Italia Day 19 & 20 - Arrivederci Praiano, Buongiorno Roma

On the evening of Day 18 I caught up with an old friend, S, in Positano. Day 19 was a lazy day for both of us - hanging out at the beach in Praiano. This is the view from halfway down the steps to La Praia beach.

Chiesa di San Gennaro at dusk.

I could never tire of the sunsets on the Amalfi, every day is so beautiful.

The piazza around San Gennaro was lit up that evening, ready for a Festa starting the next day.

Day 20 started with an early morning visit to say goodbye to San Gennaro & to those breathtaking views.

While waiting for the bus the festa got underway - with a marching band.

And there they go. You can see how narrow the main street is - the traffic just had to wait.

After a fairly long bus (Praiano-Sorrento), then train (Sorrento-Napoli), then another train (Napoli to Roma) trip we arrived in Roma pretty exhausted. Lucky our hotel was right near Termini station. It was also near this tantalising glimpse of the monuments to come. This is the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

Stay tuned - heaps more from Roma soon.

Italia Day 18 - Sentiero degli Dei - Path of the Gods

Day 18 started bright and early because, despite Praiano's insidious effect on me - to slow down & take it easy - I had a date to keep. At 10am the local authorities were putting on a free concert called I Suoni del degli Dei (Sounds of the Gods) half-way along the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods).

As soon as I found out about the hike between Praiano & Positano I knew I had to do it & I was super-excited to find out that one of the concerts coincided with my visit. The walk starts right beside the Farmacia in town & I had already been warned about the 1000 steps up the side of the mountain. What I hadn't been warned about were the few hundred steps I had to take before I even got to the track (nor about the continued climbing up the cliff after the steps had finished - more about that later).

Here are the actual '1000 steps' from the bottom.

And from a little way up.

I had started later than I wanted to & was in a bit of a hurry (as much as you can hurry up 1000 steps without having a heart attack), but every now & then I swivelled around to admire the view. S'alright I guess.

Then I had to tear myself away & keep climbing.

And climbing.

These cute shrines were scattered along the way.

Once I reached the top of the stairs I could fully appreciate the view.

At the pinnacle of the steps sits the Convent of San Domenico - a still-functioning church. From what I could tell there aren't any roads leading into this church, just the steps leading down one side & another climb up on the other. I could be wrong, but if I'm not, that's one committed congregation.

It was another hazy day on the Amalfi Coast, but the views were still amazing.

I had been warned not to attempt this walk if I suffered from vertigo. You can see why. They aren't really into protective barriers in Italy.

As I mentioned, the climb didn't stop at the top of the 1000 steps. It just turned into a scramble up these cliffs - eerily similar to all those I had completed in NSW. Lucky I had done them because it was pretty challenging.

Every corner promised something new.

Like this view overlooking Positano.

Finally I arrived at the halfway point where the concert was going to take place - with 10mins to spare! The musicians were actually running late, so I got to rest for about 30min before it started. This concert was a duet of oboe & flute, playing 4 pieces - a mix of Baroque, Classical, Romantic & Modern.

It was a magical experience - listening to Mozart while relaxing on a cliff high above the Amalfi Coast. Not your average day in the office, so to speak.

The concert lasted about 40min, then it was time to keep walking. The views kept coming - this time of the soaring cliffs above.

And of course the Coast below.

I reached Nocelle surprisingly quickly, from where the walk started to climb back down. This tiny chapel was hidden around a corner.

There were only 750 odd steps back down - something I'm sure my knees would thank me for.

I highly recommend this walk to anyone visiting the Amalfi Coast. Funnily, the local authorities class it as medium difficulty, but I would definitely say it's difficult. I get the feeling that a difficult climb to these locals would mean nothing less than scaling Mt Everest.

Italia Day 17 - getting lost on the Amalfi

After relishing the slower pace the day before, I woke up this morning itching to do something. I think I must function better when I'm busy and have a purpose. I decided to tackle a short hike that Rosalba in the tourist office had recommended. It was a steep climb above Praiano to Bomerano, then back down the other side town - about 2hrs. I hadn't counted on the almost complete lack of signage and incomplete maps, but more about that later.

The start of the walk was just near my hotel & this sign at the bottom of the hill was reassuring - I was climbing the right steps.

And boy what a climb. I was really glad I had done all that walking in Australia before I left - it prepared me well.

I started the walk as early as possible after breakfast, but by 9.15 the sun was already blazing. Just before I reached this terrace I had my first mishap involving the lack of signage. I had missed the track turning off to the side because it was so overgrown & accidentally walked up the steps and onto someone's front porch. Oops!

Pretty soon the track flattened out and I came across the evidence of the bushfires I had been speaking to Luigi about the night before. He said that they are almost exclusively started by people in Italy, rather than through natural causes. The smoky smell was still very strong and I was a little hesitant to keep walking at first. Then I realised that there was already some green regrowth, so the fire must have been a little while ago.

Despite having climbed so high already, there were still imposing mountains to look up to.

Some bits of the burnt out path were eerie.

And others were downright scary. I walked very carefully around this edge - it was loose dirt & I wasn't convinced of it's stability.

I made it through the bushfire area safely and came to some steps leading down. My old fear of walking downhill came back.

I was walking through some pretty dense forest when I started to hear bells. Cows, I thought? Nope... sheep. I had been walking underneath a terraced farm - complete with lemon trees, olive trees & a small herd of (surely very hot) sheep.

At this stage I started to wonder why the track was leading away from Praiano, as I was supposed to come out on the other side of town for the descent.

Still, the views were very nice, so I held faith that the track would loop back around.

But then I just kept getting further...

And further away.

After this shot I got lost again. The path was hidden by overgrown grass and so I started walking up the steps in front of me. There were a number of sets and I felt like I was inside someone's farm. I was - soon I came to a locked gate. I beat a hasty retreat back down all the stairs before the angry farmer came out with his shotgun (or maybe that only happens in Australia).

I seriously considered turning around at this point, but I was determined to get to Bomerano & the track seemed to be climbing again, despite it being pretty much hidden by this grass.

Check out this old farmhouse (complete with outbuildings just ripe for conversion into holiday accommodation!). I am so writing to Kevin McCloud & asking Grand Designs to sponsor a 'naive Australian girl tries to renovate an Italian farmhouse on her own' show.

Eventually I reached a small town & looked all the way back to Praiano. I found a church - San Elia, which I eventually located on my map - about 10km away from Bomerano!

It had taken me about 1hr 40min to get to the town, and it was really really hot. I had no idea if there were local buses in the area & the town appeared to be deserted, so I just headed back the way I came. I was in such a hurry to get back to a cold shower I did it in just under 1hr. My legs are covered in scratches from the overgrown grass & shrubs that I couldn't be bothered climbing over on the way back.

The angry farmer emerged about halfway back - shots started ringing out across the valley. I think it was just an air-rifle - probably to just scare birds away.

I even got lost a couple of times - and I did find a sign to Bomerano which I had missed, but only because the track I had climbed up on (through the bushfire area), was completely different to the one I walked back on - there was only one shown on my map so I had no idea. I backtracked a couple of times, trying to find the way back down, but gave up in the end and ended up back near San Luca somewhere. I was just relieved to know where I was, even if I had overshot my goal by about 25min.

Ah well, all part of the adventure :-)

Italia Day 16 - Amalfi Coast

As I sink into the slower pace of life in Praiano my urge to sightsee & take tons of photos is diminishing. I just want to relax & enjoy the ride, so to speak. My third day on the Amalfi didn't involve much 'doing'. I had a wander around town in the morning, then caught a local bus up the hill to San Luca for lunch with a friend of my tax boss man. This is the view from the piazza opposite her house (and also pretty much the view from her balcony - lucky thing).

Italian hospitality is unlike everything I have ever experienced. I was treated to a delicious 3 course vegan meal - including pasta with fresh tomato sauce, roasted eggplant with salsa, fresh bread & fresh fruit for dessert. All from somebody who had never met me before. As they say, 'anybody who is a friend of...'. Very special.

After such a huge lunch (not used to eating so well), I had a short rest, a swim, then went into town to check out some of the bars that had been recommended to me. First stop was Vivaro Wine Bar. It was the perfect spot to sit & admire the sunset - one of the best vantage points in Praiano.

Vivaro is run by the lovely Gennaro - always keen to chat & 100% committed to great food, wine & service.

The changing colours were mesmerising.

After trying (unsuccessfully) to pay for my glass of wine at Vivaro, I walked back down the hill slightly to Hotel Le Fiorere. Part hotel, part bar, Le Fiorere is a family affair, currently hosted by the son, Luigi. It's a very friendly bar & a great spot to sit & watch the world go by. Luigi is also a fantastic host & also very happy to chat.

I could have stayed for hours, but I was very sleepy so reluctantly said goodnight to Luigi (who also insisted on giving me a free drink - how do they make money?), knowing I would be back the next day.