La Costiera Amalfitana

La Costiera Amalfitana, or the Amalfi Coast, is a stretch of coastline that extends from the Sorrentine peninsula, south and east towards the town of Vietri sul Mare. Travelers can (and have) spent weeks or even months exploring the twelve towns along the coast along with the numerous other towns that are built high along the clifftops.


A UNESCO world heritage site, we were thrilled to head back to the region for our second visit. Since our first trip was just for a couple hours in December of 2006, we were happy to have the sunshine and warmth for an afternoon back in the town of Amalfi. Like any other bus ride in the region, our trip from Sorrento to Amalfi was slightly terrifying as the driver barrelled around tight turns at high speeds, sometimes while chatting on his cell phone.


We decided to go straight to Amalfi, skipping the town of Positano and thinking we were stop through there on our way back. Since a portion of the road to Amalfi was closed, we had to get out of the bus in Praiano and walk about 3 kilometers to the next bus stop. This was very lucky for us since between dodging reckless drivers (who, for some reason, the road wasn't closed to) we were able to take in the rugged coastline and the seeming impossibility of all the building stacked upon each other.


When we finally made it into Amalfi proper, we wandered from the marina back into the dark streets that would lead us to the town square. We were met by music and a large crowd that was gathered around the steps of the Chiesa San'Andrea (Church of Saint Andrew). An American high school band and choir was preparing for a performance right in the center of town! We stopped for a few minutes to listen to the performance and I couldn't help but feel jealous - when I was in high school choir, the furthest I even traveled to was New York City! Saint Andrew is the patron saint of the town of Amalfi and his remains are supposedly still located inside the church, having been brought there in 1206 from what was then Constantinople.


Like the rest of the Campania region, pottery is a Big Deal. The vivid colors used to paint tiles and dishware stand out in town and are practically sights to be seen on their own merits.


Dried chili peppers hung from the exterior of many shops, promising to serve as 'Nature's Viagra' to the hoards of tourists - both the honeymooners and the retirement groups.


Enjoying a gelato from the pier as we watched the clouds roll in and prayed that they'd keep going, we marveled at the fact that this tiny gem of a town used to be a major maritime trading power over 1200 years ago. A rival to both Pisa and Genoa, Amalfi used to be home to nearly 70,000 people - a fact that is impossible to grasp when you see how small the town is. However, an earthquake in 1343 devastated the town, sweeping over half of the mountain built homes and business straight into the water. The port was destroyed and thousands were killed - Amalfi was never able to regain anything higher than regional importance.

Sad history aside, the town is now practically a pilgrimage destination along the coast. While Positano is another popular town, our prayers for good weather went unanswered and it was already lightly raining as the bus pulled into Positano on the way back to Sorrento. Unwilling to risk our lives on the steep and winding roads back to Sorrento that would soon be slick with rain, we let Positano pass us by this time, vowing to return...someday.