18th May 2000 Paestuma and Positano
Trip Start
Apr 27, 2000
1
22
81
Trip End
Aug 09, 2000
Paestum,
Italy
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
We decided to leave Sorrento as early as possible (7.45 am as it eventuated), to avoid as much traffic as possible for our drive over the mountain, through Sant Agata, and onto the coast road down the southern side of the peninsular, from Positano to Paestum. It's never early enough. The trip down, driving on the right side of the road, means you are driving beside a cliff face of some hundreds of meters to the water below, with only a meter high fence between you and oblivion, and every oncoming vehicle trying to send you into it. It was an exhausting drive, with adrenalins starting to pour out my ears. I needed a caffeine stop 15 km down the road, and another one when we cleared Salerno. To hell with cappuccino, I now need constant transfusions with espresso. I've had eye washes with more liquid than they serve in their espresso's, but there is more caffeine than you'd get in four cups of regular coffee. Makes the coffee Anne and Drew make at work taste like dishwater.
Survived the drive to Paestum, and despite the poor signage, found the archaeological site. It is more than just three Greek temples, which is all that most of the guidebooks tell you. At the entrance to the site, there is the oldest of the temples, still in excellent condition. Between this, and the other two temples, both of which were covered in scaffolding and undergoing major restoration, is approximately half a kilometre of the city. Residences, theatres, forums etc. Not as spectacular as Pompei, because there are no mosaics or frescoes, and in most cases, the walls remaining are only up to several meters in height. Nevertheless, even without a map or guide book, we gained a good idea of the extent of the city. It is all surrounded by the original city walls. The excavated area of approx 500 meters by two hundred meters, forms only about 20% of the entire area enclosed by the walls. Most of the other space is farms, and the main road runs right through the middle of the amphitheatre (only half has been left, the rest is under the road.) That's how they rediscovered the site-putting the road through. One of the local snack bars has a great array of photographs of the site; being cleared, overrun by men in military uniforms that look extremely fascist, and finally of soldiers with rifles at the ready walking up both sides of the road-I suspect American troops after the landing in WW2. We also spent an hour in the Museum, which has a fabulous collection of 600 to 200 BC Greek artefacts from the site.
We retraced our steps back up the coast, and noticed that much of it is flat scrubby coastal land, with all the big tourist hotels scattered along the main road. Plenty of signs indicating camping grounds down the streets leading toward the beach, which we surmise means that you can camp along the beaches, but the hotels/resorts must be set well back from the beaches. Also drove beside an extensive timber plantation for five k's or more, all Australian Gum trees. Here we noticed for the first time, the major contradiction in Italian driving. They have a need to overtake anyone in front of them, and will do so on blind bends, over double lines, whenever. But they also have drivers, that on a main road with a speed limit of 90 kmph, insist on driving at 50 km/h. Talk about infuriating. After the changing in driving culture in Australia over the past thirty years, it is difficult to revert to the dangerous old ways of trying to pass them with a constant stream of oncoming traffic. What we have learnt however, is that the roads may only be one lane in either direction, but they regard the middle of the road as up for grabs. If you want to overtake, you do so, and the oncoming traffic simply moves over onto their shoulder of the road. Just leave your indicator flashing to let the oncoming traffic know that you are out there in the middle. Ches still occasionally makes some sort of reference to the "laws". I'm sure she will get over the idea in the next week or so. In Italy, there are no laws, they are just "suggestions".
Anyway, we made it back up to Solerno, and negotiated our way along the waterfront and around the docks, onto the Amalfi coast road. Solerno is hemmed in by the mountains behind, so it has just expanded along the coast. Without a city road map, as we are finding in just about every city we have driven trough, you just have to have a vague idea of where the motorway is, and your relationship to the coast, and you can muddle through. It just doesn't pay to get stressed. In most cases, the main road (as opposed to the motorway) simply passes through the town and emerges the other side, in a relatively straight line. On occasions, traffic volumes have meant that they have turned the main road into one way (which is the case in Solerno), but they invariable turn a parallel running road into one way in the other direction. In Solerno, the road is one way for around 7 km or so (at a guess). Don't look to follow the signs (in this case saying Amalfi or Positano). Just have faith; the water is on the left and the mountains on the right. Not only are signs a rarity, as previously noted, particularly in the countryside on minor roads, but when they exist, everyone who runs a business seems to be entitled to attach a sign to the post. Down around Paestum, there must have been twenty or so sign posts, some directing us to the archaeological site, but they were lost among up to a dozen other signs on the same post. In most cases, the concession is to have the historic/tourist signs in a maroon/brown colour, the town signs in blue on white, and everyone else brown on yellow. It's probably a good idea to stop and familiarise yourself with the colour coding early on, so that later when you are in traffic, and trying to find your way, your eye know the colour to look for. If you don't, there isn't time to read every sign on the post looking for the one that is relevant to you.
Back on the Amalfi coast road, it is 37 km to Positano. One and a quarter of an hour later, we arrived at Positano. Let me repeat that, it's no typo and we double checked, 1 hour and 15 minutes to cover 37 km. On two occasions, I had to reverse back around a hair pin bend to let a bus through. At least I was on the inside cliff face, not looking down on the "oblivion" side. Not only does the road run along the edge of cliffs almost the entire road, but that inside lane, is in most cases, overhung by the cliff above. The locals continue to overtake. The best example of the total disregard for safety we have ever seen was in passing through a cluster of restaurants/hotels clinging to the cliff faces, just around a blind corner, three guys had an extension ladder up the side of their building, with the foot of the ladder several meters into the roadway. By this stage I was beyond either laughing or crying. I just wanted to get to Positano, and not move from a sun drenched balcony for 24 hours.
I got my wish. Found the main road into Positano (it is one way, and the entrance is on the western side of the town), and our pensione, with little difficulty (thanks to the map in the "Lonely Planet Italy"). We had to empty the car in minutes so that they could drive the car away to a parking station for the duration of our stay. At L25,000 per day, it's the most expensive parking we are likely to encounter anywhere in Italy. Considering the limited space, and cost of real estate in Positano, it is to be expected. Our pensione, Villa Rosa was stunning. Beautiful large bedroom with domed ceiling, patterned tile floor, and a huge sundeck (a good 4 meters by 4 meters) with views out on the western side of the town. Ches immediately lay down on our bed (4.00pm), and slipped into a stress induced coma for two hours. I immediately exposed the body beautiful to the sun on our balcony, overlooking the half of the town that remained clinging to the cliffs below us (the other half was above us).
Sevenish, we showered and headed down through the village, window shopping our way to the beachfront, where most of the restaurants are located. You won't find a non-tourist restaurant in Positano. Most of those clustered around the beachfront are staffed by uniformed waiters. We walked around the headland that links Spaggia Grande (the main beach in Positano proper), with Spaggia del Formillo, the adjoining beach. Right on the end of the headland, beside the path, is a round turret/castle tower. Someone has converted it into a residence, with an outside staircase from the second floor up on to the roof, which serves as their garden/sundeck. If ever I have seen anywhere that I would love to live for the rest of my life, it is in this place. What am I talking about! I've given it a second thought. Provided I could have the 20 meter yacht moored just off shore, and a motor boat to get in and out of the place, fine. If I ever have to drive that road again, I'd have to think twice. We walked just around the end of the headland to Lo Guarracino. It is up a dozen steps, and built in to the cliff face. Half the restaurant in enclosed, with plenty of glass, and obviously the section used in winter or cooler weather. We elected to sit in the section that wraps back around toward the Spaggia Grande. It is primarily bamboo walls at the back (against the cliff face) and a bamboo ceiling. Black plastic is over the bamboo on the outside, which obviously makes it water proof in the event of rain. Again, it illustrates that our health department and the controls they exercise over restaurants/cafes is probably excessive. Very rustic, an just what we were looking for. We later discovered it listed in the "Lonely Planet Italy" guide (pub. 1998), recommended for past at approx L7,000. We didn't find a pasta dish for under L10,000, most L12,000 to L16,000. Ches had Penne with Melanzane (eggplant); very tasty. I had linguini with Gamberetti (lobster type crustaceans about the size of a large prawn. It was disappointing in that the flesh had that pulpy texture that you get with frozen seafood. For mains, Ches had pan fried Calamari tubes which were fabulous, and I had an excellent Fritto Misto. For the first time, we encountered a L6,000 charge for the bread, and a 10% service charge. All other places where we have eaten, have had these charges included in their individual dish prices, but we recalled that we had been warned. With a bottle of Mineral Water and a huge jug of the local red (which was very smooth, and went down very easily), it worked out at just under L100,000 (approx $A85.00). On a par with Leichhardt in every respect, except the view. We enjoyed the meal with a view up and down the coast, and at 8.45, a full moon rose over the headland next down from Positano. With a cloudless sky, no wind and consequently a mirror like sea, the moon threw its light in a wide path across the surface of the water, right to our table. We didn't have a camera. That fixed it, on leaving, we advised the owner we would return the following night. She was trying to be the bright hostess (her 17 y.o. son waited tables, along with dad), but explained that her glands were all swollen (huge puffy throat and cheeks), because at this time of the year, with the arrival of humidity and heat, the hour of sea breeze that picks up at sunset, causes this reaction. Unlike Sydney, where the breeze drops at sunset, it lifts along the Amalfi coast.
Back at the main beach, we waited while a 30 something American male embarrasses his partner by insisting that he have a small spoon of each type of gelato before he would order. By my calculations, given the cost of gelato in places like Positano and Sorrento, a couple of spoons is around L500 worth. Where is the spirit of adventure anyway? They gave up on him, and served us. Again it was good; but we are yet to experience anything that is sensational. We must be spoilt in Leichhardt! I have to remind us that our Gelataria in Leichhardt is owned by an Italian who only emigrated to Australia 5 or so years ago. His is as good as anything we have eaten in Italy, and he normally has more variety. We have only struck a couple of places that stock any more than say ten types of gelato, and most of them mass produced commercial brands.
We headed off back up the mountain/cliff to our pensione. Ches had noted that there was a boutique next to our pensione, and that there were signs down at the bottom of the town, pointing up back alleys. She figured it was a shortcut. Some time later, we found ourselves in a labyrinth of corridors and staircase. Eight floors or so up, we realised we were in a hotel, that continues in steps and stages, halfway up the mountain. Fortunately, it did eventually lead out into our street. The boutique, was the hotels boutique! We didn't try to repeat the exercise. We would have been far less exhausted by taking the winding road back up the hill, rather than five hundred steps.
