After landing, we were met at baggage claim by our driver, Rafaelo, and set off for Amalfi, which is about 180 miles south of Rome. All three of us were passed-out for the first few hours of the drive, but we awoke outside of Naples. The highway has tremendous views of Mount Vesuvius, which really looms over Naples and the surrounding towns (including, of course, Pompeii). We witnessed something that seemed to confirm Naples' reputation as a hard-scrabble and violent place: the driver of a truck took offense at the driving of the car immediately in front of us, stopped in the middle of the highway (blocking both lanes), stormed out onto the road, reached in the open window of the car in front of us, and punched the driver of the car in the face. We sped on and soon came to the slow, windy, switchback-laden road up and over a mountain on the way to the Amalfi Coast. Maggie did not fare well at all, and her car-sickness reached new levels. Finally, we arrived in Amalfi and were escorted to our apartment for the week.
Amalfi only has one road, which is about 12 feet wide. Everything off of this main road is connected by staircases and side passages that are rarely more than 3 feet wide. Our apartment was located up a staircase and off of a lovely courtyard. As luck would have it, on the ground level was a husband-and-wife law office. Ours was a lovely little apartment, with three small balconies and views of the Duomo's belltower and the surrounding mountains. Immediately, Maggie loved our apartment, and quickly began calling it "Italy home." For the remainder of the week, whenever she was tired of being out-and-about, she would chant "Italy home." She has continued to do this since we have returned to Boston.
After settling in, we had a nice pizza-and-pasta lunch at La Gelea and did some shopping for food and other supplies. We wandered around Amalfi, exploring its hidden passageways and taking in the views of the Mediterranean. After a lovely dinner of homemade sauce and pasta, we forced ourselves to stay up until 9:30 or so and then passed out.
The view from Maggie's crib
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