Our ship arrived in the port of Salerno, a bustling waterfront and beautiful city with a fortress on a hilltop. But our excursion this day would be by boat to Amalfi.

It was a gorgeous sunny day, and the 45-minute boat ride gave us exposure to the terraced lemon groves this area in known for, with lemons the size of oranges! And the beautiful structures, now ruins, on the cliffsides (more buildings built to deter pirates) and the pastel-colored houses of Amalfi.

“I’m restless
Things are calling me away
My hair is being pulled by the stars again” 

-Anais Nin

Our first stop was the Cattedrale Di Saint ‘Andrea, also known as the Duomo Di Amalfi, as explained by Lonely Planet: “As the first maritime republic, Amalfi dominated the sea in the Middle Ages and traded vastly with all peoples overlooking the Mediterranean. Every detail in the Duomo is a direct consequence of this. The original structure of the Cathedral dates back to the sixth century BCE; it was then annexed to a newer building in the 13th century, and ornamental changes and decorative additions continued in the centuries to come. The newer part was built to house the relics of St. Andrew that arrived from Constantinople in 1208 after the Fourth Crusade.”

There are 62 steps up to the entrance, and it’s said if you didn’t take a picture of the steps, you haven’t been to Amalfi. While I would have loved to explore more inside the church, we were there on a Sunday, and there was a Mass going on. But we did get to make a short stop inside.

Amalfi is interesting; the streets are narrow and look like pedestrian walkways, but there is actually two-way car traffic on a single lane controlled by a traffic light. No thanks. We were able to take some side streets and wander around, finding some lovely shops and a very interesting creche, The Fountain “De Cape ‘E Ciucci”.  The ciucci, or donkeys, would come down from the mountains with fruits, vegetables, and wood, and use this trough to drink. Since 1974 it’s also the home of a creche, some of which is under water. Pretty funky! The flowing water is also home to some koi, and a local family cares for them.

Amalfi has a vibrant boardwalk and beach area, with outdoor cafes and lounge chair rentals, and even on this October day there were swimmers and sunbathers. We stopped for a Negroni Sbaliato (me) and a Cosmopolitan (Steve) at a place on the beach. Great drinks in a great setting and met a newlywed couple from Boston – she has a Red Sox hat on. Small world.

The busy waterfront has rip rap jetties with interesting stone; the cement structures they use look like the jacks we played as kids.

The evening of our departure we passed the city of Positano, but at such a distance we couldn’t see it well, but our ship took a wide berth around the island of Capri at sunset. Stunning!

Well, our adventure was supposed to continue in Rome but was thwarted by a case of I-don’t-know-what. Let’s say the trip home was a bit of a challenge; cancelled and rescheduled flights, an unexpected extra night in Zurich, bananas and dry toast and chamomile tea, and delayed luggage, but we made it.  There are a couple of hotel housekeepers I’m sure were happy to see the back of me. I was happy to be back in our own bed. But even with all of that it was a fabulous trip with an itinerary I would recommend to anyone. And I found a quote that describes me when I don’t have a trip to look forward to (thankfully there are many).

“I’m restless
Things are calling me away
My hair is being pulled by the stars again” 

-Anais Nin

Deborah