Italy - Day 5: Amalfi

One of the first places I decided I'd visit when I was planning this trip was the Amalfi Coast. 

With a population of just over 5,000, you might think that Amalfi is some sleepy little seaside town and, at one time, it probably was. Not these days, though. These days it's a booming tourist mecca that could use a bit more parking.

If you're driving like I was, the trip to Amalfi from Rome will take a little under four hours. About half of the trip is on the autostrade and the other half is not. It's the "other half" that needs to be discussed.

Driving on the autostrade is simple enough. It's akin to driving on I-95 here in the States. However, once you get off the autostrade and onto "surface" roads to get you to Amalfi, it's a bit different. It was the windiest, twistiest road I've ever driven on, and I say this with 100% sincerity: If you are not absolutely almost annoyingly confident and competent in your driving abilities, you probably have no business making this drive. It can be downright treacherous. At one point, I was passing a Mercedes coming the other way, and I noticed his side view mirror was folded in. I erred on the side of caution and did the same.

Our cars passed, literally, within an inch of each other. Granted, we were crawling at that point, but it's still incredibly close.

Once you arrive in Amalfi, though, you forget about all of that, Amalfi is stunning:

A portion of Amalfi. The entire Amalfi coast is actually a 31 mile stretch of eye candy...

The centerpiece of Amalfi is its cathedral. Built in the 10th century, its bell tower was completed between the 12th and 13th centuries. The relics of St. Anthony are entombed here.

Looking up at Amalfi Cathedral from the Piazza del Duomo...

A view of the Cathedral from the entrance...

Now, one thing I didn't think of was the fact that it was Palm Sunday. As I stepped into the Cathedral I was surprised to see a standing room only crowd, and an Archbishop giving mass in Italian. I decided to stay. I'm not a devoutly religious guy by any stretch of the imagination, but when would I ever again have the chance to attend a Palm Sunday mass in Italy given by an Archishop in Italian?

Archbishop Orazio Soricelli at the conclusion of his Palm Sunday mass...

Looking down at the Piazza del Duomo from Amalfi Cathedral...

I've been all over the world, and Amalfi is one of the most target-rich photo op places I've ever been, From almost anywhere you are is a vista that takes your breath away.
  

The town of Amalfi, Italy...

 
There was no shortage of places to grab a drink or a bite for lunch, with lines of people waiting for tables, and almost all of them had signs like this out front:

For whatever reason, police and the military in Italy don't like having their photo taken. This cop obliged me though by saying "Solo una foto" (Just one picture"). As soon as I put my camera down, though, he starting hamming it up and making faces at the camera. As soon as I picked the camera back up he was instantly stoic.

A police officer in Amalfi...

I'd walked around Amalfi for what seemed like only a few minutes when I realized I had been exploring for a few hours. I also realized that I hadn't eaten for some time, so I decided to stop into Lo Smeraldino for a late lunch. I gotta' tell you, this was good; one of the best meals I had during the trip:

Every so often I like to "fancy it up" by going to a place with cloth napkins...

Despite the smaller portions in Italy, they don't lack for taste. The chicken/ricotta ravioli was mind-blowing...

I don't normally like to sit outside at a restaurant but, with a view like this, how could I not?

I finished lunch, paid my bill and headed for my car. Amalfi wasn't the only place I wanted to visit today, so I figured I had best get back on the road...