Amalfi Coast and the Positano Peach Gelato

Amalfi Coast and the Positano Peach Gelato

It’s “early” morning (about 10am) and we are on the Sorrento to Amalfi hydrofoil. The mountains look inhospitable and rough with the layers of fog that have yet to burn off. I’ve driven this coast with my parents long ago so this is a new view, to see it all from the sea. High up, the road is clearly visible with its twisty hairpin turns, crazy drivers and too narrow roads. I’m so happy to be watching from my comfy seat on the boat.

Learning about Maritime Warfare

Just out of Sorrento Liam picks out the old fortresses and watchtowers built at regular intervals along the cliffs. People here were certainly not worried about being invaded from the land, it is too steep and impassable – this was a maritime nation!

A sea view of Positano

Can you spy the fortress?

Amalfi was at the height of power around the turn of the last millennium. A proud trading nation, it competed with the Venetian, Pisan and Genoese empires for the goods of the east. It was also known for it’s schools of law and even came up with the “Tavole Amalfitane” – a maritime code of law that was widely used throughout the Mediterranean until the 16^th century. It is also said that Flavio Gioia, a son of Amalfi, introduced the mariners’ compass to Europe.

It beautiful coastline for sure, you can feel the history that these cliffs have seen. A ridiculous amount of battles and sieges have taken place here. It was such a desirable place. Lets see, there were the Byzantines, the Normans, the Holy Roman Emperor, the Sicilians and then the Pisans.  Then there was a tsunami in the 14^th century that destroyed much of the ports and the Amalfitane region never regained its former glory. Now it is the seasonal home to thousands of tourists who come to revel in the blue waters, faint at the high cliffs and send postcards home to make their coworkers insanely jealous.

The streets of Amalfi

On lookout for cliff side fortresses Liam is in perfect heaven. How did they defend them? Did they use CANONS! Wow. His imagination is on fire. The girls see all the villages, spread across the cliffs, and notice how each one has a garden so that the people can grow their own food. With all the fish of the sea they can understand how these little towns could be self-sustaining. This of course makes me think the food will taste amazing. Hmmm, who is the shallow one here?

Once we are off the ferry at the town of Amalfi it is just a short walk up to the Duomo di Amalfi and the piazza, the heart of the town. The buildings are all so darn cheerful, the stores colorful and even the mist is burning off to enhance the color of the tiles on the roofs. We go up the stairs to the church just as a whole gang of children dressed in their special celebratory robes emerge from the old 12 century cathedral (I think they may have had their communion), and their proud parents and families are all beaming around them. Massive amounts of group photos and hugs take place. Scolding mothers carry a few out-of-control toddlers away. It’s such a warm feeling. I can almost forget that we are in a tourist town.

Picnic in Amalfi

Liam is not too sure about this fountain.... hmmmm...

Inside the Church the Sunday Mass is in session so we don’t take much of a tour. Rather than make the children sit through a service that they will not understand we sit at the bottom of the church steps and have a picnic and watch the world of the little town of Amalfi go by. I wonder what it would be like to live in such a tiny community. Of course it’s not like days of old where they are isolated. It’s only a scary drive or 40-minute ferry to the big bad world, but still, it would feel quite insular to actually be a denizen of this town. We do a bit of shopping, I have an espresso (my new favorite addiction) and Randall finds himself a new watch.

Just so that they can experience it, we buy tickets on the bus that goes from Amalfi to Positano. It’s fairly cheap and runs regularly. Why not, give it a go, I say to them.

The road was completed at the turn of the last century. It is made realistically for two horses to pass comfortably. Now there is two-way traffic of giant busses. Each hairpin curve is a brush with death (in my opinion), and we nearly take out a couple motorbikes at the first one. I close my eyes (yes, I am a coward!) and think that if we were on the boat, and it sank, at least we have a fair chance of swimming to safety! But on this road, if our driver, a cantankerous old fossil, makes one false move, a fiery crash followed by twisted metal falling onto the rocks below will be our fate.  OK, not positive thoughts. But what can I say, I really don’t like heights. Sharks good, heights bad….

Rowing into the Grotto Della Esmeraldo

Good thing we have decided to hop off at the next stop - Grotta Della Esmeraldo (or the Emerald Grotto). This is the Amafi coast’s answer to the world famous Blue Grotto of Capri. These Grottos, or Sea Caves, have tiny air openings into them, but have huge openings facing out underwater to the ocean and the beautiful sun shines through the water and into the caves illuminating the water from underneath, filling the cave with glowing blue and green light. It’s pretty darn amazing.

The Spectacular water inside the cave

We did not go into the Blue Grotto of Capri when we were there, the line was unreal and it had the feeling of the major tourist trap. (Seriously, they wanted a ridiculous fee just to get rowed in and out of the grotto.) But I have to admit that I have been to the Blue Grotto before. My dad bribed the oarsman to let me, and my best friend Cathy, swim around in the glowing warm water when we visited Capri ages ago. An amazing memory that we will always have.

The kids were pretty disappointed not to see the Blue Grotto, and when we set out this morning with the cloudy sky we told them that we most likely wouldn’t do the Emerald Grotto either. No sunshine equals no amazingly lit up water. I truly believe that their collective pleadings to the universe helped us get the sun to shine through just as we were getting on the bus and changing our plans.

From the bus stop you have to descend by elevator to the base of the cliffs. I couldn’t tell you how far, maybe ten stories, probably more. And then we wait for our turn to go into the Grotto. It is pretty low key, just us, two tourists from the UK and our oarsman. He doesn’t speak much English, but he paddles us out into the cave and we have a good look at the stalactites. It’s a cool cave. But the magic isn’t unleashed until we turn around for the paddle back and you can see the light refracting back through the water. It’s all lit up like a jewel. The kids are so very impressed. How does light do that!? It is pretty amazing. Nature can do fantastic things.

Coming out of the cave puts you in a small inlet that you have to walk past before taking the elevator up to the road again. And oh that water is inviting. Too inviting to pass up. It becomes a matter of who can change fastest. Randall, Liana, Liam and Clara all jump into the Green water. (I have a low-grade fever again, so decide not to risk getting wet. No more hospitals for me please.) They frolic for quite a while until a luxury yacht pulls up to dislodge a few sheik looking tourists for their tour of the grotto.

Back up to get the bus. I break out in a sweat thinking about it. Somewhere between the Emerald Grotto and Positano I find religion. And the rest of my family nearly find the barf bags. Partly my heavenly inspiration comes from the nervous drawing that a previous passenger had scrolled across the seat in front of me of a crucifix. It worked. I didn’t throw up, get burned in a horrific crash or even have to clean up anyone else’s vomit. We got off in Positano with firm vows that we were taking the hydrofoil back to Sorrento.

Positano

Positano must be one of the most beautiful towns in the world.

Really. I mean that.

Walking down the cliff-perching street into the heart of the city you can’t help but look up. First you see the flowers hanging off the balconies, then you see the colorful tiled roofs and then you see way, way above the green cliffs and sea birds swirling. It’s dizzying. And looking down you see colorfully coordinated umbrellas of the sun worshipers on the dark beach and the azure water with boats aplenty. Paradise on earth? Well, it is for a while.

Walking down into Positano

 

Once we finally descend all the way to the beach we find the gelato shop to top all gelato shops. Yes, really. I have found paradise on earth. I have never read or heard of food being described in any way that could compare to the taste that it imparted, so I don’t think I will try here. Just know that the very freshest of fruit was used to create the gelato, which was given in most generous portions. See exhibit A, photo of the happiest family in the world, just starting to consume their own particular flavour of gelato. Mine was peach, and I maintain that it was the best. Although each member of the family feels similarly of their own flavour.

Exhibit A - World's best Gelato

And so we have it. Our little tour of the Amalfi coast. It couldn’t be said that we made a very in depth tour. But given my illness we didn’t have the time we originally thought we’d have in this area. It doesn’t matter. It’s special, no matter what you see of it. Beautiful and memorable.

So tonight Liam is off to say good bye to his Italian soccer mates and we are off to another Sorrentine dinner. And tomorrow it’s off to the other coast of Italy to board a ship to take us to Greece and beyond…..