October 6, 2022
Hello friends and family. This might be my last post for a while as I have been unable to download the photos from my camera onto my iPad these past four days. I’ve tried to find a solution, but have not succeeded yet, and my time is limited as there is so much to see and do in my last few days here in Italy. So, until we meet again, here are some photos and impressions from a most marvellous ferry ride from Capri to Positano and then on to Amalfi.
On my last morning on Capri, I left early for Marina Grande and had time to stroll around a bit before my ferry departed. I also had time to treat myself to a delicious cup of coffee in a seaside restaurant with the most fabulous view of the azure sea!
I must admit that as I looked at the tour boats that circle the island I did regret not having done that. I’ll just have to come back again!
This is my view from on the ferry. Luckily this ferry (PositanoJet) had a sizeable outdoor top deck and I had joined the line up early in order to have my pick of seats.
Off we go! Goodbye Marina Grande, goodbye Capri.
Zoomed in, Villa Jovis is at the top of that hill!
As we drew further and further away, the ever-dramatic Faraglioni Rocks came into view.
And then it was time to look forward as we began to pass the tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula. The watchtower on the point was constructed in 1334 by Robert of Anjou and was one of a number of defensive watchtowers built and maintained along this coast during the Middle Ages. Bells were rung to warn inhabitants of the seaward approach of any invaders, Saracen pirates, or enemies.
With this last look back at Capri, it is easy to see how it was once connected to the Sorrentine Peninsula millions of years ago.
Soon we began to see the famous town of Positano, but my eyes were on those mountains! The steep and rugged Latteri Mountains form the backbone of the Sorrentine peninsula, and I believe that their highest peak, Monte Molare (1444 metres, 4737 feet), is in the far background to the right in this photo.
Positano is tucked into and climbs up a narrow river valley, like most of the communities along this coast, and many of its steep and narrow lanes are pedestrian-only.
Two medieval watchtowers guarded the approach to town. Both are now private (and expensive) guesthouses.
Our ferry docked at Positano’s marina which was busy with incoming and outgoing passengers from other ferries and from the many private boats that operate here. There were also quite a few people enjoying Positano’s beach on this warm and beautiful day.
Here is a zoomed in photo of some of the villas, hotels, and other buildings that rise up on the west side of the valley.
And here is a view, zoomed in, towards the east side of the valley, with Positano’s large cathedral dominating the centre of town.
Then were we away, heading east to my stop in Amalfi, but I was already looking forward to returning the following day when I would walk the Path of the Gods which ends here in Positano.
As the ferry passed the coastline, I wondered how high up my Path of the Gods trail would be, and the next day I had my answer. The collection of buildings high up on the right side of the photo is Nocelle, and the path passes through that town and carries on to the highest-most buildings to the left of the photo which is Montepertuso. From there, one thousand steps descend to the centre of Positano!
The next communities are Vettica Maggiore and Praiano which are unlike most of the other local communities in that they straddle a headland rather than climb inland up a narrow valley.
Soon we reached Amalfi which was once a mighty independent maritime republic with a trading fleet that rivalled those of Pisa, Genoa, and Venice. But, in 1343, a tsunami that was caused by an undersea earthquake destroyed much of the town. The ensuing centuries brought disastrous plagues and pirate raids, and Amalfi was never able to regain its former position of power and influence in the area.
We docked at the busy pier (like Capri and Positano, Amalfi receives huge amounts of tourists each day) and I made my way directly to the bus station, knowing that I would have time to explore Amalfi on another day.
And here’s where my nod to Italian bus drivers comes in, or at least the ones I’ve encountered on this trip. I know that I have complained about line ups, waits, and crowds on the Capri buses, and unfortunately line ups, waits, and crowds would continue to be a source of frustration over the following days as I travelled here and there on the Amalfi coast. But the drivers? Wow, so skilled! And the roads? Just wow! They are so windy, so narrow, so much right-on-the-edge of high sheer cliffs, especially the road from Amalfi to Bomerano that I would travel multiple times. It was scary going both up and down and it was amazing to me how much trust all of us passengers put in those drivers. The drivers blared their horns at the hairpin turns to warn onward-coming traffic that the bus needed the entire turning radius of the curve, and if two buses encountered each other, one would often have to back up to a marginally wider section of road so they could pass each other, and even then they passed with only inches between them and also within inches of the cliffside rails. Yikes, gulp, holy expletive. So, thank you very much to the very skilled and quite fearless bus drivers of Capri and the Amalfi Coast!