Turncarver
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September 2011: Amalfi Coast



On September 24, 2011 we took a quick (1-week) trip to the Amalfi coast in Italy (a little south of Naples). The Amalfi coast lies on the southern side of a peninsula that borders the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Naples.

The major city in the area is Sorrento; may travelers elect to stay there. We opted to stay in one of the picturesque hill towns because we did not plan on an aggressive site-seeing agenda. We chose Positano - its one of the largest and most scenic towns, and it has the added benefit of having only 1 narrow road that prevents tour busses from entering the town. If you want to see or stay in Positano you must be prepared to walk on hilly streets and climb a lot of stairs (our hotel room was 366 steps above the beach).

Stairs to our hotel - not the
best place for roller bags

Our flight landed in Rome at 7:00AM. From Rome we traveled by train to Salerno (east of Amalfi) then rode a passenger-only ferry to Positano. The ferry ride provided a wonderful tour of the scenic hill towns. It took about 3 hours to get to Salerno, and another hour or so on the ferry, so with waiting time we arrived in Positano around dinner time.

The ferry arrived at the dock on the beach, so we had to carry our luggage up 366 steps to reach our hotel room. We stayed in La Rosa dei Venti (means "the Rose of the Twenty"). This was a great hotel - our room was clean and comfortable, and we had a private deck overlooking the Positano. We were served breakfast on our deck every morning (included with the room).

We spent most of our time hanging around Positano, but we did find time to take in some of the nearby sites:

  • The island of Capri - an easy day trip by jet boat. VERY touristy and expensive. Overall I would not go back, but we did have fun at the blue grotto.
  • Pompeii - we took the bus to Sorrento then road the train. Again, an easy day trip (unless you are a history buff, then you may want more time).
  • A walk up (over many stairs) to the town of Montepertuso which sits on the hill above Positano. We had a great lunch in a restaurant with a panoramic view of Positano and the Mediterranean sea.


For our return, we hired a driver to take us to Naples, where we caught the high-speed train to Rome. Driving distance from Naples to Rome is 145 miles; we covered that distance in 1:10 by train. We spent the night in a hotel near the Rome train station and had a wonderful dinner at Rinaldi al Quirinale.

Observations

 
  • Some Facts
    • The weather was cloudy but warm (shorts & T-shirt) and it did not rain
    • Get some Euros before leaving the airport - they will be useful for trains, taxis, ferries and vending machines
    • Allow 3 hours to transit the Rome airport when departing (check-in, security, and customs lines can be long)
    • Driving distance from Naples to Rome is 145 miles; 1:10 by train
  • There are swarms of scooters (vespa means wasp in italian) Positano and Sorrento. You see some pretty interesting cargo in the footwells of the scooters.
    • Laundry hung inside the windshield
    • Propane canisters
    • Roller bags (luggage) - in one case I saw 2 bags in the footwell
    • Groceries
    • Even a dog
  • The local cuisine includes some excellent dishes.
    • Fried Anchovies (look like french fries, but taste a lot better)
    • Buffalo mozzarella (this cheese originated in this area - made from buffalo milk)
    • Excellent tomatoes
    • Excellent Shrimp
    • Wonderful Coffee (particularly the coffee served with breakfast in the morning)
    • Non-alcholic Campari
    • Limoncello (again, originated in this area)
  • Some of the most memorable dishes served in restaurants were
    • Sea bream baked in salt - fish baked in a hard crust of salt (served many places)
    • Salad of grilled octopus and cherry tomatoes with caper berries, radicchio, and balsamic vinegar dressing (Il Ritrovo in Montepertuso)
    • Pasta Puttenesca (Il Grottino Azzurro, a small family-owned in Positano)
    • Pasta w/brocolli & lemon (Next2 in Positano)
    • Spaghetti with Sea Urchin (Rinaldi al Quirinale in Rome)


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