Positano & Capri

Day 2 - The Amalfi Coast -Positano

We woke up to roosters crowing and birds singing and lots and lots of sunshine! And maybe a slight hangover :( After spending 3 or 4 hours in the sun, checking in to our accommodations, walking in Sorrento, not drinking nearly enough water, eating way too late, and half a bottle of wine with dinner, I had a headache and a stomachache. I rested in our room for a couple hours, ate Advil like candy and once I had my first cappuccino I started to feel human again.

We walked to the port from the center town. (Pascal provides a

shuttle to and from Villa Monica several times per day) The road is old and lovely. It winds down from the top of a hill to the ocean. We found the ticket booth and bought our ferry tickets to Positano. The ferry ride to Positano was beautiful. I enjoyed the rugged coastline, the almost teal colored water was clear and the sun was out so we could see Capri. I love the ocean!

The ride to Positano was about 45 minutes and from the point where we disembarked it was about a 5 minute walk to the actual town. The town is extraordinarily beautiful. The buildings, the beach, the plant-life and the walkways were so colorful and just like the postcards I've seen for years. What was not so beautiful were the immense crowds. It was insane. We tried to walk along the narrow, winding walkways and investigate the many shops along the way. The shops were packed with people and stocked with EXTREMELY overpriced souvenirs. I had hoped to find some pieces of pottery but

the cost was astronomical and absolutely not worth it. I was so disappointed! But I'm pretty sure the other 10 million people there were thinking the same thing about everyone else. I've always romanticized Positano and felt very let down. The town is beautiful from afar but up close, it just was too hard to deal with.

We ate lunch and made our way back to the dock to leave. I was fortunate that on our way back to Sorrento I was able to sit outside on the deck and soak up the sun and feel the ocean spray. My idea of paradise.

Tomorrow Capri

Day 3 - The Amalfi Coast- Capri

I would love to write that we got up early and spent the entire day on the isle of Capri before heading back to Rome...but that didn't happen. We found out that the number one attraction that we wanted to see The Blue Grotto was closed (ocean too choppy) and the funicular up the hill had been experiencing almost 2 hour wait times; and after Positano that was just not going to happen. So our wonderful host Pascal called a taxi for us and we took a leisurely ride from Sorrento to Naples. Once in Naples we caught the next high-speed train to Rome. Once in Rome we had a quiet dinner by the Pantheon and an early night because the finale of our Italian vacation was happening the next day...touring St. Peter's Basilica and a semi-private tour of the Vatican!