The Coast and Marina di Furore

First evening at Costiera Amalfi. We were amazed how very beautiful it was, and the size of the mountains. Very promising for the hikes to come!


















Magnus on hotel room terrace at Furore Inn resort and spa. We got an upgrade to a very nice room. The terrace overlooking the sea even had an olive tree for that authentic Italian feeling.







Lizards everywhere, basking in the sun.











Intimidating police car? Not really.
But one thing that was intimidating (according to some.... some thought it was very entertaining "like being in a computer game") was driving. The very narrow roads on the steep hills is not really made for meeting other cars. You have to be very quick to pull down your windows and turn in your mirrors where it was particular narrow to meet another car (or bus). All cars had dents, scratches and bits and bobs missing.










Hiking down to Marina di Furore on the trail called La volpe pescatrice (the fishing fox?). Very steep and very pretty. Fig trees with ripe figs to pick and eat on the way.











Marina di Furore. A few houses that with a bit of a stretch can be called a small village. Tourists in the summer and back to fishing in the winter.











The waves was unfortunately a bit to big for swimming at such a narrow space this day. A cold drink and watching the sea had to suffice before the steep climb back up.











The very beutiful entrance to the small beach. The Italians call this deep gorge in Marina di Furore "the only Fiord in Italy". They have clearly never been to Norway where they have the real stuff!







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Amalfi Town

Going for lunch at the famous Da Gemma trattoria in Amalfi town. They really have excellent food in the Campania region of Italy. The home of pizza, pasta, buffalo mozzarella and limoncello.








Lemons, lemons - everywhere lemons. And all varieties of citrus fruits.













Magnus on the terrace at Da Gemma after a lovely seafood lunch.












Amalfi piazza very stylish......




















Narrow Amalfi street.







Steps everywhere.

Marina del Cantone and Marina de leranto

Marina del Cantontone on the tip of the Sorrento peninsula is now a favorite.
































The grey wood is very fitting with the color of the sea and the pebble beach.































Lunch at swanky Lo Scoglio set on a wooden jetty. Memorable seafood. No need to call ahead making a reservation this time of the year.











So many choices...... but we are not in a hurry.










Fresh octopus in olive oil and a sprinkle of herbs. Good food need not be more complicated than this.
































The primi.
We do not understand how you are supposed to be able to have both a primi and a secondi. We usually choose one of them after great antipastis.
















There are worse places to take a quick work call. I'll trade my office for this any day!














Everything in Amalfi is blue to reflect the sea.











An evening hike down to Bay of leranto that is supposedly regarded as the best swimming spot on the Sorrento Peninsula. You either need a boat or you have to hike for 45 min.














A lovely bay in the evening sun with absolutely clear water.






One of the best swimming experiences ever. We had the beach to ourselves and could watch the sun setting behind the famous Faraglioni cliffs of Capri.












A steep hike (steep is a bit of a theme in Amalfi) back to the car and the sun is quickly setting.






















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Pompeii

An afternoon spent discovering Pompeii.
Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a long catastrophic eruption Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in AD 79. The volcano buried Pompeii under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.












On of the famous casts in Pompeii.







Painting with perspective.

















Cold water fountain in the baths donated by would be local politicians fishing for votes according to the inscription.






Maybe the first "beware of the dog" sign (including that text) in mosaic at the entrance of one of the excavated villas.








These, rather to the point, signs in the city of Pompeii marked the way to the bordello. Saving people the embarrassment of having to ask? Or just saving time if in a hurry?









These are really old chariot tracks in a crossroad. Nothing is suggesting that there would be anything less than mayhem (or at leas anarchy) on the Italian/Roman roads back then as well.








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Isola di Capri

Catching the ferry from Sorrento out to the beautiful island of Capri. About an hour to kill in Sorrento since the ferry service is not that frequent in low season. Not a problem to fill the time.


The price of an Espresso in Sorrento these days!!









Italians do know how to make good coffee!












Olives










Pasta pasta pasta. OD on pasta.











The main attraction for the day is Capri, situated 5 km from the mainland in the Bay of Naples.











Capri, known in Greek mythology as the isle of the sirens, was a favored resort of the Roman emperors. Most notoriously, the emperor Tiberius had his villa on the island, the location (supposedly) of debauched orgies.




















The island really is extraordinary beautiful.











We will be back! Earlier in the season but not ever during June-August that is apparently mayhem.













After a long hike down from Capri town, negotiating a wall (that you probably are not supposed to climb) and stumbling down a very steep bank.... finally you reach the water, with that otherworldly blue color, that look so irresistibly inviting.












It was easy to just jump in but the rocks are pretty sharp so getting out of the water is another matter altogether.









We only swim in Italy if we can have the Faraglioni cliffs in the backdrop. You have to try to keep some sort of standard!

























Gelatto on Piazza Umberto in Capri town.
This small town must possibly have the highest density of luxury boutiques in the world. Every little cobbled street corner shaded by lemon trees had a Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Armani or Rolex boutique. Fancier shopping, if that is your thing, to be had on Capri than on Bond Street in London.













On every trip at least one self portrait.
The evening got really chilly and we had a proper thunderstorm riding the funicular railway down to the harbor.














Walking the narrow streets of Capri.













Several Italians recommended this restaurant in Vico Equense, called the University of Pizza. Run by five brothers that make pizza by the meter (you can thankfully also order less than a meter). It is a huge barn like place that caters for an odd mix of busloads of charter tourists and large Neapolitan families. It was almost empty this time of the year (the families were there but not the tourists). In peak season they produce kilometers of pizza each day in three large ovens. The pizza was great!






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