From Sorrento, we moved on to Amalfi via the bus.
This was a very scenic trip (we were on the right side for the best views) though a bit harrowing at times. I was amazed several times at the fact that were not hearing the scrape of metal on concrete, as these are not wide roads. In fact, during the busy season, the buses are only allowed to travel the road in one direction, taking a less scenic route back North.
Amalfi is one of the few towns in the region with decent bus access, so it's one of the larger and more tourist-focused towns. We still found it quite charming.
The town's main square is just up from the harbor, and is dominated by the elaborate facade of the Church of Saint Andrew.
We visited this square often and ended up getting a pre-dinner drink at this cafe most nights. There were often events going on in the small square, and if you squint here you can see the bell of a tuba from a marching band on the left and robed figure processing into the church up the long flight of stairs.
Note for later reference the ruined tower up on the cliff overlooking the back of the church. Foreshadowing!
Inside the church was nice, but fairly dark. The real treat was the Cloister del Paradiso adjoining. It offered a small but very well kept garden, faded friezes, and a good chance to take artsy-fartsy pictures of the church belltower.
Here is that tower again, this time at eye level. As I mentioned in the last post, this was a trip about climbing, and climb we did. One of the highlights of doing many walks in the same region was that the longer we stayed, the more different views we got of several of the same landmarks and towns. It really allowed us to piece together the geography as we went and ended up being very satisfying. It also prepped us for some of the unique challenges of navigating the region. Foreshadowing!
Here is a picture of the back of the church facade, our cafe, and the belltower from the tower we hiked to. This highlights the tilework on the belltower a bit more, which we would grow to learn is a hallmark of the area.
And a panorama of Amalfi from the same vantage point.
Before Amalfi's main industry was tourism, it was paper mills. The city sits in a river valley, and mills used to dot that valley, though the only remaining working mill is now the Amalfi Paper Museum.
We are suckers for small local museums, and this one certainly delivered. The bulk of the museum was in cramped, subterranean spaces which don't lend themselves very well to pictures, but I didn't let that stop me. All but the very oldest equipment still works, and you could see the engineers' eyes light up (mine included) when the guide opened the sluice and started several of them up. They are still controlled by water wheels! Neat!
The town next to Amalfi is Atrani, which despite being a 15 minute walk away feels like a very different town. But oh, that walk. To get a sense for what one faces when navigating the area, I present a photo essay featuring Mary pointing out the direction to go at each turn when walking between towns.
Donkey break! This was not the first time we saw donkeys being used to transport materials while we were in the area. It is a relatively modern area but when your only access is via stairs, sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
Mary, playing it cool in the presence of a bystander, pretending we were not filming a photo essay by studying the tsunami evacuation plan (it's 'go up', by the way.)
The square at last. Atrani is noticeably smaller and quieter than Amalfi, and has many fewer tourists. I was glad that we had restarted our Italian studies, as when I got us coffee and post cards I had to do it entirely in the native language.
Here is Atrani from an overlook on the walk. Given how small the square was, it was hard to get a picture that really captured it's character. While I'd not want to stay in Atrani due to how tiny it was, I did find it deeply charming and was very happy that we could walk there when we wanted.
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