Amalfi & Positano
Italy, Greece and Montenegro Diary : Day 19 - 20th May 2018
Situated on the crystal clears blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea is the beautiful town of Amalfi that is synonymous to the blue it reflects. Racing from hilly terrain of Ravello, we reached this beach side resort town in less than half hour.
With a coastline of running upto 40 kms, we can see the borders of a hill curve along side the blue sea displaying a beautiful step down hilly landscape, that is one of a kind. The famous limoncello (pronounced as the LEEMO CHELLO) - a lemon mixed alcoholic drink, is said to have taken birth around this coastal region and supposedly invented by the sailors of this sea to get over seasickness. Between the 11th and 12th centuries, this town was running a Navy and was super powerful. It also played an active part in trade and services, making a favourable water route connecting the region with Africa. At a time when the barter system was still on in Italy, the town had started minting its own coins to facilitate trade. We can therefore notice a series of well placed, medieval watch towers that obviously kept enemies at bay. Though a part of Italy, its display of blues sometimes remind you of shades of Greece. Unlike the simple fishing villages of Cinque Terre, these south-western sea side towns and villages are rather upmarket.
We directly hit the waters. Usually one would be in awe of the ocean views, it is the other way round here - from the waters the colourful town of Amalfi looks stunning hugging the mountain side. The buildings are close knit to each other in varied colours, surrounded by deep green terraced gardens, forming the most unique kind of structure. A few piers stick out of the land into the waters and the boats lie anchored all along. Known for its amazing sea-cuisines, the town is one of the top honeymoon spots for celebrities. The place is also renowned for its various ceramic works. It is a favourite spot for movie makers and cinematographers. Few scenes from the movie WONDER WOMAN were filmed here.
Lemons are widely grown here, though not very appealing on the outside, the inside of these lemons are very juicy. It grows as much as 25 tons per hectare out there. These plants flower in May and the harvest season is generally from February. Apart from this grapes and olives are also popular.
It holds a place as one of the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES. The sights on the beach are just unforgettable. Colourful umbrellas, mats, families with plenty of children, food and drinks infest the beach area. Freshly cooked sea food is the obvious choice here.
We walked down the pier and the main square on the beach. The kids wanted to play in water and so they did. We were fortunate to find a slightly secluded spot on the beach just to dip our feet in. One of the couples in our group preferred walking up to the Amalfi DUOMO. Styled with mosaics, the tower of the Cathedral could be spotted right from the beach. Though it seemed so close, it is a bit of a walk upward. A wide stoned-staircase leads to the front entrance. It is a Roman-Catholic cathedral standing in the Piazza del duomo (square) and follows a fusion of Roman-baroque-rococo styles of architecture. The interesting fact is that though its construction began in 1180 it took about 100 years to complete the entire structure.
We could see why it is important to spend a couple of days in the town. A half a day tour did no justice to the place. We frolicked in the waters a bit and walked around the main beach, squares and market area. It was soon time to get back into our vehicle and drive to our next destination - POSITANO
On the way to Positano falls an unusually tiny beach by itself - FURORE. Of course , we only spotted this beach from a bridge that we crossed over. The view of the clear fjord waters from the top just swept me off my feet. We spotted a few people picnicking. We wish we had more time in hand, it was super exciting to come across such a small beach. The place is often referred to as "a town that doesn't exist". It is very unlike other Italian towns. It sits nestled in the foothills between Amalfi and Positano. Though entry to this beach is free, it tends to get very crowded. The road to the beach steeply plummets downward till it reaches the waters. The little town does have some restaurants and even a church which one can visit.
Racing away on the mountainous roads, we reached the town of POSITANO. Though these towns like on the same coast, it is easy to tell that they are different from each other. The cliffside village of Positano is vibrant with a bunch of buildings running on a cliffside in Pyramid style, giving it a unique look. It is known for the pebble beach side and narrow lanes. The coastline is the most attractive amongst all the beachside towns here. The town runs vertically and is considered as one of the best sloping towns in the world. It is believed that the town is built by the Greek God of sea -POSIEDON. The parking lot of the main town lies at a height, where we were dropped off. The breathtaking views of the blue waters in combination
with the surreal green and vibrant colours of the buildings made us feel like we were in a dreamland. Getting off at the market place, we made our way past narrow lanes, experiencing a few gelatos. Road side shops displayed quality, affordable and colourful items. Sadly we didn't make many purchases apart from a few magnets. Residences were decorated with unique attractive doors and flowering plants were found aplenty in every nook and corner. We could immediately sense why this is a tourist's paradise. We strolled our way down to the beach side. The church of SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA adorns the centre of the beach side, with a few steps leading to it. This yellow structure, wears a unique golden type of dome and is a significant landmark. There was no way we could not dip our feet in the waters here. Though the place was crowded with people, we found our own secluded spot for a short dip. The smooth pebbled beach side and clear waters literally left no stone unturned to keep us bound for a while to the waters. We spent about an hour on this entire activity, before we made our way back home ( our Naples accommodation). This day is still strong in our memories.