Amalfi Coast

It so happened that our ship was to be in Naples on George's birthday. I decided to buy for him a private tour of the Amalfi Coast. I booked it in advance with Sorrento Topcar. We were picked up at 8:30 AM at the port by Julia and taken on a wonderful tour of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

 

The drive was magical. The Italian coastline is gorgeous and the small towns built into the mountains are lovely. Around every corner there was a beautiful view begging a stop to take pictures. It was heaven to have the luxury of a private driver who would stop whenever we wanted.

 

 

The day was just ever the bit foggy, but it seemed to lend to the feeling of mystical loveliness.

 

 

The road wove around every corner looking down on little fishing villages, small towns and trendy summer resorts and hotels.

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was Positano, a town very popular with the rich and famous for its unique clothing stores and boutique hotels. Small winding roads leading into the town make it inaccessible for big tour buses.

 

 

 

 

Then on to Amalfi, a much more crowded and busy town. Since the access to this town is wider it attracted many more buses filled with tourists. Here there are many more shops and restaurants. There is the Amalfi cathedral and the large central square.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course there were lemons and Limoncello and just about everthing lemon everywhere for sale. The Amalfi Coast is famous for its lemons.

 

 

Like so many towns in Europe there was no lack of tiny winding streets lined with little shops selling everything from fruits and vegetables to souvineers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The drive continued along along the breathtaking coast to Ravello.

 

 

 

Here we visited the beautiful Villa Rufolo, a lovely old Villa built in the 13th century by the wealthy Rufolo family. While the buildings are mostly in ruins they are a reminder of the affluence of times gone by. The gardens overlooking the Mediterranean Sea were lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 The ride back to the port took us past Pompei, a destination for another trip, and the city of Naples.

If I have any advice for the cruise traveler in this area, it would be to skip the cruise ship excursion and book a private trip with Sorrento Top car at http:sorrentotopcar.com/. The price was reasonable and the service was excellent. The personalized attention and access to areas unvisited by the big tour buses was priceless. This visit to Naples and the Amalfi Coast will be forever one of my favorite trips. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rome

This past October my husband, George and I, went on a Princess Mediterranean Cruise that took us to several destinations in Italy, Turkey, Croatia and Greece. The trip was wonderful. While cruising is not my favorite method of travel this may have been the ideal way to see the destinations we visited.
I am starting here with Rome, which was actually the last stop on our itinerary, but we stayed there for a few days after the cruise so we spent the most time there. I had spent some time in Rome maybe 35 years ago so I had many memories from the the past. I couldn't wait to return but I wasn't sure if the city would live up to my memories. After all, trip #1 and #2 in the 70's was taken by a young woman in her 20's traveling on a Eurorail pass with her younger sister. Our tour guide was Frommer's book, Europe on $5 Dollars a Day. We had a vague itinerary planned but it was adjusted daily according to our wim. We had all summer and little money but we made it work. This trip was taken by an older and more cautious woman with her husband. While my method of travel has changed, the Eternal City remains the same. Except for bigger crowds and higher price tags, very little has changed. The city is as beautiful as ever. I was so glad to be able to share it now with the one I love.

 While walking to the Vatican we came across a procession by Los Hermanos del Senor de los Milagros. The feast being celebrated originated in Lima,Peru but is celebrated worldwide.

 

 

 

 

The shrine was carried by a group of men followed by women wearing lace scarves and carrying incense burners. The faithful followed along occasionally stopping to pray. 

 

Of course there are those places in Rome you must visit and first among those is the Trevi Fountain.

 

                                                     Then there is the Pantheon,

 

and the Coloseum.

 

There was the Piazza Navonna,

 

 

a lovely view of the Tibre River,

 

and exploring the Roman Forum. 

 

 

And just like Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, I had to visit La Boca de Verita. I did this 35 years ago and did it again on this trip. I am so happy Roma is so much the same and probably will be so for many years to come.