Amalfi Coast

After breakfast in the hotel at 8.00am, the bus departed full of excited Australians keen to explore the Amalfi Coast. Danielle, our guide, explained the history of the area as we marveled at the scenery from the bus and at the various stops along the way to take photos. It must be at the top of the list of the most amazing coastal drives in the world. We were blessed with sunny weather today so the coast looked its best.
We stopped for photos at Positano, but spent most of our time in the township of Amalfi. We all met in the town square, but then went off to do our own thing. Some of us walked up high in the hills behind the town to explore the spectacular countryside and the waterfalls that supply the town with prodigious amounts of water.
I also went to the single working paper mill and museum still operas with machines used for traditional paper making. If ever someone finds themselves in Amalfi, this museum is highly recommended. I actually got the chance to make paper from cotton distributed on water. Amalfi used to be the best paper manufacturer in the western world, and there were over 20 paper mills in the Main Street of Amalfi, all powered by the river running down the centre of town. Today there is only one paper mill and it operates as a museum as well as keeping the traditional paper making methods alive for visitors.
I also visited the shipping museum. Amalfi was one of the four maritime powers of Italy, the others being Pisa, Genoa and Venice, and their ships were famous for the products they traded around the world. The museum has a galleon of the kind they moved goods around the Mediterranean during the heights of their maritime power. It was also interesting to see the towers from which they watched for pirates and warned the population from when pirates approached the shoreline.
After spending the afternoon in Amalfi, which for many included a swim in the Mediterranean, we caught a ferry from Amalfi to Salerno and then the bus back to Sorrento. The views of the Amalfi Coast from the ferry were amazing, particularly with the dark clouds as a backdrop and rain on the seaward horizon.
On the bus ride home, we watched the sun sink into the Mediterranean in the Bay of Naples, with Vesuvius lit up and golden in the diminishing daylight.
Upon our return to Sorrento, we briefly stopped into our hotel before heading out for dinner in the township of Sorrento, our last evening in this beautiful town so famous for its coastline, its seafood and plentiful citrus and lemoncello.
We had dinner at Restaurant Fuoro located on Via Fuoro which was spectacular. I had spaghetti carbonara, which is made with strong pancetta, and a lemon mousse dessert that was shaped like a lemon and had three layers, each as tasty as the next. A tasty way to end the stay in Sorrento. Tomorrow morning we arise early to travel to Siena.Read more