This was a fun day. We left Rome around 10 AM and made our way south on the Autoestrade, very nice, very fast. Long about Mt. Vesuvius, we noted a hint of something stinky in the air. Oh yeah, Garbage strike in Napoli... I’d read about that AND heard about it from our postal worker. We skirted around Naples and made our way to the Amalfi Coast; highly recommended and for a reason. This area is stunning in its beauty, even from behind the wheel where I have to focus on twisty roads, scooters to the left and right, big slow trucks in front and entitled-acting Brits in Jags and Germans in BMers roaring up from the rear. Positano is MORE than everything I’d read about online after Michele indicated that her musical colleague visits here often and recommended it to her, Thanks Mr, Ackerman!!!! PS I’ve been listening since the 80s when I used to buy the Windham sampler at Tower Records in Sacramento CA.
This makes “the list” of MUST RETURN places in Italy: Venice, Rome, Positano.... true story. I am enchanted by it and hardly bear the thought of leaving tomorrow.
Sidenotes (reasons why we LOVE Italy):
1.Our favorite chocolate treat is Kinder from Germany. In Portugal it is called “KinderChoc” here “KinderLatte” and we have FOUND IT in a couple of places. We keep trying to buy some to bring home but every time we do Michele eats it all. Bad Michele, bad!
2. Some Italian women don’t shave.
3. Italian (and European generally) men wear capri pants, or as I call them -manpris- and carry fabulous man-purses. I will be purchasing both before I leave.
3. I want to run scooter-drivers off the road and BARELY suppress the impulse to do so.
4. Garbage should be picked up and taken to the dump.
5. Italian food ALL tastes good, it doesn’t really matter what you order.
6. You must try a Cappuchino before you die, a real one, here in Italy.
7. Driving fast on the freeway kicks A$$.
8. Rome is the Eternal City for a reason.
9. Hotel$ in Venice proper (the old Venice) co$$$$$$t mucho for a rea$on.
10. Michele agonized over a GORGEOUS blown-glass bowl in Venice, she decided not to buy it and has regretted it ever since. We may extend our trip just to go back to Venice and get it. I will be drinking Scotch and sodas in Harry’s Bar with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway, she can take all the time she needs glass-shopping.
11. Driving is scary in most parts of Italy: Florence, Milan and Napoli. Rome was tame, freeways are great because they cost lots of money and keep the peasants away.
12. English is now the universal language of the world.
13. Italian cities, parks, hotels, ruins and monuments are guarded by cats. Don’t mess with them, they aggressively swat you down, possibly with claws. I know from personal experience- I was attacked in Rome... its a long story:)
14. Italian cops smoke, drink espressos and call their girlfriends on cell-phones while on duty; I like them.
15. While driving, the horn is you friend. Honk with a purpose, honk for fun, honk.
16. You have EXACTLY ONE CHANCE to read a road sign, after that you must press re-set and start the game over again :)
17. Italian wine all tastes good, it doesn’t really matter what you order.
18. You must be an illegal African immigrant to sell fake Gucci bags on the streets.
19. Nobody knows who Mussolini was.
20. EVERY town is required to have streets named after the following: Cristoforo Colombo, Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo Bonorate, San Sebastian, and the biggie San Pietro!!!
21. Some smells are worse than others.
22. Internet is an iffy proposition here in Italy, Greece is probably worse!
Michele here...
I am sitting here, on the veranda of a hotel we didn’t even book for our trip, in a town we weren’t planning on staying in. Why you ask? Well, let me share with you our story...
We left Rome this morning after a restful nights sleep, ready for todays adventures. We jump on the AutoEstrada and head toward Naples. Our intention was to drive to Naples, then go down to the Amalfi Coast for a refreshing day drive to see the sights and then go back to our Naples hotel. The drive from Rome to Naples was beautiful, with rolling green hills and mountains that were rich with vegetation. In the distance you could see Mt Vesuvius and the drive was uneventful. We decided on the way to go to Positano first, a town that was recommended to me in a delightful conversation with Will Ackerman, one of my musical influences and favorite musicians. He told me that it would border on tragedy if we didn’t visit this magical place, so I took him for his word and added this town into our itinerary of places to visit. On our way through Naples we notice how dirty it is... streets and freeways lined, literally, with heaping piles of garbage and trash. This is because Naples and the surrounding areas are suffering from a garbage strike. I had read about this on the news, but didn’t expect it to be so overwhelming. So, Stanley and I decide to just bypass Naples altogether and find a room in Positano instead. Our Naples hotel was only $70 so we didn’t lose out on too much by not checking in. This was the best choice EVER!!!
Driving the coastline was simply amazing. Steep rocky cliffs that are green and majestic. The road literally borders the edge of the cliff as it winds back and forth along the mountain to this beautiful and delightful coastal town. When we arrive, we are blown away. This town is fantastic and improbable as it is built directly into the steep rocky cliffs, right into a beautiful cove surrounded by mountainous terrain... something you might see in a Tolkein book from Middle Earth. The roads are tiny here and are one way except for the cycles which are plentiful here as they are in other towns we’ve visited. Some way into the town, we see the name of a hotel I had looked at on Expedia when trying to plan our trip, the Domina Royal Hotel. We pull off to the side and I run in to see if any rooms are available. They are, but the fee is large - $225 a night. Right next door is a little bed and breakfast, the Villa Verde and we were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was for only $75 a night, so we checked in. This is a simple hotel, medium sized rooms with private baths and large outdoor verandas that overlook the city. Quite nice really for the price. The hotel owner gives us directions for a private stairway that leads down the cliffside to the town below, so we embark on our journey and head into town. At the bottom of what felt like 500 stairs, we enter the main part of Positano, walking streets only that wind and turn and descend to a beach at the bottom. Everywhere in these streets are little shops and markets and the walls, ceilings over corridors, and cliffsides are covered with beautiful purple flowers. Pictures do not reflect the beauty - not even close. At the bottom is a delightful beach area with restaurants and boats, so we ate delightful dinner and enjoyed a great bottle of wine right on the beach overlooking the Mediterranean. Out in the distance is an island called Capri where small ferries and cruise boats will take you on tours. Kids playing on the beach and people enjoying the sites... this place was alive and fun to be in. We wandered the streets, checked out shops, made use of an internet cafe, and enjoyed each others company in this wonderful little town that was everything Will Ackerman had promised and more. Thank you Will!!! Thank you Positano!!! What a delightful end to our time in Italy.
Tomorrow will be long and we’re not sure when we’ll have access to internet again as we head toward Greece. The drive tomorrow will be along the Amalfi coast toward Solerno and across italy to the Eastern side where we’ll arrive in Brindisi, return our car and make our way to the Ferry Lines which will take us to Patras, Greece... and all of this has to happen before 5:00pm... go little car, go!!! ~M
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