Italia Day 14 - The Amalfi Coast

Even though I was sad to leave Sicilia behind, I was also very excited for my next stop - the Amalfi Coast. I had blown my budget & booked myself in for 6 indulgent days at a hotel in Praiano. On the way, I had to stop the night in Salerno. The Lonely Planet guidebook isn't too kind to Salerno, and I think it's unfair. I actually quite liked it. Sure, it's a working town, so there are some ugly bits, but it reminded me a little of St Kilda - a long waterfront lined with bars & cafes. I was up at dawn to go for a run - this photo shows the dramatic Amalfi cliffs in the background.

I was on an early bus to the Coast, so decided to stop off in Amalfi on the way. It was nice, but it's pretty small & packed with tourists. I'm glad I didn't stay there. The Il Duomo di Amalfi is very impressive. It sits high above the piazza & has a beautiful, Arab-influenced exterior.

I spent the first hour just wandering around the narrow streets. This sign made me smile - 'Viagara naturale'.

I climbed up the hill a little to admire the view. It's very nice, though further along the coast the views get much better.

Guess what I spotted next? The Bilioteca Storia di Amalfitana. I'm starting to get the sense that my search for a new career is all in vain...

Guess what else was happening that day? Another festa! There were 'bombs' going off every 30min or so (I couldn't help laughing a little at the tourists who didn't know what it was. Oh what a short memory I have). They were being shot from this sailboat. In the foreground are the beach chairs. The beach in Amalfi isn't particularly nice, so a chair is probably the way to go.

My Lonely Planet was actually good for one thing - it recommended a visit to the Museo della Carta. As a librarian, I couldn't wait to visit this paper mill museum - after all, without the invention of paper, where would libraries be? The museum contains a number of perfectly restored machines and provides tours in a number of languages (including, in mine, one guide speaking in Italian, English, Dutch & German - impressive). This is the original laundry.

Most of the group was older, so when the guide asked for volunteers to make some paper, I was the only one to put my hand up. Awesome! I had to reach down deep into the laundry vat with a wooden frame to collect the cotton fibres. Then I had roll the frame over this piece of linen to get the paper off the frame. As the guide put it - just one small 'disaster' - missed a bit at the bottom.

This is one of the more modern machines that was used to make paper from trees. The guide explained that even though it was much cheaper & easier to produce paper from trees, the final product wasn't as good, as wood requires acid to preserve it. The cotton paper produced in the mill lasts for thousands of years. In fact, the Vatican still buys cotton paper from Amalfi for all its important documents.

Upstairs was a display of paper drying on the linen. Historically, these were actually strung across the streets to dry - there were photos showing the narrow laneways lined with drying paper.

One of the original presses - the final step in the process to flatten the paper & get it ready for delivery. All the paper on display is cotton paper made by the new mill in Amalfi. At the end of the tour the guide gave me a little package - I was so excited when I realised it was a little bundle of the paper I had made earlier!

After a few hours in Amalfi, I was ready to move on. That involved a hair-raising bus ride around the coastal road - I swear Italian bus drivers are the most talented in the world. They must have nerves of steel. Unfortunately I didn't realise that my hotel was slightly out of town, so I had to walk for 30min in the hot hot sun to find it. I was deliriously happy when I got to my room only to discover that not only did I have a balcony, but that the balcony faces this amazing sea view.

I headed into town to have a look - the hotel staff told me to walk back along Via San Giovanni. I was very confused when I came to VSG, to be faced with this. One thing about the Amalfi Coast - many of the 'streets' are actually just staircases & footpaths - sometimes wide enough for a scooter, but mostly not. Also, you can't get anywhere around here without climbing hills & stairs - a minimum of 20 at a time. I'm going to be so fit after 6 days!

Eventually I headed home, along the high road this time & watched the sun start to drop below the cliffs.

By the time I got back to room I calculated that I had walked about 20km that day (including my 6km run in the morning). My feet were burning sore & I knew the next day had to be all about resting.