The Amalfi Coast

This weekend I traveled with a group of about 30 students to the Amalfi coast. We took a bus to Sorrento where I stayed in a Bungalow with 5 of my other girlfriends. On Friday morning we left bright and early by ferry to Capri which was about 20 minutes long. When we arrived, the port was filled with exquisite yachts and little cafes. We right away headed toward the Capri Centro, this neverending set of stairs that takes you to the top of the island. After climbing for about 20 minutes and breaking a thorough sweat, we made it to the top only to be greeted by Prada, Gucchi, La Perla and every designer imaginable as well as Limoncello shops every couple of stores. The little aristocratic village, as I would probably describe it, was not at all what I imagined would be at the top of all those steps. We continued walking to end of the town and down the backside of the island where we were told was a hidden beach not well known to tourists. Winding down the mountain we saw so many amazing private villas which I was tempted to sneak into but didn't. Finally, when we made it to the beach it was the clearest water I have ever seen. There were stone beaches that turned into sand once you entered the water. Little jumping rocks and natural stone arches were scattered along the beach where we were able to explore and jump off of into the water. The beach was called Piccolo beach and sure enough there were mostly Italians there. We all ordered Caprese salads because we figured this was the place to do it and I have never had such delicious tomatoes in my life and I dont even like tomatoes. After a long day at the beach we climbed back to the other side of the island got on the ferry and came back to Sorrento.

The next morning we took a local bus to Positano which was surprisingly close to an hour but nevertheless beautiful because we were climbing up the side of a mountain overlooking the ocean. Positano is a beach town situated on a mountain leading into the ocean. You have to weave through narrow shop-clad streets in order to make it to the beaches. The Amalfi coast in general is known for its lemons and there are tons of lemon trees everywhere except these lemons are gigantic they are about the size of grapefruits. We ordered a lemon granita (kind of like a slushy but made from fresh fruit) from a street vender and he made it right on the spot. It was very very hot out and so my friends and I decided to go on a boat tour. There were 30 of us split among two boats with 3 very funny guides. They took us to an area where they anchored the boats and we were able to go cliff jumping. Mama and Tato dont be mad but I climbed and jumped off the highest cliff that they said was still safe to do. When you got to the top of the cliff and looked out onto the water you were unable to see where the ocean ended and the sky started. After jumping a few times we got back on the boats and took them to these caves in the water close to the town of Amalfi. There, we were able to explore the caves which you had to swim in but when you got to a certain point were actually able to walk. The way that the sun hit the rocks and then reflected on the water made everything look turquoise. It was hard to believe that all of these tunnels and passages were natural and not part of some adventure water park. By the time the tour was over it was late afternoon and the waters had become pretty rough so our little boats had to go back to the port. At the port we all went shopping for linens and lemons and then ate right on the water, most people ordered seafood and I tried some but I still didn't like it. We were able to see the sun set over the water from the top of the town and during this there was actually an all-while linen wedding occuring on the beach between a Spanish and an Italian noble families. Most of the guests came over on private boats but the town was still scattered with guests in all-white linen. The bus ride home was less than great, it was so crowded that we had to sit on the floor as the bus winded down the cliffs overlooking the ocean, which was a bit scary.

In Sorrento all the study abroad students hung out together, the next day some people went to Pompeii but my girlfriends and I stayed in Sorrento. We shopped around the town which had some very trendy boutiques but also some hole in the wall markets and crafts stores. I loved this town because of that reason, the limoncello shops made all the side streets smell of lemons and sugar which was so unique. The center of town or the square looked pretty trendy but still had some statues as well as a tram. The entire weekend we had perfect weather which was in the high 80's, this was an amazing weekend and I can't wait to come back at some point in my life which I know that I will make a priority to do.