Day 16 - La Dolce Vista - Amalfi Coast

Day 16

La Dolce Vista - Amalfi Coast

Everyone we talked to said don’t drive a car along the Amalfi Coast.  It’s too scary and dangerous.  So we drove the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento to the small town of Amalfi.  If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger!

The Amalfi is where coastal mountains plunge into the sea in a vertical scene of precipitous crags, picturesque towns, and lush forests. Almost everywhere you look there is a picture to be taken.  During tourist season, the buses that take you to and from the small coastal towns are very crowded and don’t stop for viewing.  The roads are often 1 1/2 lanes wide, and even with a small car, there are tight spots when there is on-coming traffic.  You drive with your window down so you can hear the horns of buses near the tight and sharp corners of which there are many.

Residents park on the narrow road we drove (we didn’t see any garages), so their parked cars add to the road claustrophobia drivers experience.

There is approximately 50 kilometers (22 miles) one way from Sorrento to the town of Amalfi.  A one-way trip takes about an hour and a half.  The reward for driving are the incredible views.   

REMINDER - If you want to see  any of the pictures in a more robust size, click on the picture and it will enlarge.  To return to the story from the picture, click on the 'x' in the upper right near the picture.

At first you see mostly ocean; then islands; then boats, then the towns where the houses and shops somehow fit on extremely steep hillsides.  

Pictured above is the town of Positano which some of you may have heard of.  It’s almost dreamlike in appearance.

The coastal road contours the land and sometimes into the side canyons.  

Occasionally there is wide spot in the road and even a place to park.  The parking spots are few and far between, so we took advantage of most that we saw when we were quick enough. 

The biggest city we saw on the Amalfi coast was Sorrento with a population of about 16,000, far less than St. George.  Even though small, all the smaller ones we saw were picturesque!

Even with the steep terrain, most have beaches, and they, too, make you happy your camera doesn’t require real film.  

Shari wants you to see the car that can handle the narrow Amalfi roads, traffic, and parking.  Here is car with the 1/2 Italian driver.

This driving trip took place on our last day in Sorrento.  There are probably too many scenery pictures already, but I’m going to end with one from our patio at La Tonnarella.  We loved it here!