The Amalfi Coast: Day 2

Thursday April 3rd

Ravello, Italy 

We awoke to a sunny morning. This was a good thing because we were expecting (and did receive) some rain that afternoon and the next few days. We looked out at the patio and saw thermoses of coffee and funky place settings and a platter of homemade bread and ricotta cake:

The coffee was so so strong. And milk was there in a little pitcher to pour inside. I poured myself a usual American cup of coffee and gave thanks. I think I almost made it through the entire thermos! What can I say? I am a Pacific Northwestern girl and I like my coffee, the stronger the better.

My coffee:

And seriously what is going on with that homemade placemat. I don't even know.

Our first Amalfi hike was to go to the next village over, called Atrani. This involved (you guessed it- steps!) but also a really cool hike down the Valley of the Dragon. There is a river that runs the length of the valley. We followed it all the way down from Ravello to Atrani, where it then fights its way into the ocean near the boardwalk.

There were some really cool houses and old mills in the valley, and the wisteria was unreal:

We further and further down the lush, green valley and eventually wound up in Atrani:

Below the arches in the above photo is a seating area right over shallow spot where the river runs into the ocean. 

I love watching rivers meet the sea. There is a constant struggle as the tide comes in. The river runs and runs but the aggressive waves win. At this point, there is more salt water than fresh water in the river bed. Then, as the tide goes out, the pacifist river peacefully flows out uninhibited, and in its own little way, it wins. It is amazing to think about the enormous amount of living creatures that depend on this constant war for survival. They need the perfect balance of pH, of salt water and fresh water, in order to thrive here. If the river triumphed too often, then they may not survive. Of course (nature being what it is) they could probably adapt and become purely creatures of the river. And vice versa. But here in this bed of sand and rock where the perfect marriage of the two environments is, they currently, and hopefully always will, exist. 

We sat and looked at the ocean and mused for a little bit (obviously I waxed poetic about water, sorry about that). There were a few little skiffs anchored on the shore. We saw one guy take one out to fish. Designer jeans and sweater along with rubber galoshes and fishing pole. If there's one difference between us Americans and these Europeans, it's that we always sacrifice style for practicality when we do anything outdoors. For instance, I was wearing hiking boots, quick-drying hiking pants, and an athletic shirt as I wrote this! If an Italian was embarking on the long hikes I did, she'd probably wear loafers or designer sneakers, jeans, and a loud flashy leather jacket. The only exception to this rule is Germans and of course, British. They wear their hiking pants and kerchiefs like any old American would. 

On this subject, I'll never forget the time Max and I went to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, and a bus of French tourists came over and stopped at the edge of the canyon. The women who disembarked all wore high heels and nylon stockings! They hobbled down the paths, gripping the sides of the canyon like their lives depended on it. Which, of course, they did. They would wear their heels and succeed, damn it!

Back to Atrani… We hung around for a while and walked up to the local church:

This is me and a construction worker, hanging out on the square in front of the Church:

After seeing Atrani's church we hiked over to the town of Amalfi from Atrani. Here's a map if it's all a bit confusing:

Ravello is further inland (barely), we descended to Atrani, and you can see how Amalfi is right next door.

We did this little walk quite a bit, since it only takes 15 minutes. You walk up tiny narrow corridors between stucco housing, laundry hanging out to dry above you and handwoven rope doormats below you as you come across little, brightly painted doorways (the entry to someone's little apartment). Occasionally in the tunnels and under the arches we would see a shrine embedded in the white wall, to Mary or some other saint, with fresh flowers in a little vase and an electric light bulb brightly lit. We climbed and climbed step after step until finally the path leveled out, and we emerged from the housing buildings, walking and hugging the cliffside and passing someone's sloping lemon grove on the left, and cactus garden to the right. 

We went again into the covered white plaster walls of the alleyway and between living spaces before descending into the town of Amalfi:

The view from where we emerged between houses

We walked down the steps and looked out over the beach:

It is a lot bigger than Atrani, with more tourists. There are places here that have been open since the 1930s, when Greta Garbo wined and dined in the area. 

In Amalfi there is most notably the cathedral of St Andrew the Apostle. He was crucified in the mid- to late- 1st century A.D. in Patras. The tradition is that he was crucified on an X-shaped cross. In the 1200s, his relics were brought to Amalfi and the cathedral was built. The tower and facade have amazing mosaics that glitter in the afternoon sun:

Combined with the glittering ocean, it's a sight to behold. It doesn't look like a lot of steps, but a lot of steps lead up to the cathedral, and we got to go up through the courtyard, where they had big, incomplete pieces of art and engraved marble that they found on a recent excavation.  

This is the inner courtyard, which was really peaceful:

The inside of the church was stunning: 

Underneath this statue of him, beneath the altar, is where his remains are.

I definitely stopped to reflect and be grateful for the fact that in 2014, I have seen the burial places of 3 apostles! Peter, Paul (for me, he counts) and now Andrew. 

We went out for lunch at Il Tari' (find the website here) in Amalfi, and then geared up for the steep, sweaty hike back up to Ravello. 

We embarked

An example of some of the steep narrow steps. This was at least 1,000 feet UP these steps, straight up from Amalfi, you can see the white blur of Amalfi down below.

We did not go back up the Valley of the Dragon, but rather went up around this Villa:

We found the motto for Wolfson College! (see photo below) 

"Humani nil a me alienum puto…" meaning "I find nothing human to be alien to me"

I thought this tower at the Villa was pretty cool:

Villa Cimbrone was built by some rich British guy back in the 1800s. He was old and had a wildly pretentious name. Turns out he wanted a good view and had tons of money with which to find and claim one. The Villa part was nice, but the best part by far was the gardens and the view. If you have ever been to Meditation Mount in Ojai, California, then imagine that on steroids and maybe you'll come close to this (without all the annoying hippie mantras carved into the rocks). It had a similar vibe.

Some more photos around the villa:

The famous view with the heads.

I swear I was happy? just trying not to get blinded

the mountains were ridiculous

After the Villa Cimbrone, we arrived back in Ravello via long pathways and more alleyways. We passed a homeowner's backyard vineyard. I groaned with jealousy:

These sorts of painted tiles govern every doorway:

The alleyways whose beauty I can't describe:

The statue of St. Francis (who travelled here!) with a kitty perched on the right, at his feet:

These cats have the right idea:

A sign for the Cosmos and Damian church in Ravello:

...and saw the Villa Rufolo, which is actually from the 1200s and so was really a sight to behold. This was the view:

And the freaking old entrance to the Villa:

When you look at the narrow road, and the fact that the garbage man STILL takes a pack mule up the narrow alleyways to collect the weeks trash, it is astonishing to imagine how on earth they built a magnificent villa and church in the 1200s. The marble and mosaics and tiles....the thought of transporting them makes my legs wobble.

We had a nice siesta back at the B&B and Luigi, the owner, came over to us as we were reading on the patio and offered us homemade limoncello from their own lemons.

Lord, give me strength. This stuff went down like moonshine (not that I would know about moonshine, but I am from the old dominion). 

cheers!

He then brought a shot of espresso and that was a wonderful chaser. I prayed my intestines would forgive me, which I knew they would, and we continued relaxing until it was time to walk up for dinner.

We ate at a restaurant called Da Salvatore. The view was amazing. The whole place had an old Hollywood feel to it, and it has been in continuous business since the 1950s. A lot of celebrities back then vacationed here, so the feeling made sense.

Snuck in a shot of the restaurant without looking too awkward, I hope

I had smoked grouper fish with cauliflower purée:

It reminds me of the "depressing, dimly-lit meals for one" photo series on Buzzfeed

and then a beef steak with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. 
Max ate gnocchi with a bittersweet chocolate sauce:

it looks monstrously horrifying, but it tasted lovely

And he followed that with veal. Highly recommend this place. All while we were eating, these curious noises came from around a corner. First it sounded just like a dog barking, then it was weird little Italian phrases. It didn't take long for us to put together that there was parrot in the restaurant! He was a cute little guy:

He didn't know English.

As noted, we stayed below the town though so every time we went to the town square or restaurants like Da Salvatore we needed to climb almost 1,000 stone steps. I was grateful we had to go up to the town rather than down. Going up just means you get more of an appetite before eating, then you have a pleasant walk down afterwards. The alternative- goodness! I can't even think about it.