November 10 - Salerno, Italy for the Amalfi Coast

After a most welcomed day at sea,where we cruised from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Salerno, Italy on the Amalfi Coast, we were rested and ready to take on five port days in a row.

Salerno is our port for the day.  Our plan is a drive along the beautiful Amalfi Coast, which is one of the world's greatest scenic drives.  We will drive from Salerno to Amalfi, Positano, and then Sorrento.

We are a private tour group of 8 people with our driver/guide Giovanni from the company Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours.

The coastline drive is beautiful.  The road twists and turns around the cliffs high above the shore.

Our first stop is in the town of Amalfi.  

 We have time wander around the town.  Between the 9th and 11th centuries, Amalfi was the seat of a powerful maritime republic.

 The Arab-Norman cathedral, with its Byzantine facade, is in the heart of the town.

And this is the land of lemons.....huge lemons and the stores are filled with anything made from the lemons.

 Including a store devoted entirely to Limoncello.

There is also plenty of beautiful, handcrafted ceramic plates, bowls, etc., many decorated with....you guessed it....lemons!

And there are interesting fountains.

We did good!  Giovanni had told us of the local wines and we picked one that definitely met his approval.

It was then back in the van and we headed toward the town of Positano.

 Houses hugging the cliff.

A stop along the way to take in the beauty of the coast.

Arriving in Positano, we walk down to the beach...    The town is built on a hill and going anywhere involves lots of steps.

 ...and touch the sea.

Then it's back in the van and Giovanni drives us up to a restaurant high above the town.

And we have a beautiful view of the coastline from our table.

We ordered the "full Italian lunch", starting with bread, salad, and bruschetta, red and white wine....

and then a pizza.

 After the pizza, we were offered 3 different kinds of pasta.

And, of course, gelato and fruit for dessert, followed by a shot of lemoncello.

There was more food than we could eat and it was all delicious.

After leaving Positano, we drove to Sorrento.  The drive along the coastline continued to be beautiful and once we reached Sorrento, we were given about 45 minutes to wander around the stores.  Then it was back into the van and we drove back to Salerno and the ship via the highway.  By doing the coastal drive first and taking the inland highway back, we escaped the big tour buses.  They are only allowed to travel southbound on the coast, the opposite of what we traveled...and it is difficult for the buses to navigate the turns on the coastal road, which slows up traffic.

We enjoyed our day on the Amalfi Coast. It could only have been better if the sun would have burned off the haze as the photos really don't do justice to the beauty of the coastline and the little towns nestled between the cliffs and the sea.