Exec Summary: Very tired this morning. Long day on bus. Breath-taking lunch from atop Ravello. An undocumented link between Amalfi, Pompeii and Ercolo. "Piano, Piano!" ...
Had trouble responding to the 6:30 am alarm and wake-up call this morning. But I cowboy-upped having pre-paid for my all-day coach tour of the Amalfi Coast south of Sorrento.
In the 17th and 18th Century, any self-respecting member of the learned class embarked on a 'Grand Tour' that included the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Back then, wagons and horses. Today, large air conditioned motorcoaches.
But the roads haven't changed much. There are several stretches where a car and bus traveling in opposite directions can not pass side by side. They have 'traffic wardens' in those spots and they turn out to be fairly benign. It's the stretches without wardens where the fun happens...the bus is accelerating at 45 kph toward a blind curve and being overtaken by a moped while lurking around the corner is another happy tourist bus being overtaken by a car.
Only one really close call today--jammed on the breaks and skidded 10 feet. I was on the side of the bus hugging the 36-inch-high stone wall that would surely stop our 1,500 foot descent. One must wonder whether it felt safer in the 17th Century when your life depended on the whims of the horses driving you forward, or today in these oversized caravaans when every turn feels like some sort of macabre gameshow featuring Monty Hall.
Amalfi can't be put into words so I won't embarass myself by trying. It needs to be experienced. Felt. Listened to. Embraced. Those who have been there know this. Those who haven't, should. Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, Minori, Maiori, etc. each have a distinctive personality. Amalfi being most brash; Ravello being most soulful.
Our tour group had double the pleasure with a boat cruise out of Amalfi to view the coast from the water and explore the Emerald Grotto. It was a delightful 50-minute water tour ... without traffic wardens.
Today was largely a day without Roman ruins. However, I did manage to spot a few in Amalfi (see photo) -- a portion of a column, huge marble storage jar and a very late Roman marble sarcophagus. What struck me about Amalfi is that the entrance to the town from the port is identical in structure to the entrances to Pompeii and Ercolano. Though they are miles inland today, both Pompeii and Ercolano were seaport towns pre-79 AD when the volcano erupted. Both had a very similar style of Roman arch as an entry point to the civitas. Roman architectural and urban planning influence runs deep, even in towns whose importance blossomed centuries after the anicent period when many of these principals were established.
Lovely lunch in Ravello (photo) high above the coast. Only 13 Euro for salad, hot entree of fish or pasta aubergine and fruit including mineral water and wine which is remarkable for four reasons: 1) it was organized by the tour company (not generally known for great meals); 2) food was excellent; 3) view was world-class; 4) the restaurant was Hotel Bonadies -- a 5-star little shanty that counts Hillary Clinton among its famous guests.
At the outset of our tour this morning desperate for that first coffee stop, I struggled to keep my eyes open while I listened to our lovely and knowledgeable Russian guide (who spoke with an interesting slavic-italic accent), explain that the word "Piano" has at least 12 different meanings in Italian.
One of the more common, is a sort of Italian mantra for dealing with the busy pace of life and traffic on the roads. "Piano, Piano" (be sure to say it with gusto). Translates: "Slowly, Slowly." I have discovered the antidote to perilous driving on the Amalfi Coast and the stresses of modern life: "Piano, Piano!"
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