When I was growing up, my brother’s friend Richard hated doing boring things with his relatives. He always complained about having to go on “aunt and uncle” rides at Cedar Point and playing “aunt and uncle” board games with his family. Rebecca had a bit of an "aunt and uncle" day on the Amalfi Coast with her two uncles. This is an extraordinarily lovely part of the world, but also sort of boring as well.
After breakfast this morning we went for a walk around Sorrento. What had seemed charming late in the evening seemed oppressively crowded this morning. There were just too many tourists! But we did find a few locals. We came across this wedding.
The ceremony had just taken place in the cloisters of former Franciscan monastery, now used as an civic arts center. Somebody had placed these megaliths there, and they looked to me like mutant prairie dogs. I am not sure I would have wanted them at my wedding!
John and I stopped in the nearby church while Rebecca, who has no patience for this sort of thing, shopped outside. Saint Anthony of Egypt is the patron saint of Sorrento and we had read that his relics were inside. Being a good Catholic boy, I knew to make a beeline for the crypt underneath the high altar. I am not exactly sure what part of the famed desert father is supposedly preserved there.
Meanwhile, Rebecca found herself another tasteful scarf. We all decided that maybe we had “done” Sorrento and it was time to move on to our next town.
Along the way the urge to pose was somewhat irresistible.
We all went back and forth about how to get to Positano, and figured that for the three of us it probably would not be much more to hire a cab than to deal with the infamous SITA bus. Antonino — named, as he proudly told us, for the gentleman whose bones were preserved in the previous photograph — was only to happy to arrange it. We did have to wait a few minutes, and John and Rebecca passed the time as all modern people do … on their phones.
The Amalfi Coast is a famously beautiful ride along a windy, narrow, two-lane road. We did not find it quite as nail-bitingly scary as most tourists do, but then all of us have driven down Mulholland Drive and through Big Sur many times. Just before coming into Positano we stopped for pictures. John is not crazy about selfies, but Rebecca insisted.
In a somewhat less self-referential moment, Rebecca also found a dog
who seemed to specialize in posing for pictures against this stunning backdrop.
The Catholic boy, of course, was fascinated by this statue of the Virgin of Lourdes. The plaque indicated her appearance to somebody in Positano was her 150th apparition. I guess everybody comes to this part of the world for vacation….
In a short time we were at the Hotel Pupetto. No, actually we were near it. To get from the road to the hotel you have to descend about 200 steps, although you do have the option of taking an elevator at one point and skipping about half of the climb down. John, famously prone to motion sickness, had taken some dramamine before our car ride, and he was not feeling like climbing a lot of stairs. So we took the elevator.
The Hotel Pupetto seems straight out of some Fellini movie. It looks like somebody ought to turn the corner at any time crying, “Marcello, Marcello.” Alas, listening as we walked through the restaurant, English-speaking tourists seemed to predominate. Our room has a nice view with a sweet little balcony.
The two Pratts were definitely ready for lunch, so we went down to the restaurant. John ordered the daily fish, and was relieved when our waiter expertly filleted it for him,
Mediterranean beaches are not generally not that large and mostly are made of gravel. Nobody in California or Australia would want to spend an afternoon on them. But Europeans are understandably desperate for some sunshine and a bit of warm water, so they love them. And they all require you to rent a chaise longue and an umbrella. Fortunately, as we were staying at the hotel, we received ours for free. Everybody pulled out their Kindles and read for a bit, but before long at least two of your travelers were fast asleep.
In the evening we went into town. We took a footpath along the edge of the shore. I stopped to admire the colors and geometrical precision of the main beach.
As soon as we hit the first shop, John and Rebecca went shopping for hats. I stayed outside where I found a friend who seemed to share my retail pain.
Positano is sort of like Carmel, an upscale, open-air shopping mall adjacent to the water. There are lovely pathways that lead from one level of shopping to the next.
Rebecca and John wanted to have something to eat, and John pulled out his guidebook and found a place called Bruno’s that Rick Steves had recommended. It was near dusk, and the all the tables were full. I think that they had trouble turning down a lovely signorina like Rebecca, so the waiters made two guys move and gave us their table! The restaurant had a fabulous location
and a stunning view of the Positano as night fell.
The food wasn’t bad, either! Tomorrow, it’s off to our last Amalfi Coast stop, Ravello.
