Page Title
A Travelogue
Italy in all its glory
Italy in all its glory
Part 3
By Susie R. Cuñada
Amalfi Coast / Positano / Isle of Capri
After breakfast, we boarded our mini buses for the trip to the Coast of Amalfi. The Amalfi
Coast is a beautiful and renowned stretch of mountainous coastline south of Naples. The
peninsula is dotted with picturesque fishing villages and towns clinging giddily to cliffs. It also
makes a good base for exploring other popular destinations, one of which is Positano, to which
we were headed.
The views of Sorrento from the cliffs high above were breathtaking. The first several miles
were an adventure as we watched our driver Marco deal with the insane drivers in the area. The
drive along the coast took us on hairpin turns and switchbacks and the width of the road was
completely inadequate, especially in a motor coach of our type and especially around the sharp
corners. Whenever we and another large vehicle met, it was nearly impossible to either pass or
negotiate a hairpin turn. Compounding this was the fact that much of the road was on a cliff 200 or
300 feet over the ocean, and if you were sitting on the ride side of the bus against the window [as
I was], it won’t be an exaggeration to look directly out the window straight down and see nothing
but the ocean and cliff 300 feet below you.
We finally got to the beautiful town of Positano on the tip of the Amalfi Coast, a dramatically
picture-perfect town clinging to the cliff face as if about to cascade into the turquoise waters
below. The main part of the town sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. The
vistas were everything I thought they would be – and more! As Shona aptly said, “Positano
affects you when you’re there, but it affects you more after you’ve left”. How very true! It has
invaded my soul after I have left. I still pine for it – even today.
We went down to the beach, had some pictures and went back up to do some shopping.
Positano is one of those famed hill-clinging towns which is literally dug into the side of a cliff and
terraces itself from the beach to the top of a small mountain. There are some main streets, but
most of the shopping is along pedestrian alleys and walkways. The lay of the land is vertical, not
horizontal; therefore, for those people with limited mobility and those who are infirm, short of step
or breath, they might want to reconsider traipsing around this picturesque town.
It might be apropos for me to say at this point that if you haven’t already learned the
International Rule of Inaccessibility, this is a good time to learn it. What makes a city into the kind
of haven that the rich and famous like to visit is its inaccessibility to the masses. All the great
resort cities of the world, especially in the Mediterranean, are hard to get to. This being
By Susie R. Cuñada
Amalfi Coast / Positano / Isle of Capri
After breakfast, we boarded our mini buses for the trip to the Coast of Amalfi. The Amalfi
Coast is a beautiful and renowned stretch of mountainous coastline south of Naples. The
peninsula is dotted with picturesque fishing villages and towns clinging giddily to cliffs. It also
makes a good base for exploring other popular destinations, one of which is Positano, to which
we were headed.
The views of Sorrento from the cliffs high above were breathtaking. The first several miles
were an adventure as we watched our driver Marco deal with the insane drivers in the area. The
drive along the coast took us on hairpin turns and switchbacks and the width of the road was
completely inadequate, especially in a motor coach of our type and especially around the sharp
corners. Whenever we and another large vehicle met, it was nearly impossible to either pass or
negotiate a hairpin turn. Compounding this was the fact that much of the road was on a cliff 200 or
300 feet over the ocean, and if you were sitting on the ride side of the bus against the window [as
I was], it won’t be an exaggeration to look directly out the window straight down and see nothing
but the ocean and cliff 300 feet below you.
We finally got to the beautiful town of Positano on the tip of the Amalfi Coast, a dramatically
picture-perfect town clinging to the cliff face as if about to cascade into the turquoise waters
below. The main part of the town sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. The
vistas were everything I thought they would be – and more! As Shona aptly said, “Positano
affects you when you’re there, but it affects you more after you’ve left”. How very true! It has
invaded my soul after I have left. I still pine for it – even today.
We went down to the beach, had some pictures and went back up to do some shopping.
Positano is one of those famed hill-clinging towns which is literally dug into the side of a cliff and
terraces itself from the beach to the top of a small mountain. There are some main streets, but
most of the shopping is along pedestrian alleys and walkways. The lay of the land is vertical, not
horizontal; therefore, for those people with limited mobility and those who are infirm, short of step
or breath, they might want to reconsider traipsing around this picturesque town.
It might be apropos for me to say at this point that if you haven’t already learned the
International Rule of Inaccessibility, this is a good time to learn it. What makes a city into the kind
of haven that the rich and famous like to visit is its inaccessibility to the masses. All the great
resort cities of the world, especially in the Mediterranean, are hard to get to. This being
understood, Positano is the center for the rich and famous along the Amalfi Coast. It is an
adorable city and the stores sell fun things. It’s like a movie set where stores display
their wares to enchant….. and sell. Flowers pour out of flowerpots, dishes are piled up
on stairwells, cottons fly in the slight breeze, and lemons are dancing everywhere. It’s
like paradise on earth!
And for the sheer variety of pictures one could take along with their relative beauty,
there wasn't a place I had been to that offered this kind of scenery. It was spine tingling.
I didn't want to leave. As I told it to some of my friends -- “I left my heart in Positano…”
The entire experience was exactly as I had pictured it before I had arrived in Italy --
perfect weather, perfect scenery, and the perfect time of day.
We then boarded our bus back into Sorrento where we watched an inlaid wood
demonstration. It was on from there to the harbor where we boarded a ferry to the sun-
drenched island of dreams, the Isle of Capri, a rock rising from the Mediterranean.
There's no question it's a very beautiful island. It is also a shopping port. Capri is a spree.
When we arrived at the port, we received tickets to ride the funicular, a cog railway
that runs from the piers, up to Capri Town. There are several "cars" in the train, each
accommodating about 10 people comfortably.
At the top, we all emptied out onto a raised platform that offered fantastic views of
the island. We then had a walking tour of Capri. Capri is much larger and much more
commercially developed than I had imagined. Many of the buildings were draped with a
purple flowering vine that rendered much of the island a shade of fuschia from a
distance. It was similar to being in any major city in the U.S. with a shopping district,
only higher end and much more scenic. This is a town that has streets that are more like
alleys, where you stroll in total contentment, remembering Jackie Kennedy, and you
happily get lost and found in this maze.
Capri is amazing – flowers everywhere and wonderful alleys to explore. The views
along the sidewalk occasionally opened up into panoramic vistas. It also is home to the
rich and famous – with many, many designer shops. This clearly wasn't a place to come
for bargains!
After half an hour of some free time, the group met up for a tour of Anacapri, the
highest point on the island, to visit Villa San Michele. If the ride to Positano was not for
the faint of heart, no one could have prepared me for the ride to Anacapri. The turns were
even more twisted that I thought I would have a heart attack. Moreover, it was
harrowing to see people in motor scooters passing us in no passing zones, on corners,
on hills, on hairpin turns, and not at all fazed that they would barely make it past our bus
before another vehicle would nearly hit them head on. This happened once every few
minutes. The entire drive was like watching an Omni Theater production of some
disaster movie showing a bus flirting with cliff disaster. It was that scary!
Anyhow, as a backgrounder, Villa San Michele is located on the north-eastern side
of Anacapri, 327 metres above sea level. Here was an ancient Roman imperial villa, the
ruins of which was preserved by Axel Munthe and is now to be found in the garden.
adorable city and the stores sell fun things. It’s like a movie set where stores display
their wares to enchant….. and sell. Flowers pour out of flowerpots, dishes are piled up
on stairwells, cottons fly in the slight breeze, and lemons are dancing everywhere. It’s
like paradise on earth!
And for the sheer variety of pictures one could take along with their relative beauty,
there wasn't a place I had been to that offered this kind of scenery. It was spine tingling.
I didn't want to leave. As I told it to some of my friends -- “I left my heart in Positano…”
The entire experience was exactly as I had pictured it before I had arrived in Italy --
perfect weather, perfect scenery, and the perfect time of day.
We then boarded our bus back into Sorrento where we watched an inlaid wood
demonstration. It was on from there to the harbor where we boarded a ferry to the sun-
drenched island of dreams, the Isle of Capri, a rock rising from the Mediterranean.
There's no question it's a very beautiful island. It is also a shopping port. Capri is a spree.
When we arrived at the port, we received tickets to ride the funicular, a cog railway
that runs from the piers, up to Capri Town. There are several "cars" in the train, each
accommodating about 10 people comfortably.
At the top, we all emptied out onto a raised platform that offered fantastic views of
the island. We then had a walking tour of Capri. Capri is much larger and much more
commercially developed than I had imagined. Many of the buildings were draped with a
purple flowering vine that rendered much of the island a shade of fuschia from a
distance. It was similar to being in any major city in the U.S. with a shopping district,
only higher end and much more scenic. This is a town that has streets that are more like
alleys, where you stroll in total contentment, remembering Jackie Kennedy, and you
happily get lost and found in this maze.
Capri is amazing – flowers everywhere and wonderful alleys to explore. The views
along the sidewalk occasionally opened up into panoramic vistas. It also is home to the
rich and famous – with many, many designer shops. This clearly wasn't a place to come
for bargains!
After half an hour of some free time, the group met up for a tour of Anacapri, the
highest point on the island, to visit Villa San Michele. If the ride to Positano was not for
the faint of heart, no one could have prepared me for the ride to Anacapri. The turns were
even more twisted that I thought I would have a heart attack. Moreover, it was
harrowing to see people in motor scooters passing us in no passing zones, on corners,
on hills, on hairpin turns, and not at all fazed that they would barely make it past our bus
before another vehicle would nearly hit them head on. This happened once every few
minutes. The entire drive was like watching an Omni Theater production of some
disaster movie showing a bus flirting with cliff disaster. It was that scary!
Anyhow, as a backgrounder, Villa San Michele is located on the north-eastern side
of Anacapri, 327 metres above sea level. Here was an ancient Roman imperial villa, the
ruins of which was preserved by Axel Munthe and is now to be found in the garden.
San Michele (right) was Munthe's residence between 1896 and 1910. The fanciful architecture
was meant as a perfect environment for his collections, and at the same time, served to
enhance the beauty of the landscape.
Pompeii
After another early wake-up call and breakfast, we said goodbye to Sorrento and went
towards Pompeii, the opulent Roman town which was preserved by layers of ash from the
disastrous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD79. It was a bittersweet day as it was the last day of
the tour.
Pompeii is an excavation site and outdoor museum of the ancient Roman settlement. This
site is considered to be one of the few sites where an ancient city has been preserved in
detail – everything from jars to tables to paintings and people were frozen in time, yielding an
unprecedented opportunity to see how the people lived 2000 years ago. We met our guide who
told us that this was a sacred site – the end of the world as they knew it for 20,000 inhabitants.
The hot ash that buried the town in a way protected it also for future excavations.
We began our tour around the ruins and saw everything from residences to temples, from
bakeries and other commercial buildings to baths. It was eerie to look at the deserted streets
and picture the flurry of activity the bustling city once hosted. Lonely columns that once were
part of regal buildings now stood at attention to a world long since passed. Once busy town
squares are now shells of their former glory. The mountain itself stood in the background of a
street it once strangled with its volcanic ash.
The cast capturing the moment of death of some unsuspecting citizen of Pompeii on that
fateful day of the eruption of Vesuvius was displayed in the museum nearby the square.
Pompeii was everything I expected it to be and more! You could almost picture the Romans
walking around in their togas.
Word of caution: Keep in mind that Mt. Vesuvius is an active volcano and can erupt at
any time. However, scientists have devised a system to detect impending eruptions, so it’s
fairly safe to browse through the ruins without fear of falling ash and lapili (pumice).
However, you should protect yourself from pickpockets in the vicinity, and anywhere else in
Italy for that matter, as you normally would when traveling.
Back to Rome
Afterwards, the smooth motorway led us back to the Eternal City of Rome, our last stop,
where we'd have our farewell dinner. We were driven that night to Papa Rex’s restaurant in
the neighborhood of the Vatican, which Shona told us the Pope used to have his birthday party
at every year, and the wine they serve is from the Vatican Vineyards. We had our picture
taken with a Roman soldier at the door (later to be hawked to us). The food was good as was
the ever-flowing wine. There was entertainment from several singers who mingled with the
group.
We were all in a really good mood from the food, the wine and the ambiance of the night,
so out came the song by Dean Martin and we all sang “Amore” on the way back to the hotel. It
was the most perfect ending to the most perfect vacation!
A Few Closing Thoughts
All in all, we had a MAH-VELOUS time! We saw more on 10 days than I could have ever
imagined. What I have seen has awakened new places in my heart and my wanderlust and,
yes, my suitcase. This was a fast-paced tour, but for us it was the right way to do it. We met
some great people, ate great food, drank wonderful wine, and were immersed in a country that
is truly a "step back in time". We will have these wonderful memories forever and a ton of
photos in case we forget. All in all, it was indeed a memorable trip.
I’m quite sure where my next trip will take me – Spain, Portugal, France and Italy (yes,
Trevi Fountain does indeed work!). And quite frankly, I can’t wait to start packing.
was meant as a perfect environment for his collections, and at the same time, served to
enhance the beauty of the landscape.
Pompeii
After another early wake-up call and breakfast, we said goodbye to Sorrento and went
towards Pompeii, the opulent Roman town which was preserved by layers of ash from the
disastrous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD79. It was a bittersweet day as it was the last day of
the tour.
Pompeii is an excavation site and outdoor museum of the ancient Roman settlement. This
site is considered to be one of the few sites where an ancient city has been preserved in
detail – everything from jars to tables to paintings and people were frozen in time, yielding an
unprecedented opportunity to see how the people lived 2000 years ago. We met our guide who
told us that this was a sacred site – the end of the world as they knew it for 20,000 inhabitants.
The hot ash that buried the town in a way protected it also for future excavations.
We began our tour around the ruins and saw everything from residences to temples, from
bakeries and other commercial buildings to baths. It was eerie to look at the deserted streets
and picture the flurry of activity the bustling city once hosted. Lonely columns that once were
part of regal buildings now stood at attention to a world long since passed. Once busy town
squares are now shells of their former glory. The mountain itself stood in the background of a
street it once strangled with its volcanic ash.
The cast capturing the moment of death of some unsuspecting citizen of Pompeii on that
fateful day of the eruption of Vesuvius was displayed in the museum nearby the square.
Pompeii was everything I expected it to be and more! You could almost picture the Romans
walking around in their togas.
Word of caution: Keep in mind that Mt. Vesuvius is an active volcano and can erupt at
any time. However, scientists have devised a system to detect impending eruptions, so it’s
fairly safe to browse through the ruins without fear of falling ash and lapili (pumice).
However, you should protect yourself from pickpockets in the vicinity, and anywhere else in
Italy for that matter, as you normally would when traveling.
Back to Rome
Afterwards, the smooth motorway led us back to the Eternal City of Rome, our last stop,
where we'd have our farewell dinner. We were driven that night to Papa Rex’s restaurant in
the neighborhood of the Vatican, which Shona told us the Pope used to have his birthday party
at every year, and the wine they serve is from the Vatican Vineyards. We had our picture
taken with a Roman soldier at the door (later to be hawked to us). The food was good as was
the ever-flowing wine. There was entertainment from several singers who mingled with the
group.
We were all in a really good mood from the food, the wine and the ambiance of the night,
so out came the song by Dean Martin and we all sang “Amore” on the way back to the hotel. It
was the most perfect ending to the most perfect vacation!
A Few Closing Thoughts
All in all, we had a MAH-VELOUS time! We saw more on 10 days than I could have ever
imagined. What I have seen has awakened new places in my heart and my wanderlust and,
yes, my suitcase. This was a fast-paced tour, but for us it was the right way to do it. We met
some great people, ate great food, drank wonderful wine, and were immersed in a country that
is truly a "step back in time". We will have these wonderful memories forever and a ton of
photos in case we forget. All in all, it was indeed a memorable trip.
I’m quite sure where my next trip will take me – Spain, Portugal, France and Italy (yes,
Trevi Fountain does indeed work!). And quite frankly, I can’t wait to start packing.
| (Above) San Michele; (Below photos) Pompeii |
| The views on the way to the Coast 0f Amalfi |
| Positano |
Isle of Capri photos
A group photo in Sorrento
Susie and Ricky in Capri