Ahh - the Amalfi Coast! Reputed playground of the rich and famous - and it's not hard to see why. No more Duomo visits, no more museums - now...this is what a vacation is all about! And there was even enough sun to bask on the beach (for a few hours).

The drive from Orvieto down past Rome and Naples wasn't as hair-raising as I feared it might be (but then, I wasn't driving)! Heading out the peninsula in the direction of Sorrento on the south side of the Bay of Naples, bluffs down to the sea gradually became taller, and behind us from an otherwise relatively flat horizon arose the unmistakable outline of Mount Vesuvius. Fascinating, but more on that later.

Then as we cut across the peninsula heading towards Positano, the roads became narrower, windier, and one hell of a lot steeper! The good part about being navigator was that I didn't have to maneuver along narrow twisting roads past buses and an assortment of homicidal maniacs - many of them on motorbikes. The bad part was that the passenger seat (which I unfortunately occupied) was on the cliff side of the narrow little pathway that passes as "the coast road". Trust me - it's a lonnggg way down! Even though there were NO possible route changes, I spent a good deal of time, head down, studying the maps that were snuggled securely in my lap!

Miraculously, and with full credit to Tom's driving skills (or good luck, I'm not sure which), we made it alive to Positano. I was so thankful that I was fully prepared to pay the parking garage owners any princely sum they wanted just to allow us to leave that pretty little Citroen in their capable care. They were happy to oblige, for said princely sum. A win-win situation!

If even just one of these photos is worth anywhere near its reputed 1000 words, I've already said far too much. If any of you are contemplating a visit to this area, from my very limited experience base I would urge Positano, not Sorrento. I know Sorrento only from a drive through. Positano I know a bit, and it's fantastic. I'd also recommend the Buca di Bacco without hesitation. The people, accommodations and location are fantastic. And on reflection, without denigrating the other factors, I'd underscore people.

A word on the Isle of Capri. We did it, I'm sure, all wrong. We did the usual tourist "take a boat in the morning, see Capri, return that afternoon" sort of thing - which gives you 5 hours on the island - max. Not only that, we really didn't have any plan of attack for the outing.

My expectations for Capri, particularly of the photographic type, were very high. I was disappointed. At the very least we probably should have hired a cab to give us a tour - notwithstanding the atrocious price - but we didn't. Nevertheless, I do have some good memories of the day. A pleasant lunch in Anacapri followed by a visit to Grotta Azzurra - the Blue Grotto. It's clearly a "tourist trap" - particularly the boat costs, taxes(??) imposed, and mandatory tip, but at the same time it's kind of fun and the light inside the cave is really quite something (sorry the one shot is so blurry - low light and the damned boat kept bobbing up and down!). I hope someday to be able to give Capri a more balanced test.

In fact, I still strongly suspect that the way to really see Capri is to STAY there a while - like say a week - and really get to know the place absent the madding crowd. (Take your time to explore that link a bit. While I've never done business with Daniel, I'm told his offerings are first class.) I had a stay on Capri at one of Daniel's offerings planned at one point, but it never came to pass. Maybe next time!