Back in September, we went to Italy as our first long holiday to mainland Europe. We fit in a few visits to various cities, so we felt like we saw quite a bit of southern Italy. At the time, Italy was experiencing an heat wave, which we were not completely prepared for. We must have adjusted to the cool, windy, wet weather of the UK.
We primarily stayed in Rome and Sorrento, but took day trips to other places from those cities. One the places I was excited to visit was the Amalfi coast. We had heard such wonderful tales about the beauty of the coast and the town.
We took a hour boat ride down the coast to Amalfi, which allowed us to take in the beauty of the Italian coastline. In the photos, you cannot see the narrow, winding road that is used to get to Amalfi if you elect to take the bus. Being in a boat cruising along was so much more enjoyable than white-knuckling it in a bus on the edge of cliffs! The majority of the homes along the coast were white, but the pockets of brightly colored homes definitely added to the charm!
One of our main goals when visiting Amalfi was to eat at Taverna de Apostolic Ristorante, which was nestled right next to the stairs leading to the Amalfi Cathedral off one of the squares. Amalfi is a definite tourist destination with a multitude of restaurants right off the main square that cater to tourists' desire to eat "Italian." We had tried a couple of these type of restaurants in Rome and were not particularly impressed. Taverna de Apostolic Ristorante was one of those hidden gems recommended by numerous guide books. The wait staff was wonderful and friendly, but spoke very little English...which is sometimes a good sign of a more authentic and local restaurant! They had a beautiful patio for outside dining, but sitting under the noon sun and eating warm pasta was not appealing, so we ate inside, which was just as charming. Their pasta did not disappoint. It was cooked to perfection, and we both ate every bite!
After lunch, we headed into the Amalfi Cathedral. It was beautiful, but on this very hot day, it was not very cool. We looked around and then went in search of some gelato to cool off!
Amalfi is known for its lemons, which we did not know upon walking through town. Baskets filled to the brim with lemons were common sights throughout the town. We have never seen such large lemons...some were as large as our heads!
Once we had located some gelato and lemonade, we headed down to the beach. Both sides of the pier were filled with beach chairs and umbrellas and people taking advantage of a late summer heat wave.
We strolled through Amalfi, took in the sights, ate pasta, cooled off with some gelato, and relaxed on the beach. Even though it was almost uncomfortably hot, we enjoyed our day trip to this slide of Italian coastline. If you stop by, we might even still have some lemon candy from Amalfi for you, and the lights will definitely be on!
~W
No comments:
Post a Comment