Driving the Amalfi Coast was quite possibly the most iconic thing I have ever experienced.
Made famous as settings for some of the greatest films such as “Beat The Devil”, “Only You” and, my personal favorite, “Under The Tuscan Sun” most of the scenery in Amalfi is internationally recognized. Seeing it for myself, especially Positano, was a total must.
Getting there was insanely nerve racking. We decided to take the mountain pass and drive the coast back to Sorrento in kind of a loop but let me tell you that was one of the worst drives I’ve ever had to endure. Italian roads are impossibly narrow with death defying switchbacks raking the sides of cliffs. Add to that a thick fog covering the pass making visibility just a few meters and impatient, lead-footed Italian drivers honking their horns and passing you on hairpin, double blind corners and you have the perfect recipe for an in-car anxiety attack. I had already wrecked the rental in Sorrento the day before (twice actually), so I really don’t know where the stress was coming from but it all dissolved as the coastline appeared.
Even on a cloudy day the beauty of the scenery was postcard perfect. The water was an indescribable turquoise. The sound of the waves crashing into the rocky cliffs below made a deep baritone “whump” that spoke with a personality indicative of Italian bravado. Even the sea was proud to be Italian.
I was probably the quintessentially annoying American tourist, gawking at everything and giddy with delight to traverse the cobblestone streets. Tamberlee and I perused the wares of countless leather and trinket shops; everything was original, handmade, nothing commercial. Only Made in Italy tags. Art was everywhere, even in the ordinary.
Before heading back towards Positano for dinner (an experience deserving an entire essay all it’s own) we went a little further along and finally decided to turn around at the little costal town of Minori.
Oh Minori was magical! We stopped at a little bar where the bartender hummed along to Imagine Dragons and made us drinks with basil leaves we watched him walk outside and handpick himself. We walked brick laid streets of tiny Mom and Pop shops where we were greeted everywhere with a “Bonjourno” and a little tip of the hat by old men. The traditional ideal of Italian culture made itself present in warmth and welcoming here.
On the way back to Sorrento, we stopped for dinner in Positano at a restaurant who had a guitarist serenading the customers, which I’ll write about later, and I nearly killed us by almost driving off the edge of a road that had slid out. Fortunately, not even that could put a damper on an otherwise completely amazing day!