Another early breakfast, and we boarded the Amalfi Coast bus to Positano. The 50-minute bus ride was crowded and took longer than we thought, as the driver had to circle back for gas!! Bob stood the entire trip; he would like noted!
Positano seen as we walked into town
Positano, named for the god of the sea Poseidon, was a favorite site for ancient romans who built expensive villas. It was an essential stop for ancient Greeks as they explored ancient lands.
We were dropped off at the edge of town and descended one kilometer with spectacular views the entire trip down. We arrived in a village filled with a labyrinth of shops, cafes and hotels. The upscale shops of ceramics, shoes, linens and jewelry lined the centuries old alleyways.
The village was very crowded, reminding us of Santorini, with many young couples, college students, but not many families. And a pair of aging college graduates!
We helped keep the Italian economy rolling with Italian suede shoes and linen shirt for Bob, and handmade sandals and earrings for Mary!
We had a lovely lunch beachfront, with the hordes of tourists, of pizza and caprese salad on the Spiaggia Grande Beach.
We toured the Church of Santa Maria Assunta which was built in the 12th century, sits upon Roman ruins and served as a Benedictine monastery. Above the altar, is a painting of a black Madonna brought from Constantinople in the 12th century.
Before leaving the village, we ran across a cart selling granita (lemon slush) where the family has been following the same secret recipe for generations. Bob said Adam and Eve gave the family the recipe!
We caught the bus back to Praiano, which was quicker than the ride into Positano. We played some backgammon on the roof terrace of the hotel and enjoyed a pair of Aperol Spritzs! If you followed September’s blog to the Lakes Region, you’d see we were into Spritz before it was popular!
We had our final dinner in the Amalfi Coast at the Hotel Margherita’s lovely rooftop restaurant. They gave us the best table in the house, which faced the sea and surprised us with an early anniversary dessert and Prosecco! The iconic view was memorable and unlike many we have seen.
Tomorrow we sadly leave beautiful Praiano, Amalfi Coast and Hotel Margherita as we return our rental car on the Rome Airport, spend the night, and wait on some “friends” to join us for Part Due’!
How do you drive the Amalfi Coast? You rent the smallest car available! Note how the hotel parked our car!!!