We started the day with a beautiful private Italian breakfast high amongst the cliffs of Praiano overlooking the blue water and fast appearing SUN!
Hotel Margherita logo in a cappuchino!!
We left early for the 21 mile trek, which actually took 90 minutes!!!! And we thought Northern VA traffic was bad!!! Lets not mention the tour buses traveling on the opposite side of the road, squeezing the road on both sides! Bob was in 2nd gear, UPHILL, the entire time, while Mary was on the passenger side, not more than 5 feet from the cliff. Boy, those seat belts give you a feeling of confidence! Or not. There were several portions of the road where local police only allowed on direction of traffic to pass, as the roads were too narrow and winding for two lanes.
Duomo in Ravello
We made it Ravello, high in the hills of Amalfi, and scored a coveted parking spot below the Duomo (which cost 11 Euros for 3 hours!). The Duomo was built in the 11th century, was dedicated to St Pantaleone and the facade was lost in an earthquake shortly there after. The bronze doors from Constantinople date back to 1179 and showcase 54 scenes from the Bible. The Chapel of St Pantaleone holds a small ampoule of the saint’s blood which is said to liquify every year on the anniversary of his martyrdom (July 27th for you St. Pantaleone fans!).
When we exited the duomo, the scenery was clouded since we were high in the mountains but cleared after we donated to many shops $$$!!
We had a quick lunch, and headed to the town of Amalfi.
When we finally arrived there, the congestion, due to drivers, buses, motorcycles and a cruise ship in port, made it impossible to find parking. We decided to return to the hotel, and caught the shuttle into Praiano.
We walked around, enjoying the iconic views, had a cappuccino and a Peroni, and walked back to the hotel.
As we sit on our balcony entering this blog overlooking the hill lined with lemon groves and olive trees, it is a breathtaking scene! It is difficult to image on a balcony being 1000 feet above the sea, which is only 150 meters in the distance (per Bob).
We had dinner at The Hotel Costa Diva in their lemon grove overlooking the water and boats. Our table viewed the lemon trees bathed in netting to catch any stray lemons that dropped from the tree.
Lemons so sweet!
Thursday, we hope to take the city bus to Positano, and maybe visit a winery in the afternoon. SALUTE”!!!
