Our holiday on the Costiera Amalfitana, 2000
Date
Activity
Miles
Fri Oct 20th
Drive from Bracknell to Beauvais
Set off from Bracknell, took the Channel Tunnel, and drove to our hotel in Beauvais.
263
Sat Oct 21st
Drive from Beauvais to Avigliana
We drove through France, aiming for the Mont Blanc tunnel, but as we got closer, signs were indicating that it was still closed after the 1999 fire, so we had to improvise, and eventually aimed for the Frejus Tunnel. We emerged in Italy, but as we’d lost a lot of time, light was failing, and we eventually left the Autostrada so we could look for a hotel. We got as far as Avigliana and found a hotel that had recently been flooded. They were still renovating, but let us stay, and even managed to give us an improvised meal.
529
Sun Oct 22nd
Drive from Avigliana to Amalfi
Drove into Turin, then down to Genoa, then down the coast before heading inland. We turned off the autostrada near Florence looking for somewhere for lunch… we saw a sign for the Antico Convento Park Hotel, thought it sounded nice, so we headed there… it was very nice, but it turned out to be miles out of our way, and the service was very slow. We’d agreed with the agent that we’d meet them in Amalfi before 8 pm, and we were now so far behind schedule, that we would need to average 80 mph all the way to Amalfi (including some mountain roads)!
We hit the Autostrada, and there was a huge queue for the tolls, so we took the entrance for vehicles with a special pass… we knew it was naughty. We got to Naples with no ticket, at rush hour, everyone honking behind, so the flustered attendant took our word for where we’d joined. Anyway, we got to Amalfi about 9pm, well after the cutoff time, but the office was still open and they didn’t seem too put-out. They showed us our nice apartment at Hotel Luna Convento.
We then had to carry the contents of the car to our apartment. This involved walking through something like 600 metres of passageways and across the foyer of the Hotel itself, with all our luggage as well as things like a video recorder and a large TV! We had a chilled evening on the balcony with a bottle of wine. And we found when we went to bed that if we adjusted the louvres on the shutters just right, we could hear the sea.
601
Mon Oct 23rd
Stayed around Amalfi
Woke up to blue skies and a fabulous view of Amalfi. Had a leisurely wander around town, had a beer and a horrible microwave pizza for lunch!
Dinner at Ristorante La Borracca.
0
Tue Oct 24th
Bus to Ravello, walked back
Took the bus into Ravello, and had a very nice lunch. Explored he gardens of Villa Cimbrone. Walked back down using Via Petrito and Via Castiglioni to Atrani.
Dinner at the apartment, and we watched Star Trek Insurrection on the TV.
0
Wed Oct 25th
Stayed around Amalfi
Stayed mostly local, grocery shopping, lunch on the balcony. Walked through the passageways to Atrani for afternoon beers. Dinner at La Tavi in Amalfi.
0
Thu Oct 26th
Stayed around Amalfi
Still local, walked to far (north) end of Amalfi, checked out the sea caves. had beers there, and bought three watercolour prints. Dinner at the apartment, watched Eraser on the TV.
0
Fri Oct 27th
Took the ferry to Capri.
Lovely day. Took the ferry to Capri, via Positano. had a nice pizza lunch at Ristorante – Pizzeria Longano, with views down to the sea.
After lunch we walked along the path Via Sopramonte and Via Matermania to the Arco Naturale. Had beers overlooking the sea. We loved Capri!
333
Sat Oct 28th
Drive to Paestum
A nice drive down the Costiera Amalfitana, past the resorts of Minori and Maiori down through Salerno to the Roman settlement of Paestum. We had lunch and beers at a roadside bar on the way there. We somehow managed to get lost in Salerno on the way there AND the way back.
Had dinner out, but had an argument with our waiter when our Beef Steaks arrived and they were actually veal… we’d ordered red wine!
171
Sun Oct 29th
Drive to Pogerola and then to the Grotta dello Smeraldo
Overcast with cloud blowing off the mountains, and there was suddenly an end-of-season feel about the place, with deserted beaches and several businesses now closed for the winter. Walked up to the Albergo Cappuccini, for beers. Lunch at the apartment, then drove north to the hilltop village of Pogerola and then to the Grotta dello Smeraldo.
Nice dinner at Ristorante Sant’Andrea next to the cathedral.
18
Mon Oct 30th
Stayed around Amalfi
Overcast then rain. We’d booked ourselves on an excursion to Pompeii, but the office phoned to say that tomorrow’s trip had been cancelled.
Visited the cathedral (Duomo) and Cloisters of Paradise. Had dinner at a small trattoria north of town.
0
Tue Oct 31st
Amalfi and Ravello
Our anniversary. Went back to Ravello to see the gardens of Villa Rufolo. Then walked to Torre della Ziro for views looking down on Atrani and Amalfi.
Dinner at Ristorante Sant’Andrea again.
0
Wed Nov 1st
Drive to Campi Flegri near Naples
Storms overnight. Waited for weather to improve, then drove past Vesuvius and Naples to the volcanic Solfatara di Pozzuoli in the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegri) in Pozzuoli. It was difficult to find with no local signs, and we found ourselves going round in circles at one point.
Campi Flegri is well known for it’s steam vents, hot mud, and sulphur deposits. It’s volcanically active, and is potentially a super-volcano, so we were amused to see apartment blocks on the rim of the crater. There were people walking their dogs on a ground that was too hot to touch – needless to say, the dogs were not happy. There was a good rock shop there at the site, and I bought a nice piece of amber. Dinner at San Giuseppe back in Amalfi.
188
Thu Nov 2nd
Drive to Positano
Did some packing, and then a nice coastal drive to Positano. We had lunch at a small restaurant overlooking the sea.
On the way back, we stopped at the strange Il Fiordo di Furore for pics of the beach and gorge. Drove back to Amalfi and did some tourist shopping. Finished packing.
38
Fri Nov 3rd
Amalfi to Levanto
Left Amalfi: drove south towards Salerno to pickup the A3 autostrada. After 697 km found a hotel in Levanto on the Riviera. The last two hours were in torrential rain with lightning.
437
Sat Nov 4th
Levanto to Beaune
Levanto to Beaune (again the last two hours were in driving rain).
442
Sun Nov 5th
Beaune to Bracknell
Beaune to Bracknell (Dover to Bracknell once again in torrential rain… except this time lit up with starbursts from the many firework displays!)
516
