I had quickly learned in Rome that stop signs and lane lines are merely suggestive throughout Italy, but nowhere was it more evident than during the drive along the amazingly beautiful Amalfi Coast. Passing within inches of another vehicle every few minutes took my breath away almost as much as the view out the other side window.
This famous road easily rivals Maui’s “Road to Hana,” with twisting, impossible turns every few feet for miles and miles. We passed through many small towns along the route, saw the top of Sophia Loren’s home, and I lost count of all the “watch towers” standing guard along the promontory points.
The houses are almost one atop the other, and I just kept wondering about their construction, clinging there in groups, and how they got the building materials up that high, and why anyone would ever want to hike up and down hundreds of steps each time they left the house.
But it is, after all, the Amalfi Coast, and in the town of Amalfi itself, we had several hours on our own, and I soaked up the ambiance of the place like a thirsty sponge. Breaking away from the more touristy shops (after buying my share of souvenirs, of course), I enjoyed a fruit bowl topped with gelato in a quiet little restaurant right on the waterfront a short ways from the noise of the hustling town. Once again, I reflected in amazement on the fact that I was really there.
Lemons are the specialty of the region, and they are grown on the hillsides between the clusters of houses, one line of trees on each narrow terrace. Nets are used either to protect the fruit from birds or to catch the fruit as it’s harvested, I couldn’t be sure. Maybe both. But I am sure that lemon hard candies, filled with mouth-puckering lemon juice, was a complete shock to the taste buds the first time I tried them, but they totally grew on me.
Late that afternoon, I walked the two miles from the hotel into Sorrento “for fun,” but took a cab when it was time to return to the hotel. After dinner, the majority of our group walked back down to the quaintly delightful restaurant where we’d had lunch, and were treated to much fun, games and music. The walk back to the hotel (and I’m sure this time it was uphill both ways) didn’t seem too long or too difficult, despite the hour, and I thanked God I had lived long enough to experience such an adventure.
And there was still so much to come!