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by Martin Fowler.
Original Post: Bliki: AmalfiCoast
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We've just returned from a week's vacation on the Amalfi Coast of
Italy. For those contemplating a similar
trip, here are a few scattered impressions.
It's a lovely part of the world. For a start it's in Italy, one
of our favorite places to be on vacation: hiking, scenery,
buildings, food, gardens, weather - all sorts of things we like. The
Amalfi Coast also has that dramatic combination of mountains and sea
that marks so many of my favorite places (Acadia, Côte d'Azur, Big
Sur, Western Cape, West Coast of Scotland). Couple that with
villages and farms clinging to the mountainside and it's all
impossibly lovely.
On the way down from Rome we stopped at Caserta, which has a
palace built to rival Versailles. We only took a look at the
garden, which was a great example of formal French garden
design. Well worth a couple of hours walking around.
We stayed for a couple of days at the Agristurismo Serafina. An
agriturismo is a farm that provides accommodation. We were out of the
way in the countryside and fed good local food. Some other Italian
guests told us that Serafina was one of the earliest
agriturismos and that many other agriturismos aren't farms, but really
just hotels that have a few chickens or something to make them
qualify. Here it was obvious that it was a working farm. The hosts
didn't speak much English but were very friendly and helpful.
Were we to come back (which I certainly hope we shall) I'd
consider not hiring a car. The local buses provide a good
service, saving the hassle of driving and parking - the latter
particularly awkward in the pretty coastal towns. The buses also
make it easy to do one-way hikes.
The hiking was excellent. The trails we did were well marked, and
the hosts at Serafina lent us some good maps. We also used the sunflower
book that gave a good description of suitable walks.
The twisty, narrow roads, precipitous drops, and infamous Italian
drivers make a very intimidating combination for driving. However I
quickly got used to it as long as I got more laid-back, started to
enjoy the antics of my fellow drivers, and lost my inhibitions about
being on the wrong side of the road.
Ravello is a gem of a town with two lovely gardens. However I'm
convinced that I'm neither rich enough nor beautiful enough to fit
in there.
We spent a few days in Sorrento staying at the Hotel
Mignon. It's the kind of hotel we like for vacation: simple,
clean, friendly and right in the middle of town so we could stroll
around the old town easily. Sorrento isn't as cute as places like
Ravello or Amalfi, but makes a good base.
The boat trip around Capri is touristy but fun, the Blue
Grotto extravagantly so. But once you get away from the boutiquey
center there's some nice hikes.
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