After leaving Radda in Tuscany we struggled to get back to Florence
as the signs on the highway were very confusing.
When one stated " Florence 17 km", and we would continue on the same road,
the next would say "Florence 19 km" and so forth.
Sometimes the sign was posted in such a questionable spot that it was hard to guess which road to take...
...or we came to a T crossing and there were NO signs...
We had some good laughs about it and figured, we eventually get there:
as the signs on the highway were very confusing.
When one stated " Florence 17 km", and we would continue on the same road,
the next would say "Florence 19 km" and so forth.
Sometimes the sign was posted in such a questionable spot that it was hard to guess which road to take...
...or we came to a T crossing and there were NO signs...
We had some good laughs about it and figured, we eventually get there:
It's the journey, not the destination, right?
We uneventfully returned our car in Florence and hopped on the train skipping by Rome and Naples going south towards Salerno on the Amalfi Coast (about 500km).
Love taking the train in Europe;
it's so comfortable and cheap!
In Salerno we were looking for the bus to Positano,
but because the tickets office was closed, the bus driver did not wanted to take us on.
After a lot of pleading and 'prego's' he took cash and waived us on...
Little did we know that we were on for a ride of a lifetime.
Talk about a nail-biter.
We went along the windy coast and
- if you can believe it-
in each curve around the mountains the oncoming traffic was stopped by a volunteer, because our bus needed both lanes to make it around these hairpin turns- and sometimes even scraped the walls lining the road.
Theses roads are tightly carved into the rock,
hugging the mountain on one side with a steep drop towards the Mediterranean Sea of on the other.
Nothing for the faint of heart.
This picture is the milder version of another trip we took later on and do the real life experience little justice:
it's so comfortable and cheap!
In Salerno we were looking for the bus to Positano,
but because the tickets office was closed, the bus driver did not wanted to take us on.
After a lot of pleading and 'prego's' he took cash and waived us on...
Little did we know that we were on for a ride of a lifetime.
Talk about a nail-biter.
We went along the windy coast and
- if you can believe it-
in each curve around the mountains the oncoming traffic was stopped by a volunteer, because our bus needed both lanes to make it around these hairpin turns- and sometimes even scraped the walls lining the road.
Theses roads are tightly carved into the rock,
hugging the mountain on one side with a steep drop towards the Mediterranean Sea of on the other.
Nothing for the faint of heart.
This picture is the milder version of another trip we took later on and do the real life experience little justice:
Finally we arrived in Positano and started to make our climb to our destination
The view from our window was amazing:
Positano and the Mediterranean Sea
Our room was a pleasant surprise:
We did not expect high end in an old farm house up on the mountain. But even the stove was induction!
Every day we had fresh organic fruits and vegetables from the garden given to us "to try"
Soaking up the sun, reading a book and listening to the crickets...
Or simply enjoying the view....the options are endless.
Every unit had their own private area to sun tan...:
This is were breakfast was served - overlooking the Mediterranean Sea- sigh!
View out front:
And view out back: A steep rock wall of ancient lava-folds;
there were even hiking trails back there leading up higher into the mountains
Positano is beautiful and charming
Parking and driving is different all right:
this is not a rare sight, therefore do not rent a car visiting the Amalfi coast!
Positano and the Amalfi coast is a very special place:
Declared one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its beauty and the uniqueness of its natural landscape ( located along a stretch of road among the most scenic in the world),
the Amalfi Coast is the land characterized by the oxymoronic combination between mountain and sea,
the farmer and the fisherman.
the Amalfi Coast is the land characterized by the oxymoronic combination between mountain and sea,
the farmer and the fisherman.
The mountain plunges steeply into a sea, creating charming coves, deep fjords, cliffs, caverns, bays, natural arches and small pebble beaches; natural elements that have created, over the centuries, an enchanting landscape:
it is certainly not a coincidence that this area is known as the land of the Sirens, in the Homer's epic poem "Odysseus".
Typical houses, painted in warm pastel colors,
follow the natural slope of the foothills of Mounts Lattari,
leaning against each other, creating a very picturesque landscape.
follow the natural slope of the foothills of Mounts Lattari,
leaning against each other, creating a very picturesque landscape.
From the characteristic terraces, built with dry stone walls, expands the intense scents of the lemon groves, the vineyards, the broom, the bright colors of bougainvillea which, combined with the smell of salt air...
A little piece of heaven on earth; what more can I say?
Bougainvillea
Positano
We wished, we would have had more than four days as there was so much to see and do...
While we were there, we took a day trip to Pompeii...
stay tuned:
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