Day 7: Paestum & the Amalfi Coast
For our second long day of driving we were up, breakfasted, and ready to board the bus bright and early. Our first stop was a buffalo farm in the countryside to see the making of buffalo mozzarella. Even though I had eaten mozzarella di bufala in the past, for some reason I never realized that the milk to make it actually came from buffalo, not just any ol' regular cow. I guess I never really thought about the meaning of bufala beyond YUM! But bufala is indeed a cognate for "buffalo," as a I discovered, and mozzarella di bufala comes from Italian water buffalo. At Tenuta Vannulo where we stopped for a tour of their farm and shops, we saw how they raise the happiest buffalo for the best milk! They can choose when to be milked, get massages, listen to classical music, and take a vacation every year! The tour ended with a delicious lunch that featured many different forms of milk and cheese - delizioso!
After our lunchtime stop, we continued via bus to Paestum, an ancient city famous today for its ruins and the National Archaeological Museum. Paestum is home to three ancient Greek temples, which historians originally thought were Roman because (true to style) the Romans re-purposed the site after the Greeks abandoned it. The oldest temple dates back to 500 BC, with two newer ones on site as well. Many of the other ruins are of the Roman town surrounding these temples, which include a forum and shops, an amphitheater, and homes. The archaeological museum provides a look at some of the Roman and Greek artwork and decorations found during site excavations.
The weather was a little blustery at Paestum, and we made it back on the bus just before it started raining. Our third and final destination of the day was Positano, a beautiful city on the Amalfi Coast! This is the part of the bus trip where I got a little car sick because the drive along the Amalfi Coast is NO JOKE with all its winding, curvy roads. Salvatore handled these crazy roads like a pro! And Linda was nice enough to share the front row with me. Despite choosing the "wrong" side of the bus for the best views (see my pro tip), we did get to see some amazing views of the coast and that treacherous road! Our hotel in Positano, the Hotel Savoia, was full of colorful local mosaics and absolutely gorgeous. I was lucky to enjoy my last solo room of the tour here, complete with a view of the lemon groves.
Pro Tip #10: |
Patricia took us on a quick walking tour of hilly Positano. Afterwards we followed her recommendation and begged for a table at our hotel's stunning new restaurant, D'Aiello. Oh my, what a meal it was! (So good we went back the following night for more - this time with a reservation!) Before turning in, we took a quick evening stroll down to the beach. Patricia had arranged for us to take a boat to Amalfi the next day, but after seeing those waves, the sea seemed to have other ideas!
Pro Tip # 11: |
Day 8: Amalfi Coast
Since the sea was not cooperating, all boats were cancelled for the day. But for those who were interested in traveling to Amalfi, Patricia organized tickets on the Amalfi Coast hop-on-hop-off bus. It was an interesting day to tour the coast because, in addition to the lack of boats, local buses were also shut down for the day. So we were riding the normally tourist-filled hop-on-hop-off bus with locals commuting to and from work. Some of the lines for the buses were insane!
Pro Tip #11: |
After a quick orientation to Amalfi, Patricia gave us some suggestions on things to do for the day. We opted for a hike above Amalfi and into Atrani, with a stop at a cemetery with quite a view! We did take a couple wrong turns because there weren't any signs, but you figure it out eventually when you reach a deadend (or someone's doorstep)! We ate lunch in Atrani before returning to Amalfi via a tunnel under the same hill we hiked over that morning (it took all of 10 minutes versus the 30+ hike). Originally intending to walk to the paper factory in Amalfi, our legs got a little tired, so we opted for window shopping and general exploration in town instead, before hopping the bus back to Positano for our dinner reservations at D'Aiello - this time with a prime view on the balcony!
Day 9: Pompeii & Sorrento
Sorrento is quite close to Positano, so we had a short trip with Salvatore that morning north along the coastline for our 2 night stay in the city. After dropping off our things at Hotel Mignon right in the center of Sorrento, Patricia oriented us to the city and its port, and took us for lunch and a gelato-making demonstration at Gelateria Davide. Watching David teach us how to make gelato was fascinating, but eating it was even better! And David is not afraid to try new flavors, so you might find some very unique flavors at his shop. (Full disclosure, we definitely went back here later for more!)
Following lunch and our sweet treat, Patricia herded us onto the Circumvesuviana, the local commuter train that took us from Sorrento to Pompeii, but takes locals to work all around Vesuvius (Circumvesuviana means "around Vesuvius"). The train can be a little intimidating - and it may be crowded, so prepare for standing room only - but in general just be aware of your surroundings and valuables and you'll be fine.
We met Gaetano, our third-generation Pompeii tour guide, outside the ruins where he started his tour about some of the best information and spots in the massive city ruins. In fact, they're still excavating parts of Pompeii and it would probably take more than one day to explore all its nooks and crannies! After a few wonderful and educational hours with Gaetano, it was back on the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. This time Patricia and I snagged seats and enjoyed being serenaded by a local musician! What fun!
We met Gaetano, our third-generation Pompeii tour guide, outside the ruins where he started his tour about some of the best information and spots in the massive city ruins. In fact, they're still excavating parts of Pompeii and it would probably take more than one day to explore all its nooks and crannies! After a few wonderful and educational hours with Gaetano, it was back on the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. This time Patricia and I snagged seats and enjoyed being serenaded by a local musician! What fun!
We had the rest of the day to explore Sorrento ourselves. With Patricia's help we booked a reservation at Il Leone Rosso for dinner, and took part in the Italian tradition of the evening passeggiata along its main road, Corso Italia.
Day 10: Serene Sorrento (& Capri)
This was our free day to explore Sorrento and Capri, before dinner with a local family back in the city that evening! Some people scheduled a private tour to Capri, but Patricia assured us that we could do everything on our own. She had a great pep talk and walked us through all steps, even taking us to the port and helping us book tickets on the ferry in the morning. And we had a great day with all her help and suggestions! The island of Capri has two main towns: Capri and Anacapri. Both are incredible places, but we opted to explore Anacapri first with the option to also see Capri that afternoon if we had time (we didn't).
After landing in Marina Grande, we took an open-air taxi up to Anacapri in the mountains with a few other tour members (and split the cost between us). We spent much of the drive gripping our seats and collectively exhaled heavily at the end of the drive along the "Mamma mia" road, as Patricia calls it (because that's what you say as you're driving - either from the views or the terror of driving at high speeds along a very curvy road running on the edge of a cliff!). Little did we know this was only "Mamma mia" #1 of the day!
Pro Tip #12: |
Once in Anacapri, we headed straight for the chair lift to the top of the Monte Solaro. The single chair lift was quite exhilarating, but in a much more fun & relaxing way than our drive in the taxi! The views were breath-taking on the way up and at the top. We chose two-way tickets on the chair lift, but if you're adventurous you can also choose to hike up or down with a one-way chair lift ride - or hike both ways. Maybe next time!
Pro Tip #13: |
After a little window shopping and lunch-time snacks from the grocery store, we opted to take the bus back to the harbor - "Mamma mia" #3! We got on a packed bus for the drive down the hill, hanging on for dear life the whole way and struggling to stay upright when other passengers fell against us! After arriving safely and resisting the urge to kiss the ground, we joked that surviving that bus trip was our "WOW moment" of the trip - as in, "WOW, I'm still alive!" The ferry back to the mainland was thankfully less eventful and we arrived with time to pack up before dinner at Luigi and Teresa's home with their daughter-in-law and adorable grandchildren. "Mamma mia" #4 - the experience of eating with their family and all the delicious food they served!
Pictured in header: Positano