Seaside at the Amalfi Coast

We traveled by train from Tuscana to Napoli which was quick and fairly comfortable. When arriving at Napoli to visit Pompeii, we were greeted by Nello, our personal driver for the day. Nello knew how to play the Americans tourists but he was very delightful and full of Italian Neapolitan knowledge. He was a “pro”.  He drove us through the streets of Napoli to our destination of Pompeii. We were so disenchanted by Napoli, once a beautiful seaside city now filled with litter and congestion which was a huge disappointment for me since that is where the Lanzillis hail.  Bummer man, my family comes from a dump!! We had a scheduled tour of Pompeii, something on my bucket list but in T’s “dump” bucket. He was a trooper as we passed through streets of frozen history and dilapidated homes. He did seem to suddenly become interested when we entered the “medieval” brothel where there were graphic hand paintings that depicted your preference while visiting- supposedly because nobody spoke the same languages back then. If you chose graphic number 4, you could have it super sized! We left quickly after hearing that there was no plumbing back then and as a result, the streets were filled with a city’s worth of sewage while waiting for the rain waters to wash it away through the streets. Cross that one of the bucket list!



Soon we were with our friend Nello again as he dazzled us with information and scenery while driving us to our Amalfi destination. He joked often about how Italian guys like their wives (at home, cooking and cleaning) while they “love” their girlfriends! It got old very fast and as he looked in the rearview mirror glancing at my very annoyed face, he did tone it down a bit. I did want to smack him though.



Once arriving at Positano, we were left at the local drop off point as there are no cars able to go to the seaside hotels. We walked about ½ mile with part of our luggage, down many flights of steps to finally arrive at the tiny seaside community of Positano, the most charming village of the Amalfi Coast. Our hotel room was set on the beautiful Mediterranean and overlooked the whole village.



The first evening we had a romantic dinner at a seaside restaurant. T gazed into my eyes holding up his glass of wine with a sparkle in his eye that I haven’t seen in awhile. I leaned in and he whispered into my ear, “Do you want to change our seats to get closer to the TV so that we can watch the Giants vs Eagles game?” So off we went to the table closer to the TV only to learn that our Patriots freaking lost!!



The first day we walked the streets of the village that wind their way for miles up the side of the cliffs and mountains. Many small shops and restaurants are located throughout the streets, selling Italian pottery, jewelry and clothing. It is a very touristy location. In the afternoon, we decided to relax at the beach which we realized impossible after reaching our sitting destination. The Mediterranean beaches are filled will rocks and pebbles, lots of rocks and pebbles and it is impossible to walk into and out of the water without extreme pain. T was able to get into the water with his flat feet to swim and floated about while I went in only waist high, decided against it and got out to sit on the lumpy rocks to pretend I was having the time of my life. Luckily, the hotel has a rooftop pool and we left the rock infested beach for the comforts of poolside chairs.



As we entered the pool area, we heard someone say “Medford” and suddenly turned to see two couples enjoying cocktails by the pool. Of course I had to say, “What about Medford?” and we got to talking. Soon, we found out that they had meant Medford, NJ but the two wives were sisters who grew up in none other than North Andover. Yup, you got it folks, it’s a small world story (courtesy of our special friend, Frank MacDonald). Linda and Kathy, (we forget their very italian last name) grew up on Mifflin Dr, with 7 sisters and one brother. Linda works for Steve Kurkel who I saw right before leaving for Italy while trash picking his trash for a rug for Bubba’s dorm room. Steve told me that his office manager was going to Italy and I never gave it a second thought!! And there we were having a hum dinging time with the ole’ North Andoverites…we even emailed Steve to tell him that we met and we got the NFW as his response. 



Luigi, another driver picked us up the next day for an excursion to the towns of Amalfi and Ravello. Luigi was filling us with facts of local history which was a waste since his accent was so thick, we couldn’t understand a word he said. As he drove us through the narrow, cliff side road that is the only way in or out of the coastal towns, we saw the beauty and sights that the Amalfi coast boasts. But, once arriving at the town of Amalfi, we decided that we were not big fans. The small town sits just above the seacoast, but was extremely commercial and just plain congested. It wasn’t the small, quaint town that we have come to love in Italy. Ravello on the other hand was a quiet and charming mountain top town, looking down onto the sea.



After our drive with Luigi, we wanted some down time and proceeded upstairs to the pool. We received a call from a couple we met at Villa Poggione in Tuscana who were in Positano for the day and wanted to meet up. Denise and Mark were staying in Ravello and come from North Carolina-originally from Springfield Ma and a fellow UMie.



That evening, we not only had dinner but had an adventure that went with it.  We ventured to a seaside location a couple of coves away and the only way to get there was by boat that picked you up at the local dock. We were picked up at 7:30pm by Angelo, who was bare foot and near mute because he knew no English, so he just didn’t speak. After sun down darkness with no light, no life jackets and no idea of what we were in for, Tand I silently hummed the tune of Gilligan’s Island as we took off from the safety of Positano to the unknown. Angelo was an expert at driving in pitch darkness through many moored boats and buoys with his feet all while sitting on the rail of the boat. Rough and rolling seas were no match for Angelo’s bare foot skills but did rattle our nerves. Angelo soon landed the boat on a two plank dock-(that is lumber planks) to an isolated, picturesque hotel and restaurant location that was to be our dining experience for the evening. We were met by Roberto, our waiter who was very enthusiastic and attentive however he had the teeth of Jaws from James Bond and his body odor was pungent. Luckily, it was open aired dining.   Although this seemed like a mom and pop type of place, we had an excellent fresh, seafood dinner and met some lovely couples who were staying at the hotel. But, as we just received our espresso, the boat was preparing to take off with another couple returning to Positano, we yelled for Angelo to wait, paid the bill and scattered quickly home. The Ohio couple on the boat told us that they visited Amalfi often and visited this particular restaurant often as well. This year though, they made their fish selection from the display case while accompanied by the waitress who was conveniently breastfeeding her baby in between waiting the tables. Upon landing in Positano, we gratefully thanked Angelo for his expert driving (while texting on the way back) and walked through the beach area to digest. There we saw Kirstie Alley with her family eating dinner at the same place we had dinner the night before.



Our last day in the Amalfi Coast was spent at the Isle of Capri-basically a mountain with cliffs around its coast located a couple of miles from Positano. We took a ferry from Positano and once there, got on another boat that took us around the island to see its spectacular typography and grottos. One side of the island waters was extremely rough but we managed not to fall over board or to get wet-again no signs of life jackets or safety instructions.   The young captain easily maneuvered his 30 foot boat into a narrow grotto. It was amazing that he was able to keep the boat clear of the cave walls which were merely inches away on both sides. These Italians not only can drive cars but have amazing prowess for boating as well. Then we road the tram up to the top of the island and walked the streets where many famous people have walked before for we saw pictures of celeb’s visits in years past everywhere. Again, the streets were filled with your basic shops only a bit more upscaled than the Amalfi Coast…not as congested but not the glitz and glamour that we had presumed.  Amalfi, Capri, Positano- another check off the bucket list.



Tomorrow we are off to see our wonderful Sicilian cousins.