Sorrento Moon (Sorrento - Amalfi - Ravello)

The concept of the Amalfi Coast and visiting one town after another seems so simple, dear reader. It is not and our attempts at travel have been hampered by the blockade and lack of fuel on the Sorrento peninsula. Thankfully that is over and fuel and tomato supplies are returning to normal.

From the comfort of my chair in Redfern, I pre-booked many of our experiences. I did this to spread the cost but also to ensure we didn't miss things we really wanted to experience. The problem with this, as always, is you don't know what you don't know. Is it easy to manage the Naples metro? Are the trains from Sorrento the best way to get around? Do the ferries operate everyday to the islands? Sometimes the answer can only be discovered through experience.

Today's excursion was to Ravello via Amalfi. As I mentioned previously, the ferries had not been operating at full capacity and neither had the buses. After some discussion, we opted for a bus transfer to Amalfi and then another bus up the mountainside to Ravello. Spoiler alert, IMHO (and Jayne's) Ravello is overrated. I would not be lying awake at night lamenting the fact that I never made the mountain top had I missed out. Despite the views.

Anyway, October 25 arrived and at some point in the half light, it dawned on Jayne that daylight saving had ended. Yay, we scored an extra hour, but were also awake well before required. As a result, we decided to catch the early bus. The 8:30am bus to Amalfi was also the first bus of the day - it was Sunday. No breakfast today, that would be on the road somewhere.

Amalfi beach.

Tickets, cash only accepted for some reason, were purchased from a very disinterested attendant and we joined the very long queue that stretched the length of the bus and beyond. It was a bus, not a coach and standing was allowed. That meant cramming as many people on board as possible. We made it on board although not into a seat.

From Amalfi port.

The journey seemed long and unusually circuitous in parts. At one point we headed towards Naples and down a street that required a three-point turn, I jest not, to pick up passengers on the other side of the road. We then turned towards Amalfi once again. While it was not 'all stops' we did stop frequently to pick up other passengers and occasionally to let someone off.

Looking up from the port area.

It was crowded enough to ensure that if you lost your grip you didn't fall very far because there was someone very close by. If I'd had milk in my bag it would have been butter by the time we reached Amalfi. The close calls between the buses are legendary on that road and we edged past a number, close enough to touch. The good news was a lot of people alighted at Positano so we scored seats from then on. This gave us an even better view of the perilous cliffs plumeting to the sea, as the bus wound its way along the coast road with only a low stone wall between us and oblivion.

Amalfi was already crowded when we arrived, thanks to cruise crowds that were slavishly following the paddle. Ravello was our initial target and we located a private bus that guaranteed you a seat for €7 each. A nice earner when you consider the public bus from Sorrento cost us €3,60 each.

A random shot from the open air bus to Ravello.

After a short wait, it was a 30 minute trip up to Ravello, including a lengthy contraflow, and we had to make a decision about how long we would stay there because there was bus siesta in the middle of the afternoon. This was compounded by my paranoia that ensured we purchased our return ferry tickets before we left Amalfi. The second last ferry departed at 3:40pm (sunset is now just after 5 pm) and that bookended our day. Again, you don't know what you don't know. We purchased seats on the 12:15pm bus which gave us a little over an hour at Ravello. Otherwise we would have been stranded there till 2:30pm, assuming everything ran to schedule, which in our experience, is not always the case. We did check out a back up plan involving taking a taxi but that was going to cost €60.

Looking towards Salerno.

First stop was a café for an espresso and panini. Good coffee and great panini but we would have happily shared one had we known how filling they were. Then we went into the Duomo which is distinguished by the mosaics inside.

The tiled pulpit.

The stairs to the pulpit.

There are views across the valley to other tiered mountainsides. Very picturesque. And a villa which we didn't have time to explore. The narrow streets containing the shopfronts sold much the same stuff that is in every second store in Sorrento. Obviously ceramics are big and featured prominently. As did cats. They were everywhere (sorry Min, no pictures).

Across the valley.

The gateway to the Villa Rufolo.

The view driving up and down the mountain provided some spectacular coastal views. Maximum respect to the cyclists who rode to the top.

Back in Amalfi, it was even more crowded. Again taking our lives in our hands, we crossed the main road into the piazza that housed another Duomo named for Sant'Andrea, the apostle Saint Andrew. The steps were steep and crowded with people having a rest or taking selfies. It too has a Byzantine influence and is a church built on the site of numerous other churches. The last religion standing wins.

The Duomo of Amalfi.

Byzantine arches.

We paid for entry and tried to dodge the tour groups and their loud-speaker guides, not always successfully, although they tended to move on more quickly than we did. There were frescoes dating back centuries, some still in excellent condition, others only partially visible and religious artworks in the museum before you enter the church itself.

One of the many frescoes.

Again I was surprised by the crypt. It was much more ornate than I expected. A painted ceiling with lots of gold and an extremely ornate altar with a large bronze statue of St Andrew. My favourite piece was a painting of one of the saints with a finger to the lips to endorse the "silence" sign. Naturally the tour guides ignored this.

The ceiling in the crypt.

St Andrew.

Shhh!

Inside the main cathedral above the crypt, a side altar behind bars, houses the relic of Saint Andrew's skull which is venerated in celebration each September on his feast day. On that day as well, manna, a thick liquid is said to be collected from his tomb under the altar as a continuing sign of his protection of the town.

St Andrew's wasn't the only skull on display.

Sadly the bell tower was receiving some special attention and was shrouded in blue plastic and scaffolding. A pity, because the fish scale tiles would be worth seeing.

The bell tower.

We wandered the very crowded streets for a little. There was nothing much to see, the usual tourist shops and lots of places to eat and drink. Back towards the port we walked and turned towards Atrani. It was supposed to a 5 minute walk according to one pundit but would have been closer to 15. We didn't go all the way because there was no footpath and while some were happy to disregard their personal safety and walk two and three abreast with their back to the traffic, we were not.

Ceramics are everywhere.

Just beyond the halfway mark we stopped and made our way back towards the port. However, en route we were suddenly distracted by a sign advertising birra all spina. It was a message. We had time so we grabbed a table and were entertained by watching the death defying pedestrians while we enjoyed a beer.

Another sculpture by Roggi who featured at Matera.

The ferry journey back to Sorrento was a longer, if less death defying, affair than the bus trip but it also provided a different perspective from the water. Jayne was a brave soldier and stayed by my side all the way to Sorrento despite becoming increasingly cold as the sun dipped and the wild chill increased on the open deck of the ferry. 

Here are some random shots from the trip back up the coast. In reverse order because of Google.

Our apartment building in the background to the left of the Hotel Vittoria.

Vesuvius near sunset.

Interesting stair case.

A church.

Buildings cling to the cliff along most of the coastline.

Back in a twilight Sorrento, we disembarked the ferry at Marina Piccola and headed up the cliff stairs to home and a quiet evening on the balcony. Tomorrow would be an early start and another adventure in taking the train to Napoli for our food and history tour, starting with a 7 am Circumvesuviana train which hopefully would not be as crowded as the Amalfi coast bus.

Despite returning home after sunset we have yet to see the Sorrento Moon that Tina Arena sings about.

Alla prossima.

Devil Gate Drive (Lecce)

Time to slow down a little, dear reader. It's all well to travel a country, but there comes a time when that journey needs to be more moderately paced. After all, that is why I booked a minimum 4 night stay everywhere except Rome and Florence, both places we have previously visited.

Today we were attempting to find a supermarket and a bakery and somewhere to have our daily coffee and pastry. Google suggested a piazza roughly between us and the old town. The rain had gone, but the wind had not and the forecast temperature was only 20° without the wind chill.

Piazza Mazzini, recommended by Google, has a massive fountain in the centre and was surrounded by banks, as far as we could see. Or designer stores. We ventured down one side street to find more of the same and no café or supermarket. Not to worry, we turned towards the old town and walked down the corso, lined with expensive stores and an anomalous McDonalds. The cancer is everywhere.

Big piazza, big fountain, big disappointment.

Back in the old town, we searched for a café that was a little protected from the wind and had tables in the sun. We found one in the south-east corner, aptly titled the South-East Café. The coffee was good but they had no croissants or brioche left. We would have to wait until later for sustenance.

I wanted to walk around the town just inside the walls but this proved to be impossible. There was not one road to circumnavigate old Lecce. Alora, I settled for walking to the three gates. The fourth was destroyed at some point and built over. Unusual.

Porta Napoli.

Unfortunately the first gate on our list, Porta Napoli, had us following a school excursion of 14 year olds. It appears 'boy behaviour' is the same the world over. Who'd be a high school teacher?

The gate is plain on the inside and decorated on the outside. Just beyond it, in the real world, is an obelisk.

The obelisk.

The next gate, Porta Rudiae, was not far away, down some reasonably quiet streets, in the university section of the old town. There were still cafés and restaurants and small shops, selling Lecce crafted materials, but the crowds and tour groups were missing. One had material hanging between the buildings and was decorated with fairy lights. It would be quite the picture at night.

A side street.

We also came a cross a doorway that had prickly pear, fico d'India, hanging from the metal frame. I'm uncertain why. It is the fruit that is eaten not the leaves.

I'm not sure what's going on here.

Porta Rudiae was the entrance closest to the university of the arts and was different in style to Porta Napoli. The decorative façade faced out to greet visitors.

What happened here? On the wall of the University of the Arts.

Porta Rudiae.

Thoughts of a birra became stronger as the day wore on but I was mindful that we had not eaten. As we walked towards our third gate, we passed a trattoria that sold traditional Lecce dishes. Clotilde had recommended it yesterday. They also sold alla spina, draught beer. Bonus. Deciding which version of pucce to have was not easy until the owner recommended the 'pucce of the day' caramelised onion, zucchini flowers, mozzarella, speck and other things I can no longer recall. It was absolutely delicious.

The final door was Porta San Biagio and we meandered our way there, only following a mapped course as we neared the gate itself. You never know what you'll find wandering the lanes and streets of an old town. The Duomo often appeared above the other buildings acting as a focal point and guide, helping us to re-orient ourselves.

Porta San Biagio.

The final gate checked off, we walked to a nearby supermarket to buy the supplies we couldn't get earlier in the day. We walked in and walked out. Let's say that the proprietors weren't Italian and no-one from Lecce would be spruiking the quality of the produce on sale here.

Back home and back to Google. Our afternoon excursion proved to be more fruitful (see what I did there?). It directed us to another supermarket and bakery. Curiously, it was the one we were sent to in the morning in Piazza Mazzini, except this time the map brought us in the other end, straight past the boulangerie to the Coop. In our morning exploration we had opted to check out the other side of the piazza. 

Coop was the first stop. I have found a new favourite brand of chips, San Carlo 1936 or San Carlo Rustica. Either will do. They are excellent.

The Boulangerie has a cheese and charcuterie counter as well as pastries and breads. This is where we will come for breakfast. All we needed for tonight was some cheese to go with the left over pizza and wine we had already purchased. Happy days!

OK. So we hit all the gates. Isn't that enough to go all Suzi? Devil Gate Drive Come on, you know you want to.

Wednesday

Breakfast was at the Boulangerie. The people were so lovely and welcoming and we appeared to be the only ones who were not local. The doppio was excellent. I had a strudel which was delicious and Jayne had a pasticciotto, an apple and cinnamon filled traditional Lecce cake. I'll be trying that tomorrow.

Back into the old town, we went to the Castle of Charles V. Eventually. The access roads to it were being excavated with bull dozers this time, no trowels (yet), so we had a round-a-bout walk to get there. The next tour was 11:30am so we purchased tickets and burnt some time back in the main square.

The new statue of Sant'Oronzo.

The reviews on Google were quite mixed. A couple of patrons had a sook about the fact that the guide spoke only Italian and the non-Italian speakers were forced to use an audio guide. The other issue was that you could only access the interesting places on a tour. Obviously some areas were being protected.

The original statue, protected from the weather.

Today was the first day I walked out of the apartment with out my ear buds. If I'd had them, we could have listened to the guide who provided more in depth information. Without them it was audio guides and ear phones for us.

The tour itself was interesting and much of the castle is a work in progress where careful excavation continues. Like many of the buildings in Lecce, it is a celebration of many different eras, medieval, renaissance and baroque. Parts of it have been built over or around and it was altered to the tastes of whoever was ruling the day.

The original doorway has been altered for an upstairs addition.

A fresco in a side hall.

The dungeon was probably one of the more interesting stops. Complete with graffiti from its occupants, in fact one carved a letter about his unjust imprisonment. It reminded us of our tour of the castle in Cognac many years ago.

I'd put my coat of arms on the ceiling too. If I had one.

I'm innocent, exclaimed Victor.

Castle tour done, well not quite. The last stop was a papier mâché museum. Yes, you read that correctly. They take the art/craft very seriously here. Here are some photos. Without comment. Or smirks.

It was time to check out the inside of the Basilica Santa Croce and the Duomo with its crypt. No access without a ticket. €22 for the two of us to visit 5 churches and a museum. Happily, we do not have to do all of this in one day as the entry ticket remains valid for two weeks. We will split our visits over the remaining two days, because we can.

I am not sure how many more times a church can deliver the wow factor, dear reader. I have seen a few in my time, but today they both did. The numerous side altars with staggering Baroque decorative detail, the paintings, the papier mâché figurines, the carved ceilings with inlaid frescoes. The exterior façades prepare you for what you will see inside but the Basilica and the Cathedral are also quite different. 

The Cathedral has a lot more colour with stained glass windows and gold guilt edging on its side altars where Santa Croce is more monochrome, relying on the Lecce Baroque carving for its wow factor, with the exception of the centre piece behind the main altar.

Where they believe they have a relic of the cross of Jesus.

A side altar.

The main altar.

The ceiling.

The Duomo also has its crypt which features fairly unadorned walls and arches but has grills in the floor to see the excavations below including ossuaries, and multiple pairs of glasses that people have lost when they have obviously leaned over too far to have a good look. Rather weird looking down at skulls lying alongside name brand sunnies ...

Sorry, I missed the sunnies.

A side altar.

The main altar.

The Last Supper. On the ceiling.

I'd just like to point out that the Last Supper on the ceiling of the Duomo has people seated on both sides of the table. I'm sure it's much easier to get a booking that way. Imagine asking for a table that seats 13 all facing the artist?

The crypt.

The crypt had four arms.

Our touristing almost complete for today, we returned to the Duomo Piazza to go back to the wonderful store we had visited with Clotilde two nights ago. Here we purchased the delectable limoncello balls and some more Puglia wine and then, happily it was birra time at a sunny table in another piazza before heading home with our purchases. 

Curiously every time we were assailed by dodgy non-Italian hawkers, they spoke to us in French. I'm not sure if that is to represent what they see as the dominant language of visitors, or if we suddenly look Gallic. I mean, I have opted for a hat rather than a cap. 

Dinner tonight was at the restaurant that Clotilde recommended on our first night, Osteria Vecchia. Happily it was open tonight. Unhappily a very large tour group had booked out the inside restaurant. The less said about that the better. 

We could eat outside or find somewhere else. It wasn't that cold, except for the breeze, so we opted for an outside table. We sat and watched as more and more people were turned away. It was particularly gratifying when some marched to the door and expected to be seated and were not.

The food was excellent. And, yes, it was very cold outside due to the breeze.

Alla prossima.