dgunbug

Flygirl - your report is so well organized and informative. Thanks! Just curious....how did you enjoy and compare this region of Italy to other parts of Italy that you have visited?

TPAYT

Another one of your excellent reports

I enjoyed your photos because The Amalfi Coast has been on our list for quite awhile but we keep putting off because it's just not easy to get to. Every year those long flights with changes get more challenging.

Of all your stunning photos the one that stands out for me is from the Pathway of the Gods. It is vertical with lavender/blue flowers and a boat streaking across the sea.
Fantastic!

TDudette

Hi flygirl, I just found this. Marking for leisurely read later--can't wait to see your photos!

MaineGG

Love the wonderful photos so far, especially the first street scene in Naples and the one you took through the window of the hotel. Happy to see you found the Scala Fenicia and look forward to reading your trip report.

denisea

Very cool report. Love that you did top 10 photos and included your pre trip reading. Great idea. Hoping to get there within two years, so glad to have your report.

flygirl

Back again, thank you everyone for coming along.

dgunbug - loved it. Just loved it. Hard to pick a favorite region though, that would be like picking a favorite child. They always say that when you go south of Rome the experience is more intense and chaotic and I would agree with that - but it's all good. In the past several years I've gone to Northern Italy many times which while still Italy has somewhat of a more Germanic/Swiss feel to it.

TPAYT, glad you are enjoying this. Don't wait too long - just go! The Pathway of the Gods walk, when you do it in the direction we did, is not too challenging - it's a light slope downhill the whole way.

Thanks Tdudette!

MaineGG and denisea, thank you. Hopefully you can glean something useful from this.

Here we go:

I forgot to m ention another "trip prep" viewing - the movie <i>The Talented Mr. Ripley</i>. The fictional town of Mangiabella (sp?) is actually set on nearby Ischia and Procida.

<b>LOGISTICS</b>

I figure I should get this out of the way first, too, since this is always a really useful thing to know.

<b>Landing in Naples:</b>

Upon arrival, I was promptly ripped off by a taxi driver. Sigh! I actually kind of expected it, given my experience in Madrid which was similar (taxi driver at Madrid airport charged me 70E for the drive to my central hotel which at the time it happened I had no idea of the correct charge and didn't bat an eye because that is not far off what you pay in Paris or London - let's just say that was a huge tip when I found out later from the hotel in Madrid what to pay a driver). For Naples, I read ahead of time that the taxi to the ferry terminal should be around 22-23E but when we got there he charged me 35E. When I told him I knew the charge was only supposed to be 22E he shrugged and said you had to get that rate by making a reservation inside the terminal. Also, just like the taxi in Madrid, he dropped me off very "near" my destination but not "at" it. After having experienced this twice I think they do this to avoid a scene in front of witnesses or people who know better - there were a few cops milling around the terminal when we arrived which he avoided. What can you do, I just shrugged and paid. I got even though - no tip! HA, take that taxi driver who ripped me off. 

Honestly though, in both cases, if I was going to pay extra anyway I would have rather had an actual driver who meets you and carries your stuff and takes care of you, so forewarned is forearmed for my next visit to both places. Traveling solo and being a petite woman probably has something to do with this, so if you are neither I probably wouldn't worry about it - or just consider it a cultural initiation of sorts. It was the only sketchy thing on the trip so what the heck.

The ferry ride was uneventful and maybe 40 minutes or so.

<b>Capri logistics:</b>

If your hotel has a porter, use them! Even if you are traveling light it's a good idea because there will probably be stairs to navigate to get to your hotel unless you are really close to the main Piazza. La Minerva sent me a nice gentleman who took my stuff and handed me a simple map for the walk to my hotel as well as a funicular ticket when he took my bags (10E per bag if I recall correctly). You know that feeling you get when some place is brand new, so new that you need a map to find your hotel but you just know in a few days it will feel like home? I love that feeling.

When I left Capri to head to Positano the porter took care of me on the way out, too. I decided to take the ferry to Sorrento with a driver waiting for me at the ferry dock to drive me to Positano. The reason I did that is because, in May at least, the only ferries to Positano were mid-late afternoon which meant I would get there somewhere around 4-5 PM. I wanted an earlier start on Positano and the ferries to Sorrento are fairly regular. I took the 10 AM ferry but there was a 9 AM one, and possibly even earlier too. Additionally, I found out that the ferries to Positano don't always run even if scheduled. If the seas are too choppy on that side they don't go. To me that was too iffy - only one or two ferries, late in the day, and more of a chance of cancelling. So I did the ferry/driver combo. Interesting note: the little islands at the "entrance" to the Amalfi Coast, Li Galli, are also known as the Sirens (Le Sirenuse). The Sirens would sing to the sailors who would follow their lovely voices and get dashed on the rocks. If this story has been around since mythological times, no wonder the ferry boats to Positano cancel sometimes.

<b>Drivers:</b>

I reserved most of my drives ahead of time with a local driver:

Renato Cuomo
Mobile Number (0039)3391612081
Office.(0039)0818023037
Fax(0039)06233208879
[email protected]
www.amalficoastdriver.com

He had a driver take me from Sorrento to Positano, another one take me on a full day in Herculaneum and Pompeii (with lunch at a winery at the base of Mount Vesuvius - more on that later) and finally a driver to take me from Positano to Naples. The drivers were marvelous, well dressed, very professional, and drove big Mercedes. They stopped for photo opps at various places even without my request. The guy who drove me from Positano to Naples was a hoot - quite a storyteller. He told me about the rally races he and his friends do up and down the coastline. When he talked about the "four wheel drift" he likes to do when they really get going, I thought, "er, maybe show me later, no need for Top Gear today".

The afternoon I went to Ravello I had to make a last minute call for a driver (not Renato, above). I only wanted to spend an afternoon - get lunch, wander around, meet Mamma Agata, and so on. The SITA bus was full twice in a row - in May - and I gave up and called a driver. That was frustrating. Beware, doing it last minute like I did was 160E, plus tip, for a total four-ish hour trip, including drive time. On the other hand the drive is part of the fun and the driver stopped in many places for photo opps. The drivers know the area very well and are very enthusiastic to show it off and know where to stop. Lesson to learn from that is that the SITA buses aren't terribly reliable as they fill up very quickly. Lucy, the local guide I met in Positano, said you are best getting the very first bus of the morning if you really want to go anywhere. Keep that in mind -the bus would have been a whole lot cheaper!

Donna82

>>>>>'lunch at a winery at the base of Mount Vesuvius '<<<<<

Please tell us more soon, leaving for this area on Wednesday - is this place reachable by public transport or only with a private driver?
Can't wait to hear more on Ravello, intend on a day trip there later this week also!If buses were that bad in May I really hope we can get on the boat trip...

flygirl

Hi Donna!

You are going to have such a great time. Where are you staying?

You will definitely need a car to take you to the winery, it's off a country lane. I suspect, though, that you could just take public transport to Pompeii and then get a cab from there, but I have no idea how easy that would be once you got to Pompeii, or if the cab would rip you off, etc. Not to mention you'd need a ride back again, too.

The food and wine here was so good. I had bruschetta made with their olive oil, grown with their olives, and tomatoes they grew right there too. The ground is very rich and fertile because of the volcano.

Here is their website, you could email them and ask them if they could arrange a pickup, perhaps?

http://www.cantinadelvesuvio.it/?lang=en

If you are going to get a driver for Pompeii anyway you could just ask to fit it in to your day.

I'll come back later with some food tips...

BryantCourtney

This is great information! I am sending in inquiry to Renato now! thank you

Donna82

Hi flygirl, we are staying in Sant'Agnello first, just outside Sorrento its on the direct train line to Pompeii. The winery sounds great but prob not do-able using trains as we are... but I will email them and see what happens, sounds like my kind of food.

Going to do a day tip to Amalfi and I'm dying to see Ravello before we leave for a few days n Rome.So much to see, I really hope we get to Naples too.
Look forward to hearing your food tips! Thanks for the link

TDudette

Stunning, stunning shots! Having a driver was a great move and booo to the taxi driver who ripped in Naples. Judging from your shots, I'm very sorry we didn't spend more time in Naples.

flygirl

Glad this is proving useful!

Donna, the winery might have info on a train stop that is even closer to them than Pompeii. I was in the backseat of the car and not paying attention.

TDudette, in the grand scheme of things, 35E was a pretty cheap ride considering what the drivers charged. I'm sure he needed the money more than I do.

Naples was really interesting! They say you will love it or hate it, put me on the side of love it.

flygirl

OK, a few food tips for Donna who is leaving today. It looks like our destinations do not overlap very much other than Naples and while I did go to Ravello it was very brief and Amalfi was just a bus change which meant a quick caffe.

<b>My top three foods on this trip</b>

Grilled scamorza. Serious OMG. This is mozzarella, grilled and wrapped in grape leaves, with a drizzle of olive oil and I believe lemon juice. Just look for grilled mozzarella on the menu if you're handed one on English.

Sfogliatelle. I guess this is close to a mille-feuille only many many many more fine layers. The filler is sweetened ricotta cheese, frequently with citrus peel added, and I had it warm from the oven in Naples at Sfogliatelle Mary which I read was the best place to get them. I also had two mini ones at Caffe Gambrinus in Naples. I saw this at other places on my trip but I decided I wanted to wait and have "my first time" be at the best places to have them.

Last but most definitely not least was the lemon cake at Mamma Agata's home in Ravello. This was the most moist and sublime cake I think I've ever had (and I have had a lot of cake). Mamma Agata cooked for many famous people in the 50s and 60s (I read Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra, Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Pierce Brosnan etc). Her daughter Chiara now runs a cooking school in Ravello and just before my trip I emailed her to see if she could fit me in and unfortunately she could not but she invited me over to try her cake and buy her cookbook. I did both enthusiastically. As soon as my driver dropped me off near the main entrance to Ravello I went on a quest to find her. It was a very pleasant walk through parts of the village I might not have otherwise visited in such a short trip (had I not known about her, I would have just visited the two villas and the church and then headed back). Her cookbook, by the way, has her recipe for her cake in it.

<b>A few other food ideas:</b>

In researching this trip I came across a quote:

"The first three things I consume upon arrival in Naples: a sfogliatella, an espresso, and a pizza margherita, usually in that order."

Well, I have to say, I followed their lead - that's a good breakfast and lunch right there! Although I will now say something completely sacrilegious and say that my pizza margherita, at Di Matteo (old, venerated) left me somewhat underwhelmed. Other than "crime in Naples" being the thing I most commonly heard through the years when anyone brought up Naples, you always hear about the pizza. It was good, but it wasn't mind blowingly good (to me). I liked the arancini better.

Also in Naples, at Hosteria Toledo, I had a fantastic beef/onion/pasta dish. Maltagliata della Genovese is what it was called. Another mmmmmmmmm dish.

Of course my first dinner on Capri had to start with a Caprese Salad. They set out a bottle of 25-year old balsamic vinegar (heavenly) and local olive oil. The restaurant was Villa Verde and when you entered the foyer was filled, floor to ceiling, wall to wall, with photos of people who had visited there. I must have found some famous people I recognized in the photos but I can't recall them right now.

Here are two photos from the restaurant, both the foyer and my caprese salad:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...gs/villaverde/

I think the above is a good start on meals for you. I'll think of more when I start writing about my day to day.

Oh yes, don't forget to have the local wines! Three to look out for:
Greco di Tufo, Falanghina, and Fiano di Avellino.

Enjoy your trip!

flygirl

Wait, how could I forget - here is a photo of my sfogliatella:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/9507378913/

flygirl

Hey, another bit of food advice I just remembered (I really should put this in chron order in my report):

Try to have dinner or lunch at La Tagliata which is in Montepertuso. The toodle bus stops right in front of it. I call it the toodle bus because it toodles around corners and goes toot toot toot on every turn, swaying from side to side.

Here is a photo of the view from my table:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/9521492610/

Well OK, and here's another view, this time of Fornillo Beach and another Saracen tower:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/9518706413/

flygirl

And now I am back again, finally starting day one of the trip.

******
<b>Capri, day one, May 11, Saturday.</b>

The Molo Beverello in Naples is madness, and when you arrive at Capri's Marina Grande you've brought some of that madness with you. I arrived in Capri in the mid-afternoon and after the porter took my bags at the ferry (and handed me a funicular ticket and map) I made my way up to the main piazza and started strolling through the scrum of people. It's wall to wall people in the piazza, strolling and shopping and chattering (not to mention the many people who had staked out their spot in the shaded café tables), but amazingly enough once you get past the Hotel Quisisana it quiets down quite quickly.

La Minerva was easy to find and after a gander around the property, many photos, and a nice hot shower and freshen up, I took off to explore the high-walled, tree- and flower-lined lanes using the map of the island Antonino at La Minerva had given me. I made a beeline for the overlook to the Faraglioni. It's a marvel at how few people shared my path in the late afternoon on a Saturday - I may have seen as many humming electric carts as strolling people along my walk to the Faraglioni. These lanes are wide - wide enough to allow the electric carts to navigate - but there are no cars.

My walk took me near the Gardens of Augustus, back up to the main piazza, and over to where the buses congregate for the drive up to Anacapri. I stood at the overlook to Naples near the funicular entrance. By then the crowd had started thinning as the ferries transported many people to their next stop in their journey.

Here are some photos from the afternoon, the slideshow shows them out of order but you can get an idea of what I saw. They were taken with my pocket camera, the Canon S90:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...pridayone/show

I walked back to the hotel to get a light jacket because as the sun lowered the wind picked up a little which made it a bit chilly for a sundress. I noticed the "paparazzi" had started to come out in the main piazza at that time - gentlemen lounging around with big cameras and flash, approaching people and taking pictures (and undoubtedly waiting for some celebrity to come out of the Quisisana, which is where I saw many of these gents). During my walk I passed a lane that I had not yet explored, the via Sella Orta. I decided to come back and take a look once I had my jacket.

I also retrieved my restaurant list while at the hotel to see if I could find one that was recommended. When I went back to the piazza and sought it out, I passed the Villa Verde restaurant on via Sella Orta which looked appealing. I decided to try it instead. I mentioned my meal above so I won't repeat myself here.

Some final thoughts for this first day:

It's a shame that when you hear of people talking about Capri it seems to be mostly the province of day trippers. Whether daytrippers outnumber overnighters or not, I don't know, but I've heard or read a number of statements to the effect of "it's so tiny, you can see it all in a day" or "other than the blue grotto, there's nothing much to see". It is very small (maybe 2 miles by about 4 miles) but I can tell you in my three days there I felt I was just getting into the groove. Of the many things I did see it felt more like a flyby - so many of these locations would have been a perfect spot for quiet time with a book or a sketchbook. I never did make it to the Blue Grotto. Or take a boat ride to circle the island. Or hike the western side of the island. Or visit Marina Piccola. And so on. I could have easily spent the rest of the week there and in fact had I done so it probably would have been at a more leisurely pace. I would have spent afternoons sitting by the hotel pool, reading, after a hike in the morning and a nice lunch. I will say that lodging can be really expensive so that could be a reason people cut their visits short. I was pretty lucky with what I found. A typical double room with view in La Minerva was 350E and that is in May.

<b>to be continued...</b>

MarnieWDC

Flygirl, kudos.

I just started reading your excellent TR, and I am delighted by your gorgeous and interesting photos as well as your warm, intricate descriptions. I plan to devote more time to reading the later posts this afternoon - and look forward to your continuing installments.

This thread brings back wonderful travel memories and good ideas for my 'next trip to Italy...."

Thank for taking the time and effort to sort and write and submit.

flygirl

Marnie, thank you!

Finally getting around to Day 2. Ouch. Here goes:

<b>Capri Day Two.

Anacapri, Villa San Michele, chairlift to Monte Solaro, walk down La Scala Fenicia, late lunch at da Luigi ai Faraglioni (and some more photos). </b>

After breakfast on La Minerva's rooftop terrace overlooking the beautiful waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, I set off with a few plans for my day. At 8 AM, the walk to the main piazza of Capri was still and quiet. That quickly changed once I rounded the corner to the bus stop to Anacapri. After chugging our way up the hill to Anacapri I made a beeline for Villa San Michele.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ipeaceful/show

Villa San Michele was built on the site of a Roman villa by the Swedish doctor Axel Munthe in the late 1800s. It is perfectly situated to overlook Sorrento and the Bay of Naples. It sits at the top end of La Scala Fenicia (Phoenician Steps) and if you want to get a good look at his Sphinx you need to start walking down those steps and look back.

Axel Munthe was very interesting to say the least. A bit of a Renaissance man, he had many different talents and a strong philanthropic streak (as well as being the official physician to the Swedish royal family, notably Queen Victoria). He aided the poor, often without charge, and had a soft spot for animals and was ahead of his time as a champion for animal rights. Above Villa San Michele is a bird sanctuary on the site of Castello Barbarossa which he built as his response to the horrors of the bird harvests. Apparently Anacapri attracted many birds in great numbers which were then exploited by hunters with nets. I did not visit the bird sanctuary. Next time.

I wandered the grounds, took a number of photos, poked my head inside the chapel (which apparently Axel first saw as a teenager, having docked on Capri and walked up the Phoenician Steps - it is, in fact, the first thing you would have seen when you emerged from those steps), peered over the back of the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and in general was just delighted to be there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...s/villasm/show

After leaving Villa San Michele, I then strolled back to the main square of Anacapri, headed for the chairlift to Monte Solaro. You really gotta take the chairlift - it’s kind of surreal to be moving at a snail's pace about 20 feet off the ground passing everyone else strapped into their own tiny chairs. It made me giggle to watch the procession. However, it will get you to the top much faster than if you tried to walk it yourself especially given the steep incline.

What stunning views from the top! I wanted to especially point out one photo. Look at how dense the eastern side of Capri is. While you are in Capri, especially when you leave the main Piazza and wander off up towards Villa Jovis, it seems like there is more green space.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/9693016295/

After alighting from my chair back down in Anacapri, I set off yet again for Villa San Michele. This time to walk down La Scala Fenicia which started at the end of Villa San Michele. Photos from the top:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...chairlift/show

To go between Capri and Anacapri you have a few choices. You can take the bus. You can take a convertible taxi. Or you can do like everyone else did before there were cars on Capri, and walk. Luckily the "Phoenicians" (allegedly really the Greeks) came before you and carved steps into the side of the cliffs and so you have a path. I recommend down. Why overtax yourself, you're on vacation.

Amidst these photos you will see the view of Capri harbor and the Sorrento/Amalfi Coast peeping out from the left and later a glance behind me which shows a stellar view of Villa San Michele and the mysterious Sphinx.

Down I walked... trudge trudge. In a few places, the steps are somewhat awkward in that they are spaced juuuuust enough that you can't do a one-two step down them, alternating feet like you normally would on stairs. You can either take mincing steps to keep your left-right rhythm going or just alternate feet once in a while. I imagine there were many a donkey on these steps over the years. I passed an ancient church and very, very few people in either direction.

In a few of the pictures you will see the beams which support the roadway to Anacapri. They are huge and very distinctive and you can even see them from many vantage points on the island - even as you near Villa Jovis you can still see them.

Eventually I reached "civilization" again and started to pass homes with grape vines or lemons in the gardens. I veered off the path to Marina Grande, instead, opting to walk back up towards Capri.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...iansteps/show/

After a freshen up at the hotel I set off yet again for Da Luigi. I repeated the walk I made last night only this time veered onto the path that went down down down to the water amid the Faraglioni. You know the common wisdom that if you have a great view, the food is probably awful (especially if it is a tourist destination)? Well nothing could be further from the truth, here. I had a starter of various goat cheeses drizzled with honey and walnuts along with some Greco di Tufo wine (white) and my main course was utterly fantastic lemon risotto (and more Greco di Tufo). I think I even closed my eyes while I was chewing.

Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...araglioni/show

At about 5 PM PM I made it back to the hotel, snoozed on a chaise longue near the pool, wandered back into town in the evening for some gelato and pastries, saw a small concert in the park, and ended the evening with a few nightcaps (Fiano di Avellino, this time) in the hotel's lounge.

What a fabulous day. If I were stuck in the movie Groundhog Day, this would be one of the days I'd like to repeat.

<b>to be continued...</b>

bxl4373

Loving both your trip report and photos.

Judy

This is such great, useful information....thanks for taking the time to do this. Looking forward to the rest!