Amalfi Coast, Italy
Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast: 3 days
First thing Monday morning I headed over to Hertz to collect the rental car. Took almost an hour before I was able to return to the hotel and load Mom and the luggage for the trip south. Garmin GPS gave pretty good directions and we were out of Rome without difficulty. Then, avoiding toll roads, we were out into the countryside. But there it got to be a bit confusing. Speed limits were posted in seemingly random order, with one minute it's 90 then 50 then 90 then 60, etc all within minutes of each other (and Garmin pretty much said it was 90). I tried as best I could to follow the posted limits but that meant that local Italians were passing me all the time.... And they passed even when there was no lane to do so, and motorbikes passed from either the left or the right depending on their mood! Our route took us through some lovely country and up into the mountains. But Garmin also took us off direct paths and onto farm trails for no apparent reason. So far OK, but then from Naples on in to Sorrento we entered narrow roads that switched back and forth and mandated close attention to allow oncoming traffic to get past. And again Garmin was less than clear so extra mileage had to be driven. But we finally entered Sorrento and were nearing our hotel when I had a major white knuckle stretch as we were directed down a very narrow single lane cobblestone walled 600 metre alley to get to the street our hotel was on! Found out later than the alleys seems to be the common direction but there are larger roads that are even more convenient (I think it must be a Garmin programmer's sense of humour - but I was not amused).Grand Hotel Ambasciatori lives up to its name. Gorgeous gardens, marble lobbies, sitting areas and bars. But best of all it is build on a seaside cliff with rooms on floors down 5 levels towards the sea and up 3 more. Our room was extra large for wheelchair access and had its own private balcony directly overlooking the sea and Mount Vesuvius in the distance. One of the best hotels I have stayed in.
The next day, rain was in the forecast so Mom stayed around the hotel grounds and I walked the 600 metres into the shopping and touristy areas if Sorrento. It is a lovely little town with mostly one way lanes, very small if any sidewalks and shops, cafés, and bars off the squares that popped up every so often. The town itself is about 750 metres above sea level and the port there that has ferries heading out to Naples, Capri and other destinations. A switchback road allows smaller vehicles to descend to sea level, and there are a load of steps for pedestrians wanting to make the trek. The rain as advertised did come in but not until I was back in the hotel, where we got to watch the storm through the glass doors to our balcony.
The following day in Sorrento was our day out to drive the Amalfi Coast: but after the drive in we took the decision to join a bus tour to do the drive for us. 8:00am to 4:00pm with lively commentary from our guide, Alberio. Quite amazing how the bus drivers maneuver their busses along the narrow switchback roads that make up the Amalfi Coast. Stunning views along the way as we headed from Sorrento to Positano (where we actually also had a 40 minute boat ride to see the coast from the water) to Praiano to Amalfi, then a stop in Scala for an excellent and fairly priced lunch. Finished off in Rufolo before then heading to the motorway to make our way back to Sorrento driving by Mount Vesuvius on the way. Our weather forecast was for sun and wind which we did have (as well as a few unexpected showers and about 15 minutes of very cold wind). Very worthwhile bus tour.
Our last day was an early start to get back in the rental car and head out for Pompei and then the long drive to Assissi.
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| Italy2014:Amalfi Coast, click photo to see full album |
