Amalfi Coast

Furore is on the cliffs between Amalfi and Praiano and this was our home for a week as we explored the coast and hinterland.

The long weekend holiday made the narrow roads here very busy so the buses which understandably have right of way, was our preferred mode of travel into Amalfi.

Here we sampled the famous lemon dessert at the famous Andrea Pansa cafe which also has an infamous pricing structure. Thirty-eight euros fifty for three desserts and four coffees left the lemon dessert a little more sour than it was meant to be.

We celebrated two birthdays at a local restaurant in Furore and were delighted at the quality, service and price of our eight courses. We had no menu to choose from. The owner welcomed us by announcing they only served fresh seafood and what ever they had caught that day we would eat.

No menu, of course, meant we had no idea of the cost,  so we were a little concerned at the possible damage to our holiday budget, especially when the first bottle of wine was so good we opted for a second. Would our frivolity mean we ate just olives and cheese for the next few weeks? The meal was excellent. We were served champagne to celebrate birthdays, finished off with limoncello and kisses on both cheeks from the whiskery owner and the waitress. A great night!

The Path of the Gods is the track where the Sirens used to tread to the water to lure the fishermen to their deaths.

We were wary not to follow in their steps downwards as the mountains here are impossibly steep so we were reasonably happy to traipse the six kilometres around the mountainside for a few hours in the heat up stairs and down steps.

The path led all the way to Positano, however, we were content with the distant view from an abandoned stone house. Our knees told us to skip the 1000 steps down to the village.

The path, though very picturesque, is really only fit for a donkey which we saw twice on the track carrying a load for its master.

Still, the lure of Positano was too much to resist. The twenty minute ferry was faster than the bus and the way of the mountain path.

The town of course is very pretty and we four added to the multitudes of tourists.

We climbed the hills where only the hardy feared to walk so we needed to find some cold drinks which we drank overlooking the town and sea. 

We joined a small group for a day trip to Capri.

A cloudy and sometimes showery morning kept us under cover as we visited the green, white and blue grotto on our speedboat trip around the island.

Four hours on the island was enough time to wander the streets full of people like us and have lunch to again celebrate birthdays. 

Ravello is on the mountain behind Amalfi and we drove there to visit Cimbroni Gardens set in the grounds of a villa which is now a hotel.

The garden had much to offer but the view from the terrace was the highlight.

Ravello is another pretty town – this coast has those in abundance.