Amalfi: It’s a Small World After All

Musings

“Are you from Indianapolis?” Turning toward the the man speaking to me in the Duomo of St. Andrew in Amalfi, I had only the vaguest hint of familiarity. He continued, “We used to go to the same Starbucks. Weren’t you starting a business?” His wife moved on, uninterested in this random and incredibly obscure connection. I smiled and acknowledged, “Wow. That has been at least 15 years ago. I am impressed.” He scratched his head and said, “Enjoy your trip!”

What are the things that make a memory stick? Here, 5,000 miles from Indianapolis, I had zero context for this man from home and the thinnest thread of familiarity – and yet, our small world and those threads of connection still pull on us. With some time, I dusted off the memory and placed him. Time is a strange thing.

You Can Call Me Joe

My phone rang, “Buongiorno Mr. Berry, theese ees Giuseppe, your driver for today. Are you at the cafe? I am in blue van.” Looking up, I saw a man in a van waving warmly to me as he’s turned down the street by our apartment. “I am Giuseppe, Joseph in English and you can call me Joe if you like.” A big smile, endearingly broken English, and opened arms closing to a firm handshake…I liked him immediately. I could not bring myself to call him Joe, he was definitely a Giuseppe. Later that night, he would give Sally a hug, wink at me and say, “Don’t be jealous.”

A short while later, we piled into a van and began making our way out of Naples. Giuseppe was a wealth of information and at ease with persistent chatter. What really struck me was his affection, and pride, for this place he called home. He was born in Castellammare but now lives in Sorrento with his wife who owns a restaurant there. We passed Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii (we’ll learn more about them tomorrow) as we drove up into the Monti Lattari (Lattari Mountains).

Along the way, Giuseppe described the various produce of the area: lemons, chestnuts, grapes, olives, and the Corbarino Cherry Tomatoes grown in the volcano soil in this region. Everything up and down these mountains was green and conveyed a sense of great fruitfulness.

Amalfi Coast

After the lush greenery, the next thing we noticed were the narrow, winding roads. I’m pretty sure there was not room for two vehicles at any point along the way but somehow, the locals managed to make it work quite well. Not even massive tour buses slowed things down too much and there were many moments when I was certain the beeping of the proximity sensors would lead to scrapes and bumps. Giuseppe did not hesitate, nor did he bump any cars, scooters, or people.

Our first stop was in Ravello, a village just over the mountain overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. A gelato snack and quick tour of the 13th century town square introduced us to the beautiful ceramics produced in this region and our first taste of the massive number of tourists pouring into this area. “Oh, this is offseason,” smiled Giuseppe as he dropped us off to go find a place to park. Ravello, as were Amalfi and Positano, was beautifully placed, scenic, charming, and full of people visiting shops and restaurants.

Whatever pictures you may of seen of this stretch of the world, they cannot do it justice. The views were stunning and it was difficult to take in all of the detail. As my eyes moved down the mountainside, villas lined the mountainside in cleanly cut terraces, as did the vineyards and lemon groves. Roadways disappeared over ridges and the sea stretched to infinity, its glittering smoothness broken by all sorts of boats moving along the coastline. We kept moving but it would have been enough to have camped at one of the terraces and simply watched it all unfold.

First Apostle

Moving down toward Amalfi, there was far more congestion as vehicles converged. The town itself was down to sea level and built its way up onto the mountain from there. Rolling into it, I was reminded a bit of of the converging of humanity into resort towns like Seaside in Florida where there are limited roads and lots of people. There were many people laying on beaches, no sand but small rocks, with the crystal blue water washing gently upon them. The town itself seemed to rise straight up from the shoreline and was full of shops and restaurants.

Guiseppe dropped us off and we made our way straight toward the Amalfi Cathedral, a 9th Century Cathedral dedicated to the Apostle St. Andrew. In the 13th Century, Andrew’s remains were brought to from Constantinople in the 4th Crusade and a crypt was completed to hold them. The crypt is beautifully decorated, reflecting the Romanesque style of the overall Cathedral.

Lunch in Amalfi consisted of pizza at a seaside table with a warm sea breeze and cold drinks. The glint of the sun on the crystal blue water was mesmerizing.

Positively Positano

Next, we moved on to Positano, a village that was literally built on the mountainside. Walking its streets was tricky as cars, trucks, and motorcycles competed with tourists walking between shops for very limited elbow room. There were really only two directions in Positano, up or down, as we moved between the shops and church which was located down a steep, cobblestone street that ran between buildings to the edge of the sea.

Watching Giuseppe muscle through without decimating walkers who were amazingly oblivious to the inches between them and his tires was astounding. He did it and I will be interested to watch video of our egress up and out of the village, winding out way into the mountain. As we left Positano, I noticed some cafes toward the stop of the town that were cliff side and would have been great places for lunch or l’aperitivo. Note to self for next time.

Our last stop was a seaside dinner in Sorrento’s Marina Grande, overlooking the Gulf of Naples. We could see the lights of Naples across the Gulf as well as the various towns dotting the coastline and sides of Mt. Vesuvius. It seems they sat us in an English speaking section as we could understand all conversations around us. Running out of steam, we talked and laughed quietly, recounting the day’s adventures and discoveries.

Realizations

As we returned to Naples last night, I realized we had been going for over 12 hours. Our heads were bobbing and I don’t remember much of the drive back. Angelo got us home safely but it was clear we had hit the wall. This is a grand trip, perhaps the trip of a lifetime. However, we cannot see everything Italy has to offer…and that’s ok. Today we go to Pompeii – it will also be a long day, however, we will need to find some time to stretch our legs a bit and breathe it in.

Giuseppe will be back to get us shortly. I don’t think Lucia will be our guide today but I’m sure Manuela will do great. Salvatore, my new friend who owns the cafe serving as my office for the last few days, is still making great cappuccinos and the sun is shining. The small moments are no less precious in the shadows of the great. A good thing to remember.