That’s Amore!

** Originally published 14 August 2016

As sad as we all were for our cruise to come to an end we were very much looking forward to what came next. 
After docking back in Venice we headed to the airport for our flight south to Naples. Our plan was to head down to the beautiful Amalfi Coast but as our flight was not going to arrive until early evening we decided a night in Naples would be best instead of driving down to the coast in the dark. Although there were only 6 of us we hired a 9 seater mini van to accommodate us and all our luggage comfortably. Thankfully Cenz is a very competent and confident driver. Even driving on the wrong side of the road in a bongo Van with my Dad singing ‘scusa me but you’ll see back in old Napoli, that’s amore’ he managed to navigate his way through peak hour traffic. We checked into a lovely place just outside the city so we had parking available and headed out for a quick bite to eat. We were sure to order pizza as its said to have originated in Naples and I’ll say even with Dad continuing to sing ‘when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie” it’s possibly one of the nicest (& cheapest!) pizzas I’ve ever eaten. 

After an early night we were up and out early to head toward the coast. Although Sorrento, where we had booked to stay is only a little over an hours drive from Naples we decided to make a day of it and stop along the way. 

Our first stop was Mount Vesuvius, a now extinct Volcano who last erupted in 1944 but who is most famous for the destruction she caused to the town of Pompeii thousands of years ago.(79AD!) When paying for the national park pass to enter the track to go up to the rim we enquired about the steepness of the walk and being told it was a 40 to 50 percent incline we agreed mum & dad would give it a miss. Leaving them in the shade we started up. Not even half way up when I was sweating buckets I questioned why we keep putting ourselves through tough hikes in such heat on our holiday but on the bright side it kind of made up for all the food and beer we’d consumed. Again we were rewarded for our efforts with an amazing view right down the crater of the volcano. We walked as much of the rim as allowed and then tackled the downward track. We got back sweaty, dusty and dirty but it was absolutely worth doing.  

From Vesuvius we headed to Pompeii. We’ve been used to being blown away by the history of places, the dates that you can not even fathom but at Pompeii I was most astonished by the size. We had allocated about an hour or so here, a quick look around then keep heading to the coast. We ended up spending more than 3 hours walking the site and could easily have stayed longer. We marveled at the architecture believed to date back to the 6th century BC (wow!). We saw wood ovens still standing where a kitchen once was, we heard about how they heated water for the Roman baths centuries before gas or electricity were even thought of but I think the thing that really affected us all was seeing the casts of entombed bodies of those who died when Vesuvius spewed lava, ash & pumice on their village thousands of years ago. Some shielding their heads in their hands, others still holding their children in their arms. To think of the fear that those people must have felt at that very moment is all kinds of horrible. 

We continued our drive along the winding coast line, laughing at the way Italians drive as though road rules don’t apply here. It’s obvious that the use of indicators is optional, in fact it seems that giving way, stopping at a red light or even a pedestrian crossing is over rated yet somehow they all manage to get where they’re going with out too much fuss. We arrived safely at our hotel late in the afternoon. I find it funny that each time we’ve checked in any where as soon as I say Occhipinti they ask “Italiano?” and are quite surprised when I say I’m not. I do get asked all the time at home if I’m Italian too but at least I’m not expected to speak the language at home. Here they just start talking and although I do understand a lot of what they’re saying they speak so fast I miss a lot of it too and could not possibly reply coherently. I’m a ‘few words here & there to get by’ sort of a girl so it has certainly been very handy having a husband who is fluent with us as we’ve found the further south we head the less English they seem to speak or the less inclined they are to use it, I’m not quite sure which.  

As we arrived late we decided just a walk around the immediate area and an early dinner was the go so we could all be refreshed for the next day. Once again our pizza and pasta was delicious and for quiet a touristy destination we were very surprised at how well priced it was. 

Unfortunately I had started to feel quite unwell here and I just knew if I didn’t do something about it I’d end up with a severe sinus & chest infection. I really didn’t want to let being sick interfere with our time here so Cenz asked at reception where the closest doctor was. They made a call and 20 minutes later I had a doctor who spoke perfect English visit me in my hotel room. Another 20 minutes and Cenz had filled the scripts at the local ‘farmacia’ and I’d had my first dose of antibiotics, excellent service & all for €50! 

As soon as I was dosed up we hit the road to head further down the coast to see the other famous towns of Positano & Amalfi. All I can say is thank goodness I was not driving, it was possibly the most hair raising experience of our lives. Vince is very cool, calm and collected and although I trusted that while he was behind the wheel we’d be safe I think even he was a little rattled by it. If you think the Great Ocean road is narrow and windy you ain’t seen nothin! He maneuvered our 9 seater bus along a road with a sheer drop to the sea that I’m sure was originally made for horse & cart and now would & should be most suited to motorbikes or at the very most a couple of Fiat 500’s to pass. Reality is that huge coaches shuttle tourists up and down all day while cars pull over where ever they like to take photos of the stunning coast line and tanned men wearing only tight Speedos riding colorful Vespas over take on the wrong side on hairpin bends. On more than one occasion we had to reverse to let a vehicle pass or we all took a collective breath in the hope the van would shrink to squeeze past a bus or a narrow space past parked cars and hoped no one would take our side mirrors with them! It was certainly an experience we will never forget & not one I’m keen to repeat any time soon. 

As Cenz was concentrating so much on staying on the road he missed the turn off to Positano and as there was absolutely no chance of doing a U turn on this crazy road we decided to continue on to the town of Amalfi first. After so long in the car and to help calm our nerves our first priority was to have a quick dip. As expected the water here is crystal clear but again it was pebbles and rocks instead of sand. Let me tell you, there is absolutely no possible way to enter the water at a pebble or stone beach with any finesse. You can forget any thought of a graceful or sexy saunter toward the water while sucking your gut in, it’s not going to happen. Hot stones trump hot sand and even if you keep your thongs on all the way to the waters edge (which is a sure way to scream tourist!) you slip & trip & do that stupid foot roll thing and all dignity is lost until you throw yourself into the water like a sack of potatoes, I promise I will never take our beaches at home for granted again. 

After cooling off we headed toward the main Piazza for a lunch of prosciutto panini’s and caprese salad and with a bellyful continued to wander. This area is renowned for lemons. They make lemon soap, lemon balm, lemon gelato but most famously LIMONCELLO! If you’re not familiar with this delicious liquor please head straight out to your local Uncle Dan’s and grab yourself a bottle or better yet, start planning your trip to Amalfi. Limoncello is sweet and strong and warms your cockles and we knew we’d be letting the side down if we didn’t buy at least a couple of bottles. 

After a few hours in Amalfi we hit the road once more back toward Positano. We didn’t miss the turn off this time but were completely out of luck trying to find a parking spot for the van along the very narrow, one way street that winds through the town. We had no choice but to settle for a slow drive by of this gorgeous village so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll have to endure this crazy coastal drive at least once more in my life time to come back to see Positano properly. 

Our next big day out was to the beautiful Isle of Capri. We booked a semi private tour here, a small boat that holds a maximum of 10 people. After being collected from our hotel in the morning we boarded our gorgeous boat (unfortunately named Viagra!!) and headed toward Capri. We were given a few hours of free time to wander so took the funicular from the port up to the main town high above the sea to look through the boutiques and take in the spectacular view but it was so hot and the water looked so inviting we soon opted to head back down for a swim & a beer instead. 

Again the amazing blue water beckoned but once more we had to scramble over hot rocks to enter it! When we re boarded our boat we were treated to a few hours sailing around the island, in and out of grottos with plenty of time to swim in the crystal azure water. Lounging on the deck watching the kids jump off the boat was a ‘pinch my self’ moment, it was rather surreal and I felt like an imposter in an episode of lifestyles of the rich and the famous. 

As expected The Amalfi Coast is stunning and although our coast at home gets just as busy in summer I will forever be grateful that I live in Victoria with an amazing and most importantly, sandy beach at the end of my street and a 2 lane well paved road to a dozen other beaches should I want to go for a drive. The longer we’re away the more we remember- There’s just no place like home.