Today, we are going to one of the most beautiful areas near Naples. Our guide, Luigi, picked us up at our hotel and off we went to pick up two more people at the port. As I mentioned yesterday, the port area is a sea of humanity, waiting for tour buses or guides. Poor Luigi went to the meeting area but he couldn’t find them. Even phone calls to them were unsuccessful. Ultimately, even the tour company couldn’t locate them. That meant that we had a private tour with Luigi, who happens to be a trained archeologist! It seems that leading tours pays more than being a professor in Italy. That is very sad.
We made our way to Sorrento, the least expensive town on the coast, according to Luigi. It was charming and quite crowded with groups following someone with an umbrella. We were happy that we were not among them. We had an hour to explore the town, which promotes the most popular item of the area, lemons. Everything is lemon-oriented, with most shops selling bags, soaps, hats, towels, and lots of ceramics depicting lemons. I enjoy the citrus aroma of lemons, which is a good thing.
From here, we went to Positano, the high end of the area. Celebrities come here, renting homes for as much as €$30k a night! It has a small beach, with access via many, many steps. The narrow road from one town to another is frightening, especially when you encounter the large buses or tourists who rent cars thinking they will have a place to park and try to squeeze past oncoming cars and vans. Luigi told us that two people die per day on this winding road, mainly those on motorcycles, bikes, or pedestrians who maneuver between vehicles because there are no sidewalks! The switchbacks are very tight, so you have to pay extra attention as you view the houses and hotels hanging on the side of the mountains.
We walked down to the black sand beach. It was quite small, but crowded. That is supposedly the reason that people flock here. I noticed that the prices of clothing and souvenirs were much higher than in other places. And, people pay the higher price for the perceived exclusivity.
There is no crime here but some celebrities come with an entourage of bodyguards (even 20) and practically shut down the town (think Kim Kardashian), even though she was told it was unnecessary. There were many unhappy locals. Sophia Loren’s house, perched on the side of the mountain, just sold for €$2m. Sounds like a good buy until you consider that it may be 50 or 60 steps to the house!
From Positano, we drove to Amalfi. It was filled with tourists. Luigi said that after the second week of June, when the Italian schools are closed for the summer, the crowds will be double or more. There also is a beach, larger than the other, but the sand is more like black gravel. Still, it was wall-to-wall people in the water and sunbathing.
There was gelato stand after gelato stand, some four or five in a row. Besides gelato, they serve a lemon sorbetto (sorbet slushy) in a hollowed out giant lemon with whipped cream on top. It definitely was a unique treat at only “€$10” each. We passed it up.
We finally got some lunch and it was delicious at a local restaurant. We shared bruschetta topped with chopped tomatoes, fresh ricotta, and an anchovy. We followed this with a delicious ravioli filled with ricotta and sausage, covered in a yummy red sauce and a swath of pesto. It was just the right size to share. As we walked back to our meeting spot, the tourist crowds seemed to explode.
It was time to head back to Naples. Luigi was engaging and knowledgeable. No need for dinner later, we were still full from lunch. But, we had another very early morning flight, meaning we had to set our alarm for 3:00 AM to make our 6:40 flight (again) to Rome, where we were to meet our driver for our six day cooking class at Casa Gregorio. Our Ajijic friends went to the class last week and they are very well-traveled and discriminating. They couldn’t say enough good things about the experience. We are looking forward to the fun! Now, to bed…