Day 10: Naples, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast Drive
This was our first “up and out early” day. We met our driver Eugenio at the pier in Naples at 7:45 to begin our grand tour starting with a rather hair- raising drive from Naples to Sorrento. The people in Naples drive like madmen – worse than Rome. We were blessed with yet another beautiful day with highs approaching 80 degrees later on, and the drive was magnificent (except for the pall of haze over the Naples area). It was really hard for me to believe that just a few short miles outside of Naples towers this sleeping monster – Mt. Vesuvius. I’ve always been fascinated by volcanology and by Vesuvius and Pompeii in particular. This day was going to be one of the major highlights of the trip for me – no doubt about it.
Our first stop today was at an overlook outside Naples looking north back into the city and Vesuvius above it – spectacular yes, but then we had no idea yet what was in store for us later in the day. We took lots of photos and then it was back on the road and off toward Sorrento: gateway to the Amalfi Coast.
Eugenio was a totally charming guide, always cheery and full of interesting information about the area we were traversing. I guess it probably didn’t hurt that he was a bit of a bear as well… >:-)
We stopped in Sorrento at a little park with a lovely view out over the coastline and had coffee and pit stops. Sorrento is a beautiful little city that you could easily spend a week in just wandering the little streets and narrow twisty alleys – as long as you watch out for the crazy drivers. Eugenio told us of several very exclusive hotels on our drive and the first was here in Sorrento: the Grand Excelsior Albergo Vittoria. We didn’t stop to go in, but we did get some pictures of the outside and the entryway. He told us you had to book this place a year in advance and the cheapest rooms were four or five hundred Euros a night. A beautiful place, to be sure, amid a very beautiful setting.
On we drove – up and out of Sorrento, through a very narrow pass in the mountains and then out into the Amalfi Coast.
This is probably the most exquisitely beautiful place I’ve ever seen. I loved Santorini, and Venice, but this… this was my idea of what Heaven would be like: incredibly verdant but steep and craggy hillsides dropping off from cliffs straight down into the deepest blue of the sea – with brightly colored tiny houses dotting the hillsides in their cramped abundance. Apparently most of the green on the hills was either lemon or other citrus trees or chestnut trees. This is the home of Lemoncello and Lemoncino two lemon derived liquors that are unique to this region. As we drove down from the pass along the very narrow twisty road I just knew this was going to end up being my favorite day. The blue sky, the winding road, the spectacular coastline – it just did not get better than this for me. No wonder this area has been the haunt of so many of the world’s rich and famous for centuries.
As we got closer to Positano, there were lots of roadside vendors in the several scenic viewpoints and waysides selling tourist guides, postcards, ceramics, and all other manner of local goods (fresh peppers, lemons, etc.). We stopped so we could take pictures and I bought a book on the area and some postcards then took lots of pictures. We were all starting to get a little hungry, but we had a couple of hours to go before lunchtime. We resolved to grab something in Amalfi – the third and largest of the three main villages here: Positano, Prianna, and Amalfi. Eugenio told us that to get a room in Positano you’d easily pay five hundred a night while in Prianna you could get a comparable room – with breakfast for about fifty!
Eugenio dropped us off in Amalfi and said we had about 45 minutes of free time to shop, get a snack, pee or whatever. I headed off to find the TI (tourist’s info) office and a head, and the rest of the group went into the main town square – a beautiful little area surrounded on all sides by shops but one which held the main church – with lots and lots of stairs leading up to it. I decided I wasn’t interested enough to brave the stairs so went off to the TI instead. I met up with the group and we found a little bakery with the yummiest lemon and chocolate twisty donut things – amazing! There were so many beautiful ceramics in the shops but I knew that I would fret for the whole trip if I bought something fragile that was that big (typical plates were about fifteen inches in diameter) so I settled on two small tiles that may or may not end up as gifts for friends – I haven’t decided yet. J That’s how I generally shop – I see lovely things I think someone would enjoy and then decide who gets what after I get home. Well… most of the time it works that way…
After our brief stop in Amalfi (too brief!) Eugenio picked us up and we headed off to our lunch stop: Trattoria l’Antico Borgo in Pontone di Scala, situated high above the coast in what’s really little more than a crevasse in the hillside. This place was one of the highlights of our day. The food was super-fresh and plentiful, as was the wine – both red and white. This was a little awkward for us, as were didn’t know what we were going to be served (fixed menu). First we were brought several plates of antipasti, which we gobbled up in short order. When this was over they brought us a pasta course (primi piatti – first plate). We thought that was going to be all, but noooooo. We still had three different desserts to get through. At this point Rick balked and threw up his hands – “Basta!” (Stop!). There were a couple of other groups there with us for lunch at different tables, sitting outside under large umbrellas. The food here was very good, but it was quite hot and I think we were all ready for a major nap – especially after the wine. J
When we were all piled back into our van, Eugenio announced that we would now have time for a nap – along with lovely mandolin music on the cd player. He started bellowing his accompaniment to the music and I immediately thought (oh God… what fresh Hell is this?!?) but he grinned at me and stopped singing so we could have that nap.
It was about a 60-90 minute drive to Pompeii where he would drop us off and we’d have two hours to explore the ruins, in the very very hot and humid later afternoon. I would like to return to Pompeii someday and see the ruins again – with a guide next time, and probably earlier in the day. By the time we got inside and started walking around I knew I would gladly skip this ride and head straight for my little bed on the ship. I was pooped! We did manage to stumble around with our audio guides to lead the way and saw some really amazing things, but I’m looking forward to reading through the books we bought when time permits so I can learn more. It was really just too late and too hot to be able to enjoy this much at all.
When Eugenio dropped us off back at the pier I was sad to say goodbye. He was so sweet and was so friendly I sort of wished we could take him with us on the rest of the trip ;-) but he had his job to do (which he’s been doing – happily, for the last twenty five years).
Our first stop today was at an overlook outside Naples looking north back into the city and Vesuvius above it – spectacular yes, but then we had no idea yet what was in store for us later in the day. We took lots of photos and then it was back on the road and off toward Sorrento: gateway to the Amalfi Coast.
Eugenio was a totally charming guide, always cheery and full of interesting information about the area we were traversing. I guess it probably didn’t hurt that he was a bit of a bear as well… >:-)
We stopped in Sorrento at a little park with a lovely view out over the coastline and had coffee and pit stops. Sorrento is a beautiful little city that you could easily spend a week in just wandering the little streets and narrow twisty alleys – as long as you watch out for the crazy drivers. Eugenio told us of several very exclusive hotels on our drive and the first was here in Sorrento: the Grand Excelsior Albergo Vittoria. We didn’t stop to go in, but we did get some pictures of the outside and the entryway. He told us you had to book this place a year in advance and the cheapest rooms were four or five hundred Euros a night. A beautiful place, to be sure, amid a very beautiful setting.
On we drove – up and out of Sorrento, through a very narrow pass in the mountains and then out into the Amalfi Coast.
This is probably the most exquisitely beautiful place I’ve ever seen. I loved Santorini, and Venice, but this… this was my idea of what Heaven would be like: incredibly verdant but steep and craggy hillsides dropping off from cliffs straight down into the deepest blue of the sea – with brightly colored tiny houses dotting the hillsides in their cramped abundance. Apparently most of the green on the hills was either lemon or other citrus trees or chestnut trees. This is the home of Lemoncello and Lemoncino two lemon derived liquors that are unique to this region. As we drove down from the pass along the very narrow twisty road I just knew this was going to end up being my favorite day. The blue sky, the winding road, the spectacular coastline – it just did not get better than this for me. No wonder this area has been the haunt of so many of the world’s rich and famous for centuries.
As we got closer to Positano, there were lots of roadside vendors in the several scenic viewpoints and waysides selling tourist guides, postcards, ceramics, and all other manner of local goods (fresh peppers, lemons, etc.). We stopped so we could take pictures and I bought a book on the area and some postcards then took lots of pictures. We were all starting to get a little hungry, but we had a couple of hours to go before lunchtime. We resolved to grab something in Amalfi – the third and largest of the three main villages here: Positano, Prianna, and Amalfi. Eugenio told us that to get a room in Positano you’d easily pay five hundred a night while in Prianna you could get a comparable room – with breakfast for about fifty!
Eugenio dropped us off in Amalfi and said we had about 45 minutes of free time to shop, get a snack, pee or whatever. I headed off to find the TI (tourist’s info) office and a head, and the rest of the group went into the main town square – a beautiful little area surrounded on all sides by shops but one which held the main church – with lots and lots of stairs leading up to it. I decided I wasn’t interested enough to brave the stairs so went off to the TI instead. I met up with the group and we found a little bakery with the yummiest lemon and chocolate twisty donut things – amazing! There were so many beautiful ceramics in the shops but I knew that I would fret for the whole trip if I bought something fragile that was that big (typical plates were about fifteen inches in diameter) so I settled on two small tiles that may or may not end up as gifts for friends – I haven’t decided yet. J That’s how I generally shop – I see lovely things I think someone would enjoy and then decide who gets what after I get home. Well… most of the time it works that way…
After our brief stop in Amalfi (too brief!) Eugenio picked us up and we headed off to our lunch stop: Trattoria l’Antico Borgo in Pontone di Scala, situated high above the coast in what’s really little more than a crevasse in the hillside. This place was one of the highlights of our day. The food was super-fresh and plentiful, as was the wine – both red and white. This was a little awkward for us, as were didn’t know what we were going to be served (fixed menu). First we were brought several plates of antipasti, which we gobbled up in short order. When this was over they brought us a pasta course (primi piatti – first plate). We thought that was going to be all, but noooooo. We still had three different desserts to get through. At this point Rick balked and threw up his hands – “Basta!” (Stop!). There were a couple of other groups there with us for lunch at different tables, sitting outside under large umbrellas. The food here was very good, but it was quite hot and I think we were all ready for a major nap – especially after the wine. J
When we were all piled back into our van, Eugenio announced that we would now have time for a nap – along with lovely mandolin music on the cd player. He started bellowing his accompaniment to the music and I immediately thought (oh God… what fresh Hell is this?!?) but he grinned at me and stopped singing so we could have that nap.
It was about a 60-90 minute drive to Pompeii where he would drop us off and we’d have two hours to explore the ruins, in the very very hot and humid later afternoon. I would like to return to Pompeii someday and see the ruins again – with a guide next time, and probably earlier in the day. By the time we got inside and started walking around I knew I would gladly skip this ride and head straight for my little bed on the ship. I was pooped! We did manage to stumble around with our audio guides to lead the way and saw some really amazing things, but I’m looking forward to reading through the books we bought when time permits so I can learn more. It was really just too late and too hot to be able to enjoy this much at all.
When Eugenio dropped us off back at the pier I was sad to say goodbye. He was so sweet and was so friendly I sort of wished we could take him with us on the rest of the trip ;-) but he had his job to do (which he’s been doing – happily, for the last twenty five years).
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