Dreams of Capri and the heat of Vesuvius will burn the Italy’s Amalfi Coast into your brain. Visions of Pompeii and the cool shopping of Sorrento will plant it in your heart. Naples Bay will thrill you with one of the great scenic bus rides of Europe. Past and present collide in a twenty five mile ride of precious memories.
The Amalfi Coast is tourist friendly and tends to be expensive. It is a place of lemon tree light and pebbly beaches. Sorrento is a popular little town for tourists and a good home base. Give one day to a bus tour, and be prepared to hold your breath as your expert driver takes you to the edge of precipices with a view of turquoise waters and breathtaking architecture. Give another day to a boat ride, to Capri and then, Naples. Capri is famous as a jet setting utopia from the sixties, but now that it’s accessible to everyone don’t expect to see celebrities. Do take in Grotta Bleu, an astonishing natural landmark.
Naples is a bustling commercial center which houses the Archeological Museum. This is where you can see the treasures of Pompeii, from fantastic jewelry and tapestries to the salacious bedroom art that middle class Romans used to relish. Naples also gave the world pizza and Sophia Loren.
The Mediterranean climate generates warm summers and easy winters, so whenever you choose to travel, it will be comfortable. Geographically, the Amalfi Coast contains the Sorrentine Peninsula, a rocky strip of land where tourism is more important than agriculture. Before you go, be sure to see the film “Under the Tuscan Sun”, which is set in Positano, another popular tourist retreat. It will get you in the mood and give you ideas.
Everywhere you go, there are echoes of ancient Rome, but this is also a place to simply lay back and enjoy the climate. Be sure to give a day to Pompeii, and if you are so inclined, you can hike or drive to the edge of the volcano, Vesuvius. It is hot up there, but at four thousand feet, it afford a wonderful view of the Bay of Naples and will give you a thrill to last a lifetime.
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Amalfi Coast, Italy |
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