The Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi coast is part of the Bay of Naples (where we have been working out way down but avoiding the busy, crime center of Naples) and we have found out is huge place for tourists from the UK to come and enjoy the beach and local sites.

We are staying in the actual city of Amalfi, but Sorrento, Positano, and a couple of other known seaside cities are just up the beach (and cliffs).  It is a nice city, but like I said flooded with tourists.

– This is what the Amalfi coast looks like.  It’s a beautiful tourist spot.

The actual square in the city is watched over by a huge church.  I went in on the first day without my camera and was literally taken aback.  This is one of the most beautiful and consistent churches I have seen so far.  It was huge and had very detailed frescos and marble work.  I was actually happy I didn’t have a camera because it would’ve have done it justice at all.  The outside has ceramic mosaics and beautiful stone work that I never got tired of seeing as we went into the square.  I didn’t get the name of the church, because our stay here has been a bit hectic.

This is the church watching over the main square of Amalfi.

We left early and sadly had to motor the entire way on John and Jenny’s last sail without even attempting to put up a sail because all 6 knots of wind was right on our nose so it would’ve been more of a hassle than it was worth.  The docking went off without a hitch, but we aren’t docked where Dad was last time.  We called ahead and apparently called the wrong dock.  We can see the other one from where we are, but we aren’t there technically.  It’s not a huge deal, but we are parallel with the entrance to the break water which means any wind blowing off of the water hits us in the side and creates some movement.  Also there is a ferry dock across the way from us so we are getting ALL of the wake from passing ferries and boats stopping at the fuel dock which is about 20 feet from where we are.  Needless to say it’s been a bumpy stay in Amalfi.

Once we arrived John and Jenny went on a search for a travel agency to help book a train/bus combination to get into Florence and then Rome.  Dad and I hung out in the plaza people watching and enjoying cold beer, pizza, and I even got a gelato.  It was incredibly pleasant.

We had talked about going to Pompeii while in the area, and John and Jenny found a €38 bus ride and English speaking tour there and then to Mount Vesuvius which Dad had never done.  So we decided to do that the next day.  (There is a whole blog post dedicated to that following this one)

They had set up a bus ride out of Amalfi for 7am the next day, so they decided to stay in a hotel right by the bus stop that night and with it they got a laundry service that they offered to share with Dad and I.  I cannot begin to say how grateful I was for this.  We dropped the clothes off in the morning, and by the time they checked in, they were clean and folded and smelled like clean clothes!  Laundry is a huge deal on the boat.  Not every marina has a shower even so you can’t expect them to have the machines.  We found a place that will do the laundry for €6 a kiloliter, but had no concept of how much that was or how much it would cost, plus we would’ve had to lug it up the hill into town, so this was so convenient and amazing.  It also saved some time on Dad and I’s catch up day.

We went out to dinner and had what we all agreed was one of the best Italian meals we have ever had.  I got veal in a lemon sauce (this region is a huge lemon exporter) and it melted in my mouth.  I also got a side of broccoli cooked in olive oil and then for dessert a cake with a lemon cream icing on top.  Everything was perfect.  Two bottles of the house white and an amazing meal under our belts, and we learned that the restaurant gives a complimentary shot glass full of lemon cello.  It was the perfect end to a great visit with friends and a great trip through Italy so far.

Dad and I have spent today catching up on things like cleaning the deck and down below, making sure everything was good on the engine, putting away our CLEAN clothes, grocery shopping, and doing odds and ends like that.  It felt good to get some of these things done and we are now relaxing, and bouncing, trying to decide what to cook for dinner, so many fresh groceries to choose from. 

– I offered to take a group photo of some Americans in front of the statue behind Dad and I, mainly to hurry them by so I could get a photo, but they insisted that Dad and I get our photo taken too and this is the photo the old lady with a cane took… ah Italian art.

Tomorrow we are going to get up early and head towards Agropoli to stay for a night or two to see the ruins, and then take our first big jump down to Sicily.  Our first sail just the two of us, and I have high hopes and feel pretty confident about it.