72. Amalfi and Positano. Travel to the Amalfi Coast to visit Positano and Amalfi, Italy.
We start today’s episode driving along the crazy well known Amalfi Coast road to our last location of our Intrepid Travel tour, the city of Amalfi.
We were blown away with this city and you will be too when you hear all about it. The town, the beaches, the history and one of our favourite things – the spectacular waterfall hike into the mountains above the city walking through lemon groves, exploring ancient ruins on the side of a crystal clear river and past many waterfalls and then stopped for a cold drink at the most authentic Italian restaurant up in the hills.
Our accommodation was a locally owned hotel in the best position in Amalfi – which is one of the things Intrepid Travel pride themselves on and we tell you about the piazza where we were staying, the incredible duomo which dominates the city, the pretty streets full of funky shops and the little hidden places and restaurants we enjoyed – thanks to our local guide Luca.
We couldn’t miss a ferry ride to glamorous city of Positano – and it is as spectacular as you could imagine.
Then, omg, we tell you about the craziest day – Saint Andreas day – that started with a rude awakening from cannon fire and very loud bell ringing from the church outside our room that went on for over 10 minutes before 6am and then finishing at midnight with a very unique religious parade and procession that culminated with a fascinating tradition which involved a massive silver statue, men running up 62 stairs all because of pirates.
Oh and also listen to how much trouble we got into trying to make our way through the jam-packed plaza while this was going on, only three of us made it through.
Stay listening to the end to hear our final thoughts and fond memories of this Intrepid Travel tour – but not just ours, I spoke to the others on the tour and we tell you about what they thought, their recommendations and of course everyone’s favourite place for a glass of wine throughout our trip together.
Please enjoy our last instalment of our tour from Rome to Amalfi.
SHOW NOTES AND PICTURES BELOW
We drove along the world-famous Amalfi Coast from Sorrento to the town of Amalfi. The drive was only just over 30km but took an hour and half. The road is narrow and there are many large vehicles navigating hair pin turns. We didn’t mind the drive though as it was one of the most picturesque in all of Italy.
The city of Amalfi has a long maritime history which includes being a trading port. It had a population of between 70,000 and 80,000 people for many centuries until a tsunami in 1343 destroyed the port and Amalfi never recovered back to its prosperous times.
One of Intrepid Travel’s missions is to use locally owned accommodations in the best locations. This was certainly true in Amalfi. We stayed in the Hotel Fontana (see map above) right in the main plaza - the Piazza Duomo. The square is full of restaurants and bars as well as gelato shops, but the main feature is definitely the Cathedral.
The Duomo Di Amalfi is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral. It is dedicated to the apostle Saint Andrew whose relics are kept there. It was begun in the 9th century and it has been added to and redecorated several times. The current striped marble facade was added in the 18th century.
There is a wide staircase that leads to the entrance and has 62 steps.
Our hotel room had magnificent views of the plaza and the cathedral.
We were lucky to be in Amalfi on Sant Andreas Day which is a religious festival to celebrate the day he stopped pirates attacking the city in 1544.
Now, every year the day starts (as it did this day right outside our bedroom window) at 6am with many rounds of extremely loud canon fire and the church bells ringing. There are many events through the day, but the celebrations come to an end well into the night after a procession in the town square. The plaza was absolutely jam-packed with people. Everyone was waiting for this one event. After the priest blesses the statue, all of a sudden men dressed in red, carrying a huge silver statue of Sant Andreas- run as fast as they can up the 62 stairs into the church. The crowd goes wild and then at midnight there is more canon fire and fireworks.
The streets of Amalfi are full of lemon themed shops and funky art galleries. You can find many shoe and fashion shops as well. There are little alley ways to explore and small plazas dotted around the city. Of course you can go down to the waterfront, explore the restaurants and shops there, and enjoy a swim in the Mediterranean.
We took a ferry from Amalfi to Positano. It was a lovely relaxing 30 minute boat ride, with outstanding views of the coastline.
Once you reach Positano you are drawn to the pretty beachside cafes and restaurants. There are many narrow streets full of glamorous shops and galleries. Some of the walkways are covered with brightly coloured flowers. It is a very beautiful little seaside village to walk around. After our morning exploring and a lovely lunch from an authentic deli (see map above) we headed back to the water for our trip to Amalfi.
Amalfi is more than just a coastal tourist town though. Some people on our Intrepid Travel tour discovered and waterfall hike up into the hills behind Amalfi. We decided to do the hike on our last day.
The hike starts in Amalfi and you walk to the top of town and follow the path through the lemon groves on the side of the hills. You don’t have to walk very far before you can enjoy the most magnificent views back to the coast.
The hike is called Paradise Lost or La Valle Delle Ferrier. You can access maps online or at the tourist information centre. On your way to the biggest waterfall we walked past many smaller ones as well. The path takes you along a creek with many rocks and crystal clear water. There are wooden bridges to cross over and many ancient moss covered ruins to explore along the way. The whole length of the walking loop is 7.2km. This hike was one of the highlights of our time in Amalfi.
As you can see from the pictures above we had such a fun time exploring this part of the Amalfi Coast.
We are now at the end of our Intrepid Travel tour Rome to Amalfi and it is time to head home. A few points to add about doing a small group tour with Intrepid Travel.
*We are not tour type people, but we really enjoyed this one as there were only eight people - and we made some great friends.
*The tour guide and organisation was fabulous and took the anxiety and stress out of travelling in a foreign country.
*We had two nights in each place - so no rushing, and the opportunity to have time to ourselves as well.
*We would definitely consider doing another tour with Intrepid - who knows where that might be.
If you would like to hear all about the previous days on this tour or any other of our Italian adventures, then click the button below.
If you have any questions at all about this trip or our other destinations, please send me an email at leanne@beachtravelwine.com