Amalfi

After days of walking Tuesday, was a bus driving day.  We checked out of our hotel early and boarded a min bus for a trip down the Amalfi cost to the town of Amalfi.  It is less than 25 km but because the road is narrow and filled with hairpin turns it takes more than an hour to drive. 

 

It is a testament to the skill of the bus drivers that there are very few accidents on the road. It is a positively beautiful drive, even as it might be a bit hair-raising for those who don’t like heights.  The road is built over the edge of the cliffs and the houses and hotels are built on terraces, seemingly carved out of the rock.  The water is a beautiful green and the flowers are stunning.

We stopped for photos overlooking at the village of Positono and the little stand where I bought spices 7 years ago was still there so I was able to replenish my stock of Italian spices.

We had a short stop in Amalfi and then made the return trip to Sorrento where we met up with Fabio our driver and got back in our regular bus to make our way to Assisi. 

Part way we stopped at Villa Adrianna, the ruins of an estate, built by Emperor Hadrian in the 1^st century bc.  Unfortunately it was not a very tourist friendly spot since they closed the washrooms in the visitor center, where they used to be, and to get to the washrooms and inside the ancient walls it is at least a 300 m walk uphill and it was hot.  For those in the group who were up to the walk it was enjoyable to wander among the ruins but for others it was disappointing that there was nothing in place for tourists with reduced mobility.

We were late getting to our hotel because there was lots of traffic. Our hotel is magnificent with beautiful gardens and a panoramic view. 

 We are only spending one night in Assisi so tomorrow we will enjoy a visit of the town, learning lots about St Francis and then we will continue to our next hotel close to Florence where we will stay for 3 nights.