So we start by taking a short ferry ride to Capri, a four by two mile island that has became a tourist zoo in July and August, it's a tourist trap, plain and simple, during the height of summer. Early spring and again in late September the Island becomes enjoyable again. It originally became famous as the vacation home of the Emperors Augustus and Tiberius. There are a few Roman ruins about (name me a spot around here that doesn't have Roman ruins!), and an eight hundred year old monastery inhabited by Carthusian monks, its chief attraction is its Blue Grotto.
The Blue Grotto - I hate to keep saying this because I know these people have to make a living - is a TOURIST trap big time. There are three ways to get there: by boat from the harbor, by bus up the road to Anacapri, and hiking up the Phoenician steps, all 800 of them! The bus is the best bet, and certainly a lot cheaper than going by boat. The bus stops quite a distance above the water, you descend the steps hewn into the rock down to where you pay. Did I say pay; you pay three times, once for the boat to the Grotto, again for the rowboat into the Grotto, and again for the entry fee. From mid June to mid September there's usually a lineup for your turn in a rowboat. Twenty minutes, a half-hour tops to rowboat, visit, and return to your boat.
You need the rowboat because when you get up to the entrance, you have to get down on the floor of the boat, the oarsman grabs a chain along the wall and pulls the boat in. And, yes, it really is blue. If you're on Capri or even in Sorrento, be sure to go. Just make up your mind to go with the flow, put up with the touristy stuff; and see the Grotto. ONCE, I would never go back.
Second day is a trip east to Pompeii. This is where Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, and as you explore the excavated ruins, you get a first hand look at what life was like in Roman times. It had a population of 20,000 when it was buried under thirty feet of hot mud and volcanic ash, but its best art has been removed to the Naples Archaeological Museum. It was a bustling city, with so much traffic that chariots were banned during shopping hours. You see the odd street sign picturing men carrying vases, apparently this meant "Pedestrians Only".
Herculaneum, much smaller, less ruined than Pompeii, it has a small number of intact surviving buildings.
And then there's Mount Vesuvius itself. Some 4,000 feet high. If you have a car you can drive up to the summit, there's a kind of shuttle bus that trundles up and down all day, or if you're in the chips take a taxi, but get a quote from several before choosing one. There's a sort of trail you can follow if you want to hike around the rim. Vesuvius has been rumbling and shooting off steam since 1944, but is not considered really dangerous any more.
Third day is the highlight of this mini tour, the Amalfi Coast. For the money, the road from Sorrento through the towns of Positano and Amalfi to Salerno is one of the best bus rides in the world, and is not for the weak at heart. There are sheer drops of 4 to 500 feet off the side of the road down to the shoreline below. Grab a seat on the right side of the bus from Sorrento, and then a seat on the left for the ride back after a few stiff ones in Salerno for fortification of the spirit. There isn't a level piece of land anywhere, yet both sides - up the hillside and down towards the water - there are hundreds of dwellings, hotels, villas and garages. Traffic along this road is so heavy in the summer that cars with even numbered licenses are allowed to drive one day, odd numbered the next. Buses and tourists who hunger for the ultimate thrill drive any day.
Enjoy the ride along the road, you probably won't enjoy the towns along the way. Over-crowded, over-priced and out of reach for the most part of the beaches far below. Positano is the best bet if you want a stopover here. It's on a short stretch of pebbly beach and has the obligatory expensive collection of women's clothing stores and cafè(c)s. If you only had one day, you could take the morning bus from Sorrento to Positano and return on the afternoon ferry.
So there you have it, three delightful days in Southern Italy, fabulous scenery, lots of history, as usual, terrific Italian cooking, and did I mention the wine? Is it any wonder I love southern Italy.
What a mistake! Why not stay in beautiful Praiano like I did? It's smaller, less crowded and feels less touristy than its more famous neighbours.
This September I wanted to hike the mountainside pathways between Positano and Amalfi (another story for another time!) so chose Praiano as a good point between the two. A three day stay full of delights!
My single room in Hotel Perla on the edge of Praiano opened on to a sunny, little balcony with good views of the coast of dry, brown and green steep mountains falling to the blue sea. Perched above the Amalfi Coast road the hotel is quiet, but you walk only a few steps to the bus stop for buses to Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi or Salerno.
I enjoyed a good buffet breakfast on the sea view terrace and the convenient Internet service in the lobby. Hotel La Perla, perlahotel.it Phone: 089-874246. Doubles range from 100-150 Euros.
Best of all, a staircase a few feet along the main road from Hotel Perla takes you down past a Saracen tower to a great restaurant on the sea that doubles as a beach spot during the day.
The Paradies Restaurant sits on a patio on rocks above the water's edge so you look out along the coast, watch boats come and go and admire the lights sparkling over the sea as darkness falls. I liked it so much I went twice!
The fish soup was full of prawns, mussels, squid, octopus and clams in a delicious tomato broth. The roasted peppers with capers and black olives with good quality olive oil were excellent. The outgoing owner gave me good advice on what wine to order by the glass. I spent about 27 Euros.
My third day, back from lots of sightseeing, I ambled down the same stairs to find a sun cot to laze on by the sea for a couple of hours and found the same restaurant owner. When I asked him how much the sun cot rental was, with a big smile he exclaimed, "For you, it's free!" He sure knows how to make people feel special! Terrazze Paradies in Praiano, Via Terramare 6. Phone: 089-874534.
A two minute walk east along the Amalfi Coast road from Hotel Perla takes you to a little sandy beach. You can also catch a water taxi from here to Positano where you take boats to Capri or along the coast.
Walking west for about 20 minutes on the pretty, sea view back roads from the hotel past houses, gardens, school, shops and hotels takes you to the centre of Praiano. To go there by bus, you can catch the cheaper, local orange buses or the more expensive, crowded Amalfi Coast SITA buses.
For local orange bus tickets at 1 Euro you pay the driver directly. For SITA buses, you buy your tickets first in designated places like some coffee bars. Tourist tickets good all along the coast are 5 Euros for a 24 hour period.
A SITA bus driver told me SITA won't sell foreigners 1 Euro local tickets unless they can prove they're local residents. A small thing but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
In Praiano's town centre I descended into the large main piazza dominated by the gleaming, white San Gennaro church with its striking dome of white, blue and yellow tile and tower with yellow and green tile roof.
Inside the church I got a really nice surprise, a very pretty Baroque interior in yellow, green and white. On the piazza I gazed out over the sea along the coast to Positano. What a beautiful view!
I followed steps below the church on streets too narrow for cars past homes, gardens and patios with tomatoes hung to dry, down to the other beach, a series of patios on the rocks, with views of Positano, sun cots and umbrellas, beach bar and restaurant. The 5-10 minute climb up or down the steps is good exercise!
I was in Praiano on September 19, the festival of their saint, San Gennaro, so what better place to have dinner than Trattoria San Gennaro set right above the main piazza. At my open air table it felt like a dinner theatre.
In the piazza brass bands were playing. The church was outlined in strings of white lights. The piazza was all dressed up in big flower forms of yellow, green and white lights. Children ran around the piazza playing with new toys bought at the stands. What a magical sight as the sun set in pink and orange over the sea!
My linguine allo scoglio loaded with fresh tomatoes, parsley, prawns and other seafood and my bountiful salad of lettuce, arugola, tomatoes, fennel, carrot and radicchio were excellent. Trattoria San Gennaro, Via G. Capriglione. Phone: 089-874293.
I would have loved to stay longer in Praiano and hang out for some carefree days at its beaches and eat more fish and drink white wine. Praiano is a little jewel set between two big diamonds, the perfect quieter spot to base yourself as you explore the busier, more famous Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.
Both Michael Russell & Margaret Cowan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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