Once in Sorrento it way easy to catch the bus to Amalfi as it was right beside the train station. There was jaw dropping scenery on the ride which I wasn't able to capture very well from the bus but it gives a little glimpse.
Climbing the hill up from Sorrento to start the ride on the Amalfi Coast highway....
The bus takes very tight turns...
The way down was steep...
Beautiful wide views of the coastline...
Houses and villages cling to the cliffs...
Churches as well...
Almost to Almafi, only 32 kms from Sorrento but the winding roads means the journey is almost two hours...
Coming into Amalfi...
We didn't stay in the town of Amalfi but in the very small hamlet of Lone which was about 4 kms above the town and it was one of our best stays of the trip.
Our house is to the right of the picture and the gardens belong to our neighbours who were very kind to us...
France gave us food from her garden...
And Pasquale, her father seen here working in his garden shared his home made wine...
The views were awesome...
We had to walk up the hill another 3 km to Pogerola to buy groceries and again we loved this little village...
We met the guy and his donkeys who sells wood to the people in the towns...
Don was happy to see this sign, he figured it meant a cold beer...
It is Spring here and the gardens were being planted on the terraced hills...
Around the last corner and we see the town...
We visited the butcher, the fruit and vegetable guy...
Bought groceries at a tiny, well stocked store with two women who loved a laugh. They didn't speak much English but got us what we needed as well as selling us this local salami. She jokingly told us that "things" may not be big in Canada but they are in Italy!
Then refreshments at a cafe with a view owned by Maria and her Dad...
Our belief is that places are best explored on foot so the week was full of ups and downs!
One day we walked the very winding road down to Amalfi, taking our time watching the traffic and the views. There were 180 steps from the road up to our house or down which ever way we looked at it!
Some sights on the way down...
Picking wild rosemary for our supper along the path...
A cemetery built into the side of the mountain...
Looking way down....
One of the ferries going by...
The wisteria are blooming and the smell was incredibly fragrant!
An hotel with a view...
A better picture of Amalfi harbour...
Amalfi is the largest town on the Amalfi Coast which stretches about 40 km along the southern Salerno region of Italy. This region has over 5 million visitors a year and has been designated by UNESCO as a cultural world heritage landscape. The town is too touristy for us and was already getting crowded when we were there.
Narrow streets with locals living above...
Interesting fountains...
This one is called The Shepherds fountain as many years ago when the shepherds would bring their sheep down from the mountains they would drink here. It is now decorated with small figurines of shepherds and their flocks.
The fountain in the main square...
After you pass the main square and then straight up through the shops and houses you come fairly quickly to a Valley and a beginning of a trail called The Vally of the Mills as for centuries the area was filled with mills making paper. They were first introduced here in the 13th century and worked up through the 18th century bringing a lot of wealth to Amalfi.
Passed by houses with their laundry drying in the sun...
As we were heading into the valley we also passed many houses with small lemon groves still covered because of the cold. Almost everyone here grows lemons on their small plots of land which are used for the most famous limoncello as well as other products.
Soon we were passing ruins of the old mills being taken back by the forests...
The valley headed into the mountains so we were continually climbing...
There were ruins all along the trail...
And of course stops for snacks which this time were fresh strawberries I had bought in the village
We were fairly far into the valley when we came to a crossroads so instead of going down the same way we decided to head for Pontone.
And of course more stairs...
Lots to see along the way...
Beautiful wild flowers...
Fruit trees...
Well tended gardens...
And finally Pontone to the left and Amalfi at the bottom...
Made it to Pontone for lunch...
And then back down 1000s of stairs to Amalfi...
Amalfi town is in the middle of the coast so one day we decided to take the bus to Salerno in the opposite direction so we could see the whole coast. This part of the coast is more populated so lots of little towns along the way...
A backward look at Amalfi beach
Some views Lao g the way...
It was a very hot day in Salerno and we had no destination except to walk around for a few hours and then take the bus back to Amalfi. One of the first things we noticed driving in was a large port and a long promenade so we took a walk along there. It was sunny and the place was crowded.
Enjoying the sun...
Cutie...
Feels very Mediterranean here...
A few pictures of the city...
And of course a few churches...
This one had a beautiful crypt with painted Biblical scenes on the ceiling...
And the visit ended with rolled up pizza...
Our final day we decided to go down to Amalfi to visit the Amalfi Cathedral which is a 9th-century Roman Catholic cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo. It is dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew whose relics are kept here. It is quite large and distinctive...
Inside there is a beautiful courtyard...
Very old murals on it's walls...
And priceless treasures in it's museum...
This mitre, which is a headdress worn by Bishops comes from the 13th century and is known as one of the most valuable of European examples. It has over 19,000 pearls sown on it and it was very beautiful...
Up close...
The simple chapel has a very stylized Jesus on the cross. I love this picture because the little girl sitting there was visiting with her family and was so interested in what she was seeing. I also saw her later rubbing the statues and peering at everything. She was the best part of the visit!
On the way out we met Lucio, our super host, who is a police officer in Amalfi and a really great guy.
We were sad to leave our lovely neighbourhood and the gorgeous natural beauty of this place. Hopefully one day we will get the chance to return!
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