The Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Capri, and Sicily
/After Rome, we decided to slow things down and drove south about three hours to a small town on the Amalfi coast called Colli di Fontanelle. It's near Amalfi and Sorrento, but not quite in the thick of everything, which made for a nice break from the tourist hullabaloo.
The first day Chuck fired up our crappy rental car to drive up the Amalfi coast. It felt much like the Cinque Terre—steep, rocky cliffsides tumbling down into the crisp, clear sea below. Lemon, olive, and grape crops clung to the walls on terraces and hung over the roads. The houses stack up the sides of the coast in any place that seems even slightly horizontal (and many places that are not) with roads crammed in between them barely big enough for a single car to pass. With every bend in the road, I felt certain we would crash into oncoming traffic, since it seemed impossible that two cars would fit in the narrow lanes. But somehow, we never did, though motorcycles buzzed constantly down the center line between the cars, the riders knees almost grazing the cars on each side.
We spent a few hours in Ravello, a town above Amalfi, where we walked through a historic castle with beautifully maintained gardens. We paused briefly so I could try (and fail) to drink a limoncello, which is a lemon liquor Italians sip during their cocktail hour, called “aperitivo.” It was too strong for me, and Chuck had to finish it.
Click to enlarge photos below!
The next day, we visited Pompeii. WOW! For those that aren’t familiar, Pompeii was an ancient city from the 6th century BC, destroyed with nearby Mount Vesuvius blew its top and covered the city in ash. As a result, the city was perfectly preserved.
The thing that struck me most about Pompeii was how much these ancient people are like us. A “beware of dog” mosaic guarded the threshold to the front door. Bars were where you’d expect them to be—outside stadiums and bathhouses. Working water fountains stood at busy intersections. I did not realize how long bricks have been used in construction until this visit, or what an amazing artform mosaics can be.
We were a little alarmed on our way home, as we started seeing clouds of smoke coming from the top of Mount Vesuvius. But it’s been extremely dry and hot here in southern Italy, and we found out that it was just a forest fire.
The following day we decided to check out the nearby island of Capri, and discovered that we could quite cheaply rent a boat! We had a wonderful day avoiding the heat and the crowds by boating around the island, throwing out the anchor to have a swim whenever we got too hot.
We left the Amalfi coast to head even further south to Sicily, driving across the toe of Italy's boot and taking a ferry to the island. We spent five days in Giardini Naxos, a town next to Taormina on the eastern side of the island. It’s been incredibly hot, and we’ve enjoyed three beach days and a quick visit to Mount Etna—Europe’s largest active volcano—and to visit Taormina. Did you know my pale skin was actually capable of tan lines? Me neither!
We’ve enjoyed a lot of traditional Italian food, including “arancini,” a fried rice ball filled with meat, cheese, and other random goodies. Eggplant is big here, so we’ve had it in pasta, with fish, and on pizza. And of course, we’ve had some of the best cannoli in the world, a food that Chuck didn’t know he liked since he’s never had a good one until now.
Tomorrow we leave for Switzerland! I’ve loved our time in Italy, and will miss the food, the art, the history, baking in the hot sun, and men with leather murses slung across their chests.
Thanks to everyone for all the comments on our posts, emails, and calls! I miss everyone and it’s so nice to hear what’s going on in your lives!
