After several days staying with Aunt Rosetta and my Mom in Avellino, it was time to move out on our own. My mother was leaving back for Canada in a few days, I didn't want us to be too much of a burden on my Aunt, and in any case, we had so many things and places yet to see! We thanked my Aunt Rosetta profusely for providing such a wonderful and comfortable place to stay, and then headed out.
Our destination: the Amalfi coast and Capri, a wonderful region of steep limestone shorelines, cliff-clinging towns, and clear and warm azure waters. We based ourselves at a campground in the coastal city of Sorrento. The region of the Amalfi coast and capri lies just south of Naples, although traffic can be busy and roads slow. We stayed at a campground called the 'nube d'argento', a typical European full-facility campground in Sorrento. Campgrounds in Europe tend to be busy and crowded (and somewhat expensive), but on the plus side they almost always have excellent facilities of all sorts. This campground was no exception.
Pocket of beach near Sorrento
After quickly setting up our tent, we set out to explore a bit of the Amalfi coast. I took Jenn westward along the famous Amalfi coast highway (amazingly twisty and amazingly carved into the high cliffs of the coast). We passed by picturesque and famous Amalfi coast towns such as Positano and Ravello, and stopped for a more in-depth visit at the town of Amalfi. We wandered about here, exploring the town's main Church, wandering up and down crowded streets, and had a wonderful dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant on a narrow street. A brief but enjoyable intro to the Amalfi Coast.
The next day, we decided to take a ferry over to the island of Capri and spend the day there. Capri is a wonderful massif of white limestone that has a very 'mediterranean' character - whitewashed buildings, narrow beaches, dramatic cliffs, sea caves, olive groves, and quiet villas. Once the vacation playground of Roman Emperors, Capri is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in southern Italy.
Whitewashed Mediterranean
We took the ferry 'The Island of Procida' to Capri. The day was another beautiful one, clear and warm. From the Marina Grande, where the ferry landed, we took a cablecar up to the piazza of the main town (also called 'capri'). I had a tasty Italian lemon slushy (called a 'granita di limone') while soaking in the wonderful view at the edge of the Piazza. Jenn and I decided to walk to the westernmost point of the island, where the ruins of an ancient roman villa are located. The walk itself was wonderful, winding its way along narrow, pedestrian-only streets.
Andrew and Jenn at Belvedere
Just before reaching the ruins of the roman villa, we peered out at a spectacular lookout (called the 'belvedere'). The views down into crystal-clear blue-green waters a thousand feet below were wonderful. Off in the distance, the end of the Sorrentine peninsula (upon which the amalfi coast is located) could be clearly seen.
The roman ruins (known as the Villa Jovis) were interesting (although definitely upstaged by the excellent ruins at Herculaneum). The ruins are in an excellent situation, perched high on a cliff at a point on the island. From here there are excellent views in all directions, both out to sea and back over the island.
Jenn explores Villa Jovis
The tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula
Upon returning back to the Marina, Jenn and I spent a bit of time at one of the crowded beaches, (The coastline is most cliff with only small beaches in coves, so people get concentrated into these small areas) before taking the ferry back to our campground. Our time on the coast and on the island was admittedly brief, but still quite enjoyable!
(If you are
interesting in seeing a more in-depth set of pictures of our visit
to the Amalfi Coast and Capri,
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[ Italy 2005 trip
home page |
The main trip report |
Family |
Monte Cervialto |
Herculaneum & Vesuvius |
Palace of Caserta |
Amalfi & Capri |
Abruzzo & Monte Amaro |
Rome |
Tuscany |
Venice |
The Biennale |
Via Ferrata-ing in the dolomites |
Climbing in the Ortles |
Gottfried's Adventures |
Maps, Graphs & GPS Data ]
