We Can't Stay Away from the Amalfi Coast!

Going to the Amalfi Coast is always a welcomed adventure. The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine peninsula that is home to one of the most narrow and winding routes stretching for about 50 kilometers. High in the cliffs are whitewashed houses, dots of yellow lemon trees, and views of the sky and sea merging into one mass of blue. Jon and I were eager to show our guests the beauty of the coast and the enchantment of its splendor.

Positano from above

With Beth and Scott we went to Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi, and with Sera and Martin we went to Ravello and Amalfi. Even though we've written about these places a few times before, we wanted to share some of the beautiful photos that we took on those two days. We simply cannot get enough of the Amalfi Coast!

Beth and Scott on the coast with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

View from the restaurant where Beth, Scott, and I ate lunch.

From Positano

Beth and Scott in Positano

Ravello

From Villa Cimbrone in Ravello

Sera and Martin in Ravello

Amalfi

Amalfi

Valle delle Ferriere: A hike on the Amalfi Coast

We were determined to try this hike again after not being able to complete it in December (see Ravello hike post). We knew there were spectacular views to be seen, but we had missed seeing all of the other beauty that this hike boasts. This time it was going to happen!

After spending the night in Ravello on Friday night, we awoke to a wonderful weather day filled with sunshine, clear skies, and low humidity. Jon and I, along with our friends Charlie and Ayessa, packed our bags full of granola bars, apples, and a bunch of water, and headed to the start of the Valle delle Ferriere (Valley of the Mills) trail in Pontone. The trail gets its name from an ancient ironworks factory that lies in the middle. The area is now a natural reserve that sadly, few tourists make it to. The trail started and continued with us going up, up, up, and then up some more. Just when we would think that we just possibly couldn't go up anymore, there was a whole new set of rock steps waiting for us.

At the very beginning, making our way to the trail.

UP!

 Soon into the hike we saw what we had come for. The mountains were spectacularly framed by the clear blue sky and the city of Amalfi in the far distance was calling out to us. The trail wrapped around high mountains and cliffs and while gazing out onto the magnificence of it all we felt just a little small in front of such grandeur.

Amalfi is down below.

Camera timers are great!

Way out there!

Ayessa and Charlie

Another grand view.

The path eventually took us into a cool and dense forest and we heard the sound of water in the short distance. Beautiful waterfalls were pouring down the mountainsides into small rivers and pools of water. We stopped for a rest, took off our shoes, and let the COLD water flow through our feet. While enjoying the serenity of it all, we snacked and replenished ourselves, poured water on our heads to cool off, and did some exploring of the area to see which direction to take.

Dipping our feet.

Exploring the area.

Our snack spot.

Onward!

We ended up (accidentally) taking the road less traveled and found ourselves hiking a route where the trail was barely visible and barely marked. We had to climb over and under trees that had fallen over the path and thorn plants waiting to stick us with their points. I was a little bit miserable thinking about what kind of critters were waiting for us in the greenery, but alas, we made it out without any bites or stings. We ended up passing the "easier" trail as it met up with ours, but where would the fun be if we actually knew where we were going?

Passing some goats.

After 4 hours from our start in Pontone we were able to make out some cars in Amalfi and knew that we were close. We just didn't know that the hike ended with more than 1000 steps to the town! Down, down, down, we went, wondering at every turn when the steps would end. Some people also start this hike going from Amalfi to Pontone and we couldn't imagine starting this long hike with more than 1000 steps.

The end... almost!

We saw a lot of these.

We finally made it to the bottom and felt ourselves gravitating towards food! We sat down at a restaurant and proceeded to order caprese, bruschetta, gnocchi, ravioli, spaghetti, tagliatelle, and a pizza. Yes, we were hungry and we finished it all! A stop for gelato afterwards put us into a food coma.

Charlie's shoes took a beating!

There are parts of this hike that we did not see (another big waterfall and the iron mill and paper mill), perhaps because we took the path that we had to bushwhack our way through? Either way, we enjoyed this fantastic hike in the company of good friends, on the beautiful Amalfi Coast.

Sabato abbiamo fatto hiking sulla costa di Amalfi. Il hike e' chiamato "Valle delle Ferriere" e inizia da Pontone e finisce a Amalfi. Abbiamo fatto hking su molto rocce e costoni. Dopo un'ora e mezzo siamo arrivati alle cascate. Erano belle! Abbiamo riposato qui cosi' abbiamo mangiato uno snack e abbiamo messo i nostri piedi e mani nell'acqua. L'acqua era rinfrescante perche' era fuori caldo! Tre ore dopo, alla fine, siamo andati giu' per piu' di 1000 scale a Amalfi! Eravamo molto stanchi!

La settimana scorsa, siamo andati alla costiera amalfitana a fare un hike. Il hike che si trova in un parco naturale si chiama Valle dei Ferriere e incomincia da Pontone, vicino a Ravello, e finisce alla citta' di Amalfi. Abbiamo dormito a Ravello e la mattina seguente ci siamo svegliati presto per incominciare un hike di cinque ore. Le prime due ore, il hike e’ stato di salire la montagna con molte scale. Dopo due ore, abbiamo visto alcune cascate e camminato nell’acqua fredda. E’ stato molto buono sentirla sopra I nostri piedi stanchi. Quando siamo tornati, abbiamo dovuto camminare in basso per piu’ di un mille scale a Amalfi! Quando siamo entrati in citta’, eravamo molto sporchi, stanchi e affamati. Ci siamo seduti al ristorante e mangiato un grande pranzo. In seguito, abbiamo
mangiato il gelato come premio. E’ stato un grande giorno!

Ravello, a hike, and a fantastic meal!

Dave and Carla found an amazing hotel for the four of us to stay in for a night on the Amalfi Coast in Ravello. Being that it was low season we were actually the only people staying in the hotel that night and it seemed we were the only non-locals in Ravello! Ravello sits above the coast boasting fantastic views of the small town Minori and the coast itself. Our balconies looked out to this beautiful scenery.

Sunrise the next morning.

Looking onto Dave & Carla's balcony from ours.

After checking in, we went to the Gardens of Villa Cimbroni. These gardens are considered among the most important examples of the English landscape and botany culture in the South of Europe. Numerous impressive decorative items (fountains, statues, small temples, pavilions) from all over the world were placed in the gardens. It is proclaimed by many to have the most beautiful view in the world and I think we all had to agree that it was quite spectacular!

The entrance.

View from the gardens.

The exit.

Since December is a very off season time we had a few bottles of wine at the hotel before heading off to dinner. We had dinner at a quaint, family owned trattoria where we learned that although mamma (the chef) can be a little pushy with recommendations, mamma does know best! It was a delicious meal with fantastic company. Another bottle and a few cigars after dinner left us feeling great about our getaway.

All other pictures from this night were not suitable to be publicly posted!

The next day we went on a "moderate" hike called Valle dei Ferriere. This hike takes you from the starting point in Pontone, up and through the mountains, down through the valley, and ending in the town of Amalfi. We were told it takes 1-2 hours, but our research afterwards indicates that it takes about five hours, which at the time we were not aware of. We hiked up, up, up the mountain... and then up some more. At points there would be a very high cliff on one side of us and the other side would have you plunge to your death if you fell. Every turn lead us in an upwards direction with steep climbs. We saw some amazing foliage throughout the mountains; a mix of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, that we had not seen since being in Italy. Up we went, passing a man herding goats with bells on, passing colorful lizards scurrying away from us, passing small waterfalls. At points we could see Amalfi in the distance, with the bright blue sea behind it and we were excited to end our hike there.  Unfortunately, after two hours of hiking it started to pour, we were nowhere near Amalfi (we figured we were at about the halfway point), the direction we were headed continued upwards and not down, we were out of water and snacks, and it was going to get dark in two hours (and we didn't know how long the next part would take us). So we played it safe and turned around. Even though we didn't make it to our ultimate destination, the hike was beautiful, fulfilling, and well worth the rain, grumbling tummies, and numbing legs!

Picture perfect rock!

Amalfi is behind us.

Cold, wet, and tired!

Tired from the day we decided to stay in and make dinner. When we got home we went to our local fish guy and bought two octopi, two fish, and a bag of mussels (which he gave to us for free), along with eggplant and peppers from our vegetable stand. Dave took care of the octopi (I'm still not really sure what went in to that), Jon put his surgeon skills to use and cut and gutted the fish, and Carla and I scrubbed, debearded, and steamed the mussels. It was such a memorable night filled with laughter, love, and of course molto vino.