return to the hotel the way we had come.

Today we stayed on the main road and became two of the pedestrians causing potential problems for the traffic. We were very careful to keep a lookout for vehicles, coaches in particular because in most places there was no pavement or sidewalk, just a white line painted along the road. Theoretically, pedestrians walk inside this line, although at times it is only a few centimetres/inches from the roadside wall. Scary stuff. We enjoyed the walk because it gave us the chance to peer into gardens, to admire the houses and to generally get better views of the scenery we had passed by at speed on the bus and in the car. 

One of the model villages

There were two model villages on the side of the road, complete with mangers, stars and angels. Presumably they are all lit up during the Christmas season.

We had an excellent lunch at San Gerrano a small restaurant overlooking the bay – tuna salad with those sweet tomatoes and fresh rocket - and then a peaceful snooze before re-packing our cases for our return trip, (always a bit of a problem to fit the acquisitions into the available suitcase volumes, not to mention the weight allowances), watching the sunset and eating our dinner in the hotel across the road. Delicious as virtually all the food has been.

 

What could be a better spot for a bit of lunch?

Thursday October 9, 2008 – Praiano/Amalfi

Another glorious sunny day to greet us when we opened the screen doors. Such a lovely view to wake up to.

The beach at Amalfi - imagine it in summer, covered in browning bodies

We bought the tickets for our proposed trip to Amalfi last evening and after breakfast we were ready for the off, aiming to catch the 09.25 bus. This duly arrived almost on time – how they manage to keep anywhere near the timetable, given traffic conditions is beyond me – but the bus was full: standing room only. That always presents a bit of a dilemma for me because few public transport vehicles are designed to accommodate people my height. We decided to go ahead anyway because the next bus was only due in an hour and was likely to be full too, but I must say I regretted the move. The driver was not as good as some of the others we have experienced. He tended to brake sharply and sway all over the road. It was very hot and I had to keep my head bent to avoid cracking it on the hand rail that ran around the bus in these violent movements.

Rab at the Amalfi harbour

I was very glad when we got to our destination and felt quite shaky for a while – almost car sick. We sat in the shade for a while and I had a drink of water and felt much better.

Duomo Amalfi

There were hordes of visitors there as we wandered the shops and piazzas. Not for the first time on this trip we find it difficult to imagine what it must be like in the height of the season. Our strategy of travelling out of high season on almost all of our trips has suited us very well over the years. We liked the look of Amalfi but are very glad we booked into Praiano instead of here, Sorrento or Positano. Praiano is a small village but it has many amenities – and certainly less tourists.

Fishmonger's sign - it's all there

We headed for home and had our final lunch of Praiano Salad as we have named the San Gerrano Tonne Insalata which we’ll miss – you just can’t get tomatoes like those they grow locally. We’ve had that every day we’ve been here, with a local beer, apart from the day we were in Sorrento.

After our afternoon snooze, I finished the packing, we watched our last sunset here and had a fine dinner across the road at S’merelda, sitting on the terrace and watching the lights.

All the people we have met here have been so friendly and pleasant. It really has been a wonderful end to a truly marvellous holiday. We’re out of here tomorrow to get closer to Rome for Saturday’s flight.

One last sunset - could not resist them