Seaside towns:
The area south of Naples called the Amalfi Coast, on the Gulf of Salerno, has some of the most incredible scenery in the world.
- Amalfi is one in a series of small towns and villages that you pass through on your way up or down the twisty two-lane road between Salerno and Sorrento that hugs the coast and makes hairpin turns that take your breath away.
- Each village (Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, etc.) has its own special charm. We chose Amalfi for its central location, although after the hair-raising drive up from Salerno we decided we would leave our car at the hotel and the next few days' activities would be dependent on what alternative forms of transportation we could find. We were not going to go through that again until we absolutely had to.
- Beaches were plentiful, but usually full of fishing boats. We didn't see many swimmers around Amalfi, but it was October so the season was pretty much over, even though the weather was lovely. This is a great area for scuba divers, however, with many underwater caves.
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| Ceramics, cathedrals and caves:
- Amalfi teems with ceramic artists and shops. We found some good prices and some not so good prices, some good quality and some not so good quality. The good prices weren't ALWAYS associated with the poorer quality, but usually were. With a lot of patience we were able to get some lovely pieces and not spend too much on them.
- The Cathedral of San Andreas in Amalfi is a beautiful church built high up at the top of several steps (at least 25). It is dominated by Moorish architecture that gives it a middle-eastern flavor.
- The Emerald Grotto is a popular place to escape the heat of the day. A small boat takes you to this wonder world. Be sure to get to the dock before 3:30 which is when the last boat leaves.
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Great food:
- On our first night we went to Il Tari, named for the ancient coinage of the area, where I had the best spaghetti with clams that I've ever had. This area is known for its seafood of course and we ate fish or shellfish every chance we had. They are also famous for their lemon liqueur called Limoncello that we sampled and enjoyed immensely. It comes in fun-shaped bottles and makes great gifts. We brought several home and discovered it's also very good over vanilla ice cream.
- There are many restaurants situated right out on the water, and we went to one of these for brunch on Sunday. At the antipasto table at the front of the restaurant we picked out our side dishes, then were seated at a table overlooking the water. It was heaven!
- For our last dinner in Amalfi we went to a small restaurant up a narrow, steep road away from the tourist area, called La Perla. I had a salmon pizza that was excellent and we all had lemon sorbet for dessert - delicious.
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Great hotel:
Hotel Aurora***
P.le dei Protontini, 7
84011 Amalfi (SA) Italy
Tel. +39 089.871.209
Fax +39 089.872.980
Would we stay here again? Yes
Very pleasant medium-sized hotel in Amalfi. The rooms were large and lovely, and even in the economy rooms we had a balcony with a sea view. Breakfast on the terrace was excellent - we could smell them baking the fresh pastries from our room every morning. The staff was friendly and accommodating and we enjoyed playing with the local kitten when out on the terrace. A spacious lounge is also available on the first floor for socializing.
Doubles in 2001-2002 go from $105 - $175 per night, depending on the time of year and the level of room (i.e. closeness to the sea).
The Aurora is on the very northern end of Amalfi, right on the main road. |
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What else is there?
- You can make many excursions from Amalfi without having to travel far. We went to Mt. Vesuvius and Pompei in one day. Rather than drive, we hired a private taxi that our hotel manager arranged and we were so glad we did. Our driver was delightful and made the trip really fun. Buses also go to both these places, and to Herculaneum as well.
- For a more relaxing outing, take a boat ride to the island of Capri and spend the day rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, or relaxing at one of the lovely beaches you can find there.
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