Amalfi and a Thousand Steps

It was one of those longer Italian trips, on which I visited Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and saved the gorgeous Amalfi Coast for last. To avoid the crowds of tourists who occupy these places in high season, I didn't set out until October, when the weather here is still warm but there's noticeably less tourist bustle. Since I'd set out on this trip without a car, I was dependent on various transfers by train, boat and bus. To Amalfi in particular I was supposed to get by boat and bus from the aforementioned Capri. That meant taking a ferry to the town of Sorrento and then finding the bus station and a suitable connection.

A problem cropped up very quickly. In Sorrento they told me that landslides had occurred on the road to Amalfi and that no buses were running there anymore. But I'd already booked accommodation, so I was determined to get there come what may. It was already about 4 in the afternoon and I had roughly 3 hours until sunset. So I bought a bus ticket, accepting that I might not get all the way to Amalfi, that I might spend one night in another town nearby and sort it all out somehow the next day. Positano seemed like a good place to spend the night; it lies about halfway and is also very popular with tourists. So I got off here and set out to look for a hotel. In the meantime I informed the owner of the apartment in Amalfi that I wouldn't arrive until the following day. To my surprise, he insisted over the phone that the landslide was no problem, that I should take the bus as close as possible and he would then come pick me up by car. When I repeated to him for about the third time that the bus had dropped me off in Positano with the message that I couldn't get any farther, he said he'd come get me. For a moment I couldn't believe it, but when the Italian really did show up after about half an hour, I was pleasantly surprised by his willingness. And indeed, the landslide could easily be driven around through a few small back streets, and just after dark I was already in picturesque Amalfi and a beautiful apartment near the square.

When I woke up I was captivated by the view from my windows. The old town spread across the surrounding hills, dazzlingly white houses crept up the slopes, and a bell rang out from a nearby church tower. I ran down to the tiny square, bought a few things from the local greengrocer and some breakfast in a shop close by. Then I strolled through the town and the harbor for a while and slowly set off up the steps toward the neighboring town of Atrani. Getting there would be easy by water but complicated by land. You'd have to get over the large hill that separates Amalfi and Atrani. That's why a pedestrian tunnel connecting the two places was built here in the past. Atrani really is just a tiny place wedged into the cliffs and a steep little valley that rises quickly into the coastal hills. The visual landmark of this place is a bridge, beneath which houses are wedged like some kind of swallows' nests. Just beyond the bridge you come upon a small square with a few cafés and restaurants.

In Atrani I spent a few peaceful hours and then headed back through the tunnel. In Amalfi there's certainly plenty to admire; you'll find, for instance, a 16th-century fountain - the Fontana del Popolo, and the Cathedral of St. Andrew (whose relics rest in the crypt), whose history reaches back to the 9th century. This cathedral is probably the most important monument here. A grand staircase leads up to it, and its entire Baroque interior is richly decorated. The bronze doors were cast in Constantinople back in 1066. Nearby you'll also find the Chiostro del Paradiso cloister. As you tour the individual sights, you keep climbing higher and higher up the steps. More and more beautiful views of the town and coast open up before you. There are steps literally everywhere here, and I just keep wondering how the local grandmothers manage it, the ones I see in the morning clambering down to the shops and then back up to their high-perched houses. They certainly don't have it easy here. The houses often have a small, tidy garden with orange and lemon trees, which look simply wonderful against the white façades.

In the early evening, as I was admiring the view of Amalfi and climbing higher and higher, a magnificent thunderstorm swept in and I had my work cut out running up the several hundred steps that separated me from the apartment. To be honest, I kept shooting until the last moment, because the storm created a very photogenic scene against the backdrop of the town, and only then did I start to flee :) For the next day I'd planned another of this coast's attractions, called the Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei), a hiking trail that winds high along the hills above the coast. The trail begins and ends above the town of Positano. You have to get there by bus again. The walk isn't demanding at all. Up on the hill above the coast you essentially follow a contour line and drink in the views that open up before you. If you have good weather, you'll even see the island of Capri in the distance.

Just as I'd had trouble getting to Amalfi because of the landslides, leaving wasn't easy either. I already knew the route via Positano wouldn't work, so I found a bus that was supposed to go the other way, that is, not along the coast but on a detour through the interior. The bus was meant to leave sometime around half past nine in the morning. At least that's what they told me at the local bus station. But the reality was a bit "Italian style". Just before half past nine I'm looking for the bus, and the other drivers at the stops don't understand me or know nothing about this connection. So I go to the information desk, where they told me about this connection yesterday. The local employee comes out and, in a huddle of drivers in the middle of the street, loudly hashes out how things stand with this line. After a few minutes of them milling about among the cars and noisily discussing something, he lets slip that the driver overslept and so won't be going. What? Well, apparently I have to wait until after lunch. Luckily I have time to spare, so I wait until about one o'clock. The bus finally arrived and carries me off toward Sorrento.

Set out on the trip in May or October, when this very popular area won't be quite so full of tourists.

The trip can be very nicely planned as a sightseeing tour, letting you fit in several beautiful places. I took the route Rome - Naples - Pompeii - Capri - Amalfi - Naples.

Set out on the Path of the Gods early in the morning, so you avoid the midday sun.

I set off on this trip to Italy traveling very light. It was all transfers by train, boat and bus, so I didn't want to lug much around. On top of that, I flew with a low-cost airline, where you pay for every extra kilo or second bag. So I brought fairly modest gear too. If I remember correctly, I flew here with just a Nikon D3200, the kit 18-55mm lens and a 35mm F1.8 lens. Of course I had a small tripod and polarizing filters for the lenses.