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| Sunset over Roma on our last night |
Yesterday began in a minivan hurtling down the Autostrada
del Sole (literally Motor Way of the Sun) with Marcello the driver to my left,
and Andre the Armenian dentist from Pasadena on my right. It was an interesting
experience. I set off on my day of Amalfi coast exploration in this minivan
with eight passengers … no engine in front of me and the road flashing past at
140 kilometres per hour! Bronwyn and Fiona were heading off on a tour of
Ancient Rome which turned into something else but more about that later.
By the time we stopped for the first coffee of the day at a
service centre an hour south of Rome, I had relaxed into the trip and was
becoming quite complacent with the chopping
and changing of lanes between large trucks and slow cars at the speed of light
with no use of indicators. I was being entertained Marcello’s conversation,
both on his mobile phone and with other drivers who upset him by tooting their
horn as we sailed past. Italian hand gestures were a major feature of the
conversations between drivers…and I learned some new Italian words.
We set off toward Napoli and the rest of the passengers were
introduced to each other. Andre from Pasadena was on a quick visit to Italy, Kelly
from Washington State and her son Eric from Arizona were visiting Rome,
Istanbul and Amsterdam to celebrate his graduation. Two couples from India
completed our group.
The Amalfi coast was inspirational.
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| Many scenic views |
We stopped at Amalfi
for a quick visit and tour of the shops and I had my first taste of Limóncello.
The icy cold burst of lemon on my tongue was soon replaced by a pleasant warmth
in my throat as the alcohol content kicked in. A wonderful taste but probably
not a drink you should have for morning tea every day! I had to purchase a
bottle or four to take home, and also one to share with the girls in Tuscany.
We spent an hour or more travelling along the coast past
tiny villages where houses clung precariously to the cliff side and huge lemons
hung from branches that were trailed along timber supports.
The cliffs were
covered with wire to stop rock falls hitting the cars on the narrow winding
road on the edge of the cliff. Occasionally we would pass a beautiful ceramic
urn set into spaces in the cliff side along the road.
We drove thorough Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, Tramonti,
Minori, Ravello, Praiano and other small villages with the magnificent vista of
the sea to the left and the houses and cliffs surrounding us. But the jewel in
the crown was Positano. The churches, the fortified towers and the stunning
views made it a place to come back to.
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| Shopping in Amalfi |
A week hiking the hills through the
lemon groves would be an amazing holiday. The streets were steep and to paraphrase
John Steinbeck, ‘you don't walk to visit a friend here, you either climb or
slide’.
After Marcello parked the car and led us to the very bottom
of the hill to a beachside restaurant for lunch, we did a lot of climbing and
shopping. A lovely meal with Kelly, Eric and Andre… more Italian food…gnocchi today… and of course the
obligatory vino.
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| Lunch in Positano..on the beach |
The next two hours were
spent climbing the hill and visiting a plethora of wonderful shops. Lemon soaps
and pretty little dishes will now have to be rammed into the suitcase…along
with the Limóncello. If my suitcase is overweight, Bronwyn and Fiona have
offered to drink the Limóncello to lighten it. True friends are always willing
to help out.
After we farewelled the Amalfi coast, the group set off with
much anticipation for Pompeii. Marcello’s hand gestures and Italian phrases
kept us entertained as we were caught in a traffic jam on the outskirts of
Sorrento and spent almost two hours to complete a thirty minute trip.
Nevertheless we arrived in Pompeii and met our wonderful tour guide for the
next two hours. A third generation guide shared his passion embellished with a
keen sense of humour. I am sure we would
not have noticed the phallic symbols above the brothels without his commentary.
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| Pompeii with a passionate guide |
The sheer scale of the Pompeii ruins and the state of
preservation was something I had not expected. Having a guide for our group and
listening to the anecdotes made the town come alive for me. Inspiration for a
story set in the Roman times began to tug at my writing mind as we walked
through the houses, the shop, the brothels and the square.
So far Pompeii has been the highlight of the trip for me.
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| Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii |
A three hour trip back to Roma… as we were caught in another
traffic accident on the motorway was
lightened by a text from Fiona asking me what I would like for dinner! I do
love travelling with this pair!
A lovely (faux) candle light dinner awaited me as I stumbled
from the lift at 9.30 pm. The tour and the travel had begun at 6.30am so it was
a long but satisfying day. The girls had prepared a lovely meal, and waited
dinner for me lingering over their entrée of vino as they waited…and waited. It
was very kind of them to save one glass of Prosecco
for me.
I enjoyed listening to the description of their day… the
tour of ancient Rome which turned into a small part of the day after they
discovered a dress shop with a proprietor who said ‘wow’ every time they each
tried an outfit on. Between them they told of getting many wows, and their
suitcases are now significantly heavier after their expedition to ancient Rome.
The train trip to Florence is delightful; we bought our
tickets separately and I am enjoying first class as I write this post… I hope
the girls are having a good trip four carriages away from me. We will be in Castellina in a few hours and
will report in as soon as we have internet access.
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| Our home for the next ten days |
Post script…we have arrived, had our introductory talk from Eloisa
and the place is humming with creative energy. More tomorrow…
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| Our group |
