Capri, Positano, and Naples trip report, plus photos (May 2013)
Nov 4th, 2013, 07:51 AM
#62
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Thanks Judy and Tdudette!
I just realized I got my photo links messed up a little.
The "Nonius statues" link is in the wrong place. The two photos are there but the caption is wrong.
Here is what the caption should have for a photo:
I am 95% sure this below is for cooking and is NOT what it looks like it could be (for starters the holes are placed too far back). Pots were placed inside the holes.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10668656595/
Also, the extra ruins photos in Herculaneum are linked here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ercolanoruins/
I just realized I got my photo links messed up a little.
The "Nonius statues" link is in the wrong place. The two photos are there but the caption is wrong.
Here is what the caption should have for a photo:
I am 95% sure this below is for cooking and is NOT what it looks like it could be (for starters the holes are placed too far back). Pots were placed inside the holes.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10668656595/
Also, the extra ruins photos in Herculaneum are linked here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ercolanoruins/
Nov 5th, 2013, 03:00 AM
#69
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Thank you for sticking with me, everyone! I'm at the halfway point now. I'm not sure if that is funny or sad.
Holly, Naples was the last day - and at my pace I will be fortunate to get to that day before I rack up yet another trip. I will try, though!
If it helps, I was only in Naples 24 hours. I walked out the door of the hotel with a map, my room key, some cash, and my pocket camera - and nothing else (other than clothing and sunglasses, haha). I had an idea of what I had to see during my one day there and I walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. Believe it or not, I did NOT make it to the Archeological Museum (eep, it's true). I rationalized it with telling myself that the British Museum exhibit was so well done, and was the cream of the crop, that the visit could wait until I made it back to Naples.
Holly, Naples was the last day - and at my pace I will be fortunate to get to that day before I rack up yet another trip. I will try, though!
If it helps, I was only in Naples 24 hours. I walked out the door of the hotel with a map, my room key, some cash, and my pocket camera - and nothing else (other than clothing and sunglasses, haha). I had an idea of what I had to see during my one day there and I walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. Believe it or not, I did NOT make it to the Archeological Museum (eep, it's true). I rationalized it with telling myself that the British Museum exhibit was so well done, and was the cream of the crop, that the visit could wait until I made it back to Naples.
Nov 5th, 2013, 09:08 AM
#71
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I have been eagerly waiting for the rest of your Positano report. Thanks for coming back to post it and thanks for all your help so far. And I have to say again that your pics are fantastic. I wish someone would give me a Canon 7D. Even though the pics are incredible, for the few pictures I take, I'm having a hard time justifying the cost. Oh well, maybe some day....
Nov 10th, 2013, 04:16 AM
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Hello everyone
The below photos are from my balcony, and were taken the first morning I woke up in Positano - IE the day I left for Pompeii. A gorgeous sunny day.
The next set I'll put up will be from my balcony, the second morning, and quite stormy weather which eventually cleared up. Just as beautiful albeit a different mood.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...lconyview/show
If the slideshow messes up your viewing, delete the word "show" at the end of the link above...
More soon... and thank you for the encouragement!
The below photos are from my balcony, and were taken the first morning I woke up in Positano - IE the day I left for Pompeii. A gorgeous sunny day.
The next set I'll put up will be from my balcony, the second morning, and quite stormy weather which eventually cleared up. Just as beautiful albeit a different mood.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...lconyview/show
If the slideshow messes up your viewing, delete the word "show" at the end of the link above...
More soon... and thank you for the encouragement!
Nov 10th, 2013, 09:15 AM
#74
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OK, I'm now caught up and very much enjoying your impressive TR and photos.
FYI, Greece has (had?) quite stringent guide requirements as well. It makes for an interesting trip, eh? Interesting about Thailand for Positano folks as well.
I agree with you about Pompeii although others prefer Ostio Antica near Rome. Have you visited there? We visited the Naples museum after Pompeii and that worked for us. What a treat it must have been to see the artifacts in London.
FWIW, we are on the same diet, flygirl! No worries.
FYI, Greece has (had?) quite stringent guide requirements as well. It makes for an interesting trip, eh? Interesting about Thailand for Positano folks as well.
I agree with you about Pompeii although others prefer Ostio Antica near Rome. Have you visited there? We visited the Naples museum after Pompeii and that worked for us. What a treat it must have been to see the artifacts in London.
FWIW, we are on the same diet, flygirl! No worries.
Nov 11th, 2013, 03:23 AM
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Day 6: My first full day in Positano. A stormy and beautiful morning (AKA why I loved having some rain during this vacation); lunch on the beach; a visit to Ravello.
The storms rolled in overnight and it was still windy and stormy when I woke up. The maid had retracted the awning the day before and that was a good thing as the wind had whipped up pretty fiercely. I enjoyed having my first real "breather" of the vacation. I had been on the go go go go each day from sunup and this morning I took my leisurely time. The balcony door was open wide and I had Annie Lennox on my iPhone, the maid had brought my platter of goodies and hot chocolate, and I used the morning to read, stare out the over the balcony, sort photos, and occasionally snap photos from my balcony. The lighting was amazing. I love storms.
Here is a photo of the boats, rocking their way through the storm:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10778356304/
And here are photos of the view from the balcony - somewhat different from yesterday morning! They are probably out of order so the darkest one is the earliest one and it progressively lightened up.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ags/stormview/
As it had calmed down quite a bit by mid-morning I decided to see if I could catch the SITA bus to Ravello. I had an invitation from Mamma Agata to stop by and try her wonderful lemon cake, and the only day she was available for that was Thursday afternoon. When I finally stepped outside I went to the sidewalk in front of the Hotel California (AKA the balcony scene in Under the Tuscan Sun) and took a few more photos. This set won't be the end of the photos from that vantage point, nor from my balcony. It was that entrancing of a view. Looks at those blues! And look how the blues of the sea change depending on the lighting and time of morning, too. The haze would be rolling in later that day and I'm glad I got so many good snaps that morning.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ags/moreviews/
The SITA bus was a 5 minute walk up the hill from the Alcione and I waited for the bus to come by. The first one filled up very quickly with a long line of people waiting to take it. Darn it! I had an hour until the next one. I wandered down the hill to the main piazza and saw a taxi waiting at the stand. I asked him how much a trip to Ravello would cost. They only do round trips, he said, and for a four hour trip it would be 160E. Ouch! A huge difference from a few-euros SITA bus ride - and no control over timing to come home. I decided to give the SITA bus one more try and went back to the top of the hill. Can you tell I'm getting a lot of exercise today? The next bus had the same problem - too full. Drat. By then it was past noon and I was starving. I knew that regardless of which mode of transportation I took to Ravello it would be some time before I got there so I decided to wander down to the beach to eat and figure out the rest of the day.
I made my way down to the beach and strolled around for a while. The waves over the pier were spraying water over the pier:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10778624874/
I chose La Cambusa for lunch which is one of the restaurants on the last set of steps down to the beach - it has a good view of the beach and water. The food was marvelous. I had fish with lemon sauce and a side of potatoes, and the scamorza I mentioned far above. Don't forget to order scamorza when you get a chance. It's a huge piece of grilled mozzarella amidst either olive or grape leaves. Who doesn't like that?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10778683654/
http://www.lacambusapositano.com/
I decided to hang out here for a while with a few glasses of the local white wine and my food and just people watch. When I was ready to go I decided no more fiddling around - I was just going to take a car service to Ravello. I walked back to the Alcione and asked the owner (who also owns the linen shop immediately adjacant to it) to call a car for me.
The SITA bus would have been perfectly adequate for the ride to Ravello but I'm just as glad I got a driver. He stopped at various places along the way for me to have a look and take some photos - even without asking. Each of my drivers were very proud of their beautiful part of Italy and kept up a pitter patter of talk about what we were seeing. Here are some photos, a few of them looking back towards Positano. The day was getting increasingly hazy as you can see. Can you see the Faraglioni (Capri) way off in the distance?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...s/lookingback/
Some coves that we stopped to see are below. I think one of them must be Praiano. Notice how the sea is changing from blue to a greenish hue depending on the light direction and source.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/tags/coves/
More views along the drive. Look at the secluded beach on the rocks. Check out the homes overhanging the cliffs. Check out the guardrail that is directly at the edge of the cliff - a pretty common sight. Now think of the careening big SITA buses on that narrow road, and, think of the rental car you may be considering renting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk.../amalficliffs/
Some of Amalfi as we passed through:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...s/amalfidrive/
Ravello is way up in the clouds, and Amalfi is on the coast. We still had quite a ways to go at this point. It was clear to me that the views from Ravello were not going to be the stuff of dreams on this day - it was quite murky at sea level. On we drove.
Once there, the driver told me the meeting point and time. I wandered into the village and asked around for Mamma Agata. I didn't know where she was but from her Facebook page I knew she had marvelous views over the water and Ravello was small, how hard could it be? Asking around worked out fine especially since I asked at a few different junctures if I was going in the right general direction. Don't ask me how to find her, though. You'll need to either do as I did and just wing it, or get specific directions from her! It was somewhat downhill from the main part of Ravello, though. It was a delightful detour and as I mentioned above I saw parts of the village I would not have seen otherwise.
Photos from my walk:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...s/ravellowalk/
Finally I found Mamma Agata's home. Chiara and Gennaro were just wrapping up her class for the day and Gennaro cut me a big hunk of cake and offered me some limoncello to go with it. Don't mind if I do! As I mentioned above, I've had good lemon cake before but this was the most utterly sublime lemon cake I've ever had. Moist and perfect - it even had some finely chopped hazelnuts drizzled on it.
I bought her cookbook (which does contain the lemon cake recipe) and bid her good day. Back up into the village I went.
As I walked up the narrow path, I peered at the village homes as I passed by. I approached one of the gates that looked particularly inviting to get a better look at the garden. There was an old woman inside the gate, watering her flowers. Bello, bello, I said to her. She smiled and gestured towards me. The gate buzzed and she opened it for me! She showed me around her garden and then showed me the piece de resistance - her views of parts of Ravello and the sea. I only took a few photos of the view and none of her flowers although I didn't get the sense that she would mind.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ravellogarden/
After more smiles and ciao ciaos I went on my merry way. This time I wanted to see Villa Cimbrone because I had been looking forward to the views off of the terrace overlooking the sea. Well, it was an impressive garden but the views were mostly of white clouds. The shots looking straight down at the terraced gardens all along the hills turned out well, at least. Some photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...villacimbrone/
Finally my time had come to an end and I made my way back to the meeting point with my driver. I leave you with Wine and Drugs:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ags/winedrugs/
On the way home he stopped to show me a permanent Presepe practically carved into the rocks near Maiori.
Back in Positano I got some wine, cheese and crackers for my room and that was my dinner, out on my balcony, overlooking Positano and the sunset.
Tomorrow, Friday, Day 7. Another stormy morning, and lunch in the clouds above Positano.
The storms rolled in overnight and it was still windy and stormy when I woke up. The maid had retracted the awning the day before and that was a good thing as the wind had whipped up pretty fiercely. I enjoyed having my first real "breather" of the vacation. I had been on the go go go go each day from sunup and this morning I took my leisurely time. The balcony door was open wide and I had Annie Lennox on my iPhone, the maid had brought my platter of goodies and hot chocolate, and I used the morning to read, stare out the over the balcony, sort photos, and occasionally snap photos from my balcony. The lighting was amazing. I love storms.
Here is a photo of the boats, rocking their way through the storm:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10778356304/
And here are photos of the view from the balcony - somewhat different from yesterday morning! They are probably out of order so the darkest one is the earliest one and it progressively lightened up.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ags/stormview/
As it had calmed down quite a bit by mid-morning I decided to see if I could catch the SITA bus to Ravello. I had an invitation from Mamma Agata to stop by and try her wonderful lemon cake, and the only day she was available for that was Thursday afternoon. When I finally stepped outside I went to the sidewalk in front of the Hotel California (AKA the balcony scene in Under the Tuscan Sun) and took a few more photos. This set won't be the end of the photos from that vantage point, nor from my balcony. It was that entrancing of a view. Looks at those blues! And look how the blues of the sea change depending on the lighting and time of morning, too. The haze would be rolling in later that day and I'm glad I got so many good snaps that morning.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ags/moreviews/
The SITA bus was a 5 minute walk up the hill from the Alcione and I waited for the bus to come by. The first one filled up very quickly with a long line of people waiting to take it. Darn it! I had an hour until the next one. I wandered down the hill to the main piazza and saw a taxi waiting at the stand. I asked him how much a trip to Ravello would cost. They only do round trips, he said, and for a four hour trip it would be 160E. Ouch! A huge difference from a few-euros SITA bus ride - and no control over timing to come home. I decided to give the SITA bus one more try and went back to the top of the hill. Can you tell I'm getting a lot of exercise today? The next bus had the same problem - too full. Drat. By then it was past noon and I was starving. I knew that regardless of which mode of transportation I took to Ravello it would be some time before I got there so I decided to wander down to the beach to eat and figure out the rest of the day.
I made my way down to the beach and strolled around for a while. The waves over the pier were spraying water over the pier:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10778624874/
I chose La Cambusa for lunch which is one of the restaurants on the last set of steps down to the beach - it has a good view of the beach and water. The food was marvelous. I had fish with lemon sauce and a side of potatoes, and the scamorza I mentioned far above. Don't forget to order scamorza when you get a chance. It's a huge piece of grilled mozzarella amidst either olive or grape leaves. Who doesn't like that?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10778683654/
http://www.lacambusapositano.com/
I decided to hang out here for a while with a few glasses of the local white wine and my food and just people watch. When I was ready to go I decided no more fiddling around - I was just going to take a car service to Ravello. I walked back to the Alcione and asked the owner (who also owns the linen shop immediately adjacant to it) to call a car for me.
The SITA bus would have been perfectly adequate for the ride to Ravello but I'm just as glad I got a driver. He stopped at various places along the way for me to have a look and take some photos - even without asking. Each of my drivers were very proud of their beautiful part of Italy and kept up a pitter patter of talk about what we were seeing. Here are some photos, a few of them looking back towards Positano. The day was getting increasingly hazy as you can see. Can you see the Faraglioni (Capri) way off in the distance?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...s/lookingback/
Some coves that we stopped to see are below. I think one of them must be Praiano. Notice how the sea is changing from blue to a greenish hue depending on the light direction and source.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/tags/coves/
More views along the drive. Look at the secluded beach on the rocks. Check out the homes overhanging the cliffs. Check out the guardrail that is directly at the edge of the cliff - a pretty common sight. Now think of the careening big SITA buses on that narrow road, and, think of the rental car you may be considering renting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk.../amalficliffs/
Some of Amalfi as we passed through:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...s/amalfidrive/
Ravello is way up in the clouds, and Amalfi is on the coast. We still had quite a ways to go at this point. It was clear to me that the views from Ravello were not going to be the stuff of dreams on this day - it was quite murky at sea level. On we drove.
Once there, the driver told me the meeting point and time. I wandered into the village and asked around for Mamma Agata. I didn't know where she was but from her Facebook page I knew she had marvelous views over the water and Ravello was small, how hard could it be? Asking around worked out fine especially since I asked at a few different junctures if I was going in the right general direction. Don't ask me how to find her, though. You'll need to either do as I did and just wing it, or get specific directions from her! It was somewhat downhill from the main part of Ravello, though. It was a delightful detour and as I mentioned above I saw parts of the village I would not have seen otherwise.
Photos from my walk:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...s/ravellowalk/
Finally I found Mamma Agata's home. Chiara and Gennaro were just wrapping up her class for the day and Gennaro cut me a big hunk of cake and offered me some limoncello to go with it. Don't mind if I do! As I mentioned above, I've had good lemon cake before but this was the most utterly sublime lemon cake I've ever had. Moist and perfect - it even had some finely chopped hazelnuts drizzled on it.
I bought her cookbook (which does contain the lemon cake recipe) and bid her good day. Back up into the village I went.
As I walked up the narrow path, I peered at the village homes as I passed by. I approached one of the gates that looked particularly inviting to get a better look at the garden. There was an old woman inside the gate, watering her flowers. Bello, bello, I said to her. She smiled and gestured towards me. The gate buzzed and she opened it for me! She showed me around her garden and then showed me the piece de resistance - her views of parts of Ravello and the sea. I only took a few photos of the view and none of her flowers although I didn't get the sense that she would mind.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ravellogarden/
After more smiles and ciao ciaos I went on my merry way. This time I wanted to see Villa Cimbrone because I had been looking forward to the views off of the terrace overlooking the sea. Well, it was an impressive garden but the views were mostly of white clouds. The shots looking straight down at the terraced gardens all along the hills turned out well, at least. Some photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...villacimbrone/
Finally my time had come to an end and I made my way back to the meeting point with my driver. I leave you with Wine and Drugs:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...ags/winedrugs/
On the way home he stopped to show me a permanent Presepe practically carved into the rocks near Maiori.
Back in Positano I got some wine, cheese and crackers for my room and that was my dinner, out on my balcony, overlooking Positano and the sunset.
Tomorrow, Friday, Day 7. Another stormy morning, and lunch in the clouds above Positano.
Nov 11th, 2013, 06:27 AM
#78
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Thank you Judy! I can't get over the views from the Alcione. Just gorgeous. The sea was different colors at different times. Lucia told me that it's even prettier in the winter time, if that is possible.
Nov 11th, 2013, 09:37 AM
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Flygirl, So glad to see you are continuing your TR. Again, great photos! I'm inspired to buy a new camera before my April 2014 trip to Praiano for 6 days (after a few days in Rome, and continuing on to Assisi, Ravenna, then Varenna before heading home). Also, arranged a private driver for pick up and delivery to the Naples Centrale train station ... may have to consider the service for a day in Ravello. I have hopes that April would not have the bus crowd you experienced in May for using the SITA buses on the coast. Wishful thinking! Janet
Nov 19th, 2013, 04:37 PM
#80
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Janet, thank you for sticking with me. After this below installment, I have only two more days left... will I finish it this week remains to be seen, however... must... keep... writing...
Day 7. Another stormy morning, and lunch in the clouds above Positano.
But first, a little bit about the hotel right next door. The Hotel California is well known for those of you who have seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. It was where Marcello and Francesca (as he called her), erm, bonded, and also where they said goodbye. What is funny is that upon visiting Positano and re-viewing the Positano scenes that you notice the little bit of artistic license they used for the movie. For instance, the first scene of Frances in Positano is her down by the pier as big waves come in. All of a sudden a guy on a Vespa stops and she asks for a ride. They make their happy way up up up to Marcello's home. Well, if you are at the pier, there is no way a Vespa is taking you anywhere in the village unless there is a secret roadway I did not come across. To get down to the beach or back to the one road through the village you have to traverse a number of steps. I suppose Frances could have helped him lift the Vespa up the steps. I missed that scene.
The Hotel California balcony:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10787348266/
This morning was very similar to the previous morning and I took advantage of it in pretty much the same manner. Here are another couple more photos of the beautiful blue sea. Things were starting to clear up at this point. I know the photos are redundant - but look at that sea! Depending on the time of day, or the weather, or (so I'm told) the time of year, the sea is a different color - and they're all beautiful. I can't get tired of it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk.../blueseaviews/
I only had Friday and Saturday left in Positano and I still hadn't made it up to any of the restaurants in Montepertuso. I was able to board the toodle bus (the Flavio Gioia), which makes the loop between Positano and the villages up above. It took maybe 20 minutes to make its windy, tooty, swaying way up to Montepertuso, which is the stop before Nocelle. The bus conveniently stops right in front of two restaurants, La Tagliata and La Terra. There are a few other restaurants in Montepertuso which are pretty popular, too - Il Ritrovo and Da Costantino. We passed them on the way up.
La Tagliata is nestled into the side of the hill overlooking Positano below. You can see the Saraceno tower and all along the coastline from the table.
The day I visited I was almost the only person there for lunch. I was treated very warmly and they were clearly all family running the show. All of the veggies came from their garden. The meat was likely their cows. Not sure about the wine - maybe that was their own too. They seated me at a window table and I took full advantage of that with my camera. The food was excellent and the views smashing even though it was a bit hazy that high above the beach. It was entirely too much food - I was full after the primi and I still had the pasta and the meat course to go. And then dessert. Ooof. I made a very good dent in everything except for the meat. And wine and limoncello, of course - and all of that for only 35 euros.
The views:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...tagliataviews/
The food:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...atagliatameal/
After lunch I headed back down into Positano and then spent the afternoon wandering all over.
First I wandered along the beach and the pier:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...nobeachwander/
Then, I strolled over to Fornillo Beach by a small walkway (the Via Positanesi d'America) that passes the Saraceno Tower featured so prominently in many of my photos. I was practically the only person on this stroll. By this time it was getting on to late afternoon and given that Fornillo Beach is somewhat of a secluded, large cove, it was completely in shadow at this point (unlike Spiaggia Grande). All of the sunbathers had abandoned their beach lounges and even the restaurant overlooking the beach was empty. I wandered around for a bit and then made my way back along the path to Positano proper. When I was almost back to the beach I looked down and saw a couple getting their wedding photos taken and took some shots although I was only carrying my P&S at this point. That was a great vantage point - if anyone decides to get married in Positano and wants to take wedding shots, have a photographer take a few of you from that vantage point far above. My P&S does OK in some conditions but not for distance, at all.
On the way to Fornillo Beach:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...illobeachwalk/
Wedding photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...sitanowedding/
After I got back from the other beach I decided to look for the scalinatella - one of the many stairs in Positano. I climbed and climbed and climbed. I passed many houses which had a front door opening on to the stairs. By this I mean you could not drive up to them, you had to climb up or climb down these stairs to reach them. Imagine trying to furnish your home! I eventually made it to the winding roadway and walked along the road for a ways, looking for another set of stairs back down again. I ended up walking a good chunk of the road back into the village.
Once I was back, I stopped by another deli and had them make me a sandwich and bought a bottle of rose. Another simple meal on my balcony - and I was still full from lunch. Early to bed tonight since I was to meet Lucia (my guide from the first day) at zero-dawn-thirty for the hike I had been waiting for all week.
Next: A beautiful morning hike along the Pathway of the Gods - the Sentiero degli Dei.
Day 7. Another stormy morning, and lunch in the clouds above Positano.
But first, a little bit about the hotel right next door. The Hotel California is well known for those of you who have seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. It was where Marcello and Francesca (as he called her), erm, bonded, and also where they said goodbye. What is funny is that upon visiting Positano and re-viewing the Positano scenes that you notice the little bit of artistic license they used for the movie. For instance, the first scene of Frances in Positano is her down by the pier as big waves come in. All of a sudden a guy on a Vespa stops and she asks for a ride. They make their happy way up up up to Marcello's home. Well, if you are at the pier, there is no way a Vespa is taking you anywhere in the village unless there is a secret roadway I did not come across. To get down to the beach or back to the one road through the village you have to traverse a number of steps. I suppose Frances could have helped him lift the Vespa up the steps. I missed that scene.
The Hotel California balcony:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalkerbeth/10787348266/
This morning was very similar to the previous morning and I took advantage of it in pretty much the same manner. Here are another couple more photos of the beautiful blue sea. Things were starting to clear up at this point. I know the photos are redundant - but look at that sea! Depending on the time of day, or the weather, or (so I'm told) the time of year, the sea is a different color - and they're all beautiful. I can't get tired of it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk.../blueseaviews/
I only had Friday and Saturday left in Positano and I still hadn't made it up to any of the restaurants in Montepertuso. I was able to board the toodle bus (the Flavio Gioia), which makes the loop between Positano and the villages up above. It took maybe 20 minutes to make its windy, tooty, swaying way up to Montepertuso, which is the stop before Nocelle. The bus conveniently stops right in front of two restaurants, La Tagliata and La Terra. There are a few other restaurants in Montepertuso which are pretty popular, too - Il Ritrovo and Da Costantino. We passed them on the way up.
La Tagliata is nestled into the side of the hill overlooking Positano below. You can see the Saraceno tower and all along the coastline from the table.
The day I visited I was almost the only person there for lunch. I was treated very warmly and they were clearly all family running the show. All of the veggies came from their garden. The meat was likely their cows. Not sure about the wine - maybe that was their own too. They seated me at a window table and I took full advantage of that with my camera. The food was excellent and the views smashing even though it was a bit hazy that high above the beach. It was entirely too much food - I was full after the primi and I still had the pasta and the meat course to go. And then dessert. Ooof. I made a very good dent in everything except for the meat. And wine and limoncello, of course - and all of that for only 35 euros.
The views:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...tagliataviews/
The food:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...atagliatameal/
After lunch I headed back down into Positano and then spent the afternoon wandering all over.
First I wandered along the beach and the pier:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...nobeachwander/
Then, I strolled over to Fornillo Beach by a small walkway (the Via Positanesi d'America) that passes the Saraceno Tower featured so prominently in many of my photos. I was practically the only person on this stroll. By this time it was getting on to late afternoon and given that Fornillo Beach is somewhat of a secluded, large cove, it was completely in shadow at this point (unlike Spiaggia Grande). All of the sunbathers had abandoned their beach lounges and even the restaurant overlooking the beach was empty. I wandered around for a bit and then made my way back along the path to Positano proper. When I was almost back to the beach I looked down and saw a couple getting their wedding photos taken and took some shots although I was only carrying my P&S at this point. That was a great vantage point - if anyone decides to get married in Positano and wants to take wedding shots, have a photographer take a few of you from that vantage point far above. My P&S does OK in some conditions but not for distance, at all.
On the way to Fornillo Beach:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...illobeachwalk/
Wedding photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...sitanowedding/
After I got back from the other beach I decided to look for the scalinatella - one of the many stairs in Positano. I climbed and climbed and climbed. I passed many houses which had a front door opening on to the stairs. By this I mean you could not drive up to them, you had to climb up or climb down these stairs to reach them. Imagine trying to furnish your home! I eventually made it to the winding roadway and walked along the road for a ways, looking for another set of stairs back down again. I ended up walking a good chunk of the road back into the village.
Once I was back, I stopped by another deli and had them make me a sandwich and bought a bottle of rose. Another simple meal on my balcony - and I was still full from lunch. Early to bed tonight since I was to meet Lucia (my guide from the first day) at zero-dawn-thirty for the hike I had been waiting for all week.
Next: A beautiful morning hike along the Pathway of the Gods - the Sentiero degli Dei.
