Secret swimming holes & beaches under bridges, Amalfi Coast, Italy.

We took our time the next morning as our bus wasn't until 10:30. We were set to meet up with our next AirBnB host, Lucio (Lu-cho) at one of the seaside towns, Minori. We caught the busy bus no problem, however it dropped us at a unmarked stop so we ended up having to find wifi to find our man! Alas, we were soon in his tiny car heading up the mountain side which at one point in the road goes so narrow they need traffic lights in the daytime! Pulling into a gated carpark, we arrived at his house in Ravello. It was a big home with many levels, all inhabited by his family or family friends. We dropped our bags in our room & headed out to scale back down towards the ocean. 

The walk was intensely steep, & after a good half hour, we made it to a town called Castilliglio. Once again taking crazy steep steps down to the actual beach, we wasted no time in stripping off & charging on in. The swim was replenishing, & exactly what we needed. We clambered back up the stairs & walked towards the town of Amalfi (Overrated) for a browse before returning to the middle beach, Atrani. We swam off a massive concrete slab for a good hour before heading back to Ravello on the bus.

Feeling starving for dinner, we threw on some clothes & walked across the street to a big open garden with lots of tables in it. We had a delicious pizza dinner in a nice breezy setting before we paid up & stumbled across the road & straight into bed!

The next day we had a big one planned, a two hour bus ride out to 'Bagni Della Giovanna,' a secret waterhole I had seen & had been dying to get to. We packed a spare change of clothes for dinner in it's closest city Sorrento, & set off for the bus. The ride was nauseating, dangerous and kept us on the edge of our seats. It entailed two hours of twists & turns along with the slamming of brakes when meeting another vehicle on the almost one way cliff side roads had me feeling woozy, so once we made it to the bus stop & grabbed a snack, I was on the mend! We walked down a path following directions off the internet, veering off the road & down a skinny path lined with ruins. What we found at the end of our decline was an extraordinary hole in the ground with a shining emerald & blue pool at the bottom. 

We navigated our way down to a small strip of beach, the place was scattered with primarily locals, which was a great sign. We wasted no time in diving under the cool, refreshing blanket of water & we marvelled at the moment. Sean decided to take it to the next level & he made yet another leap of faith straight from the top of the path into the surprisingly deep ocean. We swam out through the hole in the rock & were met with gorgeous blue ocean. Deciding to move our stuff to the cliff on the other side, we leapt from an old bridge into the sea, & splashed around soaking up the sun and all its glory. 

After a wonderful few hours spent at our new favourite swimming spot, we decided to gather our gear & head to Sorrento on foot which was only about a half hour track. After browsing bars we settled on an Irish pub for a cold pint of Nastro Azzuro. Getting changed in the process, we were ready for dinner, which was a few doors down. The restaurant, Parrucchiano, is a Sorrento institution & one recommended by Cristina & family. The restaurant itself is huge, with countless tables & an army of waiters. We were sat at the most picturesque end of the restaurant, with lemons everywhere you looked, & our romantic dinner for two was set. A delicious Italian meal & fantastic local white wine later, we were out & back on the bus home. Thankfully I slept the way back so it was nowhere near as bad as the morning!! We climbed into bed ready to take on the next day. 

The next morning we woke up & immediately met two new faces who just checked into the other room. Mike & Fhum, a newly married couple from Montreal were super friendly, & they offered to drive down in their hired car to our next swimming destination, Furore with us. Before long we were on the road, & we made it to the giant bridge which connects the main road over a cove. Heading down the steps, the boys were picking out the best places to jump from, & were so excited they would've leapt straight away, fully clothed! After wisely deciding to check the depth, they were back up the stairs & off they went, free falling into the deep, picture perfect sea! It was my turn next, & after standing on the edge for a while, I let myself go, & I plummeted into the beautiful, refreshing ocean. It was fun but once was definitely enough!

We swam, chatted, & the boys continued to jump off things for awhile before we unanimously decided we were all hungry for lunch. Heading to Lucio's favourite restaurant spot, Atrani, we hit up a restaurant called 'Ristorante Salvo,' & tucked into some fresh, tasty seafood. Finishing up & headed home, we pulled up at the supermarket & picked up a few supplies. We made it back home & it ticked over to beer o'clock. Sharing a few beers with our new friends & also Lucio & his gf, we swapped stories & marvelled at the massive downpour that swept over us. 

As night crept in & a few beers later, we decided it would be an fantastic idea to head to the eggplant festival down in Maiori. The four of us piled into the car & navigated our way to the festival. Unfortunately, it had been rained out & our craving for eggplant parmigiana was looking like it would go unfulfilled! That is, until the boys went into a small family restaurant & walked back out with a whole tray of the stuff!! We headed back to the house & each dished up the delicious parmigiana. We got through a couple bottle of wines, & after an evening walk around Ravello checking out the fanciest hotels, we were back home & into our beds! 

We woke up, packed up yet again & then bid farewell for now to our French Canadian & Italian friends. Hopping on the bus back to salerno we arrived, boarded our train back to Rome, & said sayonara to the sea, & the phenomenal Amalfi Coast!

The almighty Amalfi and captivating Capri, Italy.

We awoke early to the sound of alarm blasting away. We packed up our things drowsily & were out the door in good time. After stopping for a pastry & espresso, Cris & Roberto dropped us off at the station. We hopped on the train & before we knew it we were in Milan. We had a two hour stop over before jumping on the fast train to Salerno, so we just chilled at a café & had an overpriced sandwich. Once we got on board we were sat opposite each other, next to two Italian strangers. One of which was a lady who sighed frequently, & unnecessarily loudly! 

It was a long six hour trip but we made it into  Salerno just as night was falling. We jumped in a cab from the station & pulled into a small alleyway which allegedly led up to our Air BnB. After asking a friendly waiter at a nearby restaurant, he pointed us in the direction of our accommodation & in no time we were buzzing on up. We were greeted by a young, quiet couple who showed us our cute orange room with a little terrace. We dumped our bags & asked where the best place was to eat. The man recommended the same restaurant downstairs with the helpful waiter so we headed on down & after a little wait for a table, we were seated. Dinner consisted of a tasty thin pizza & an okay salad, & satisfied, we went back upstairs & dived into bed! 

Waking the next morning to the noise from the bustling little street below, we walked out into the kitchen & helped ourselves to brekky. Our plan for the day was to head out on a ferry to the town of Positano, & once we figured out where it was & we got changed, we were off! We managed to make the 10:30am ferry, & we took a seat up on the top deck. The water was absolutely gorgeous the further we moved around the Amalfi coastline, & the secret coves, beaches & houses along the way were countless! 

After a couple of hours we arrived at the port of the pretty-as-a-painting Positano. We disembarked the ferry, had a quick browse around the town & marvelled at how 'Italian' (tacky) the unreasonably expensive clothes were, then had a bite to eat before heading to the beach! We walked along a path just outside of the town, away from the crowded main beach, & stumbled upon a quaint little cove where hardly anyone was, happy to avoid the masses lazing about on over priced deck chairs!! Jumping at the chance to get in the stunning aqua blue sea, we laid our sarongs down on the scorching hot pebbles, & dived on in. 

The water was cool & very refreshing, & the cove was such a little haven away from the masses. We had a couple of swims & chilled in the before heading back towards port & onto the 4:30 ferry. Napping the majority of the way back (whilst being pranked by a certain photographer,) we arrived back in Salerno. We made our way home, stopping at a supermarket on the way to gather supplies for dinner. I hopped into the large shower while Sean cooked up a pork dinner, along with peas, carrots, zucchinis & mashed potatoes. We crawled into bed, ready for an early start in the morning for a day trip to Capri!

We accidentally overslept our alarm when we eventually woke, & after chucking a few things together & throwing clothes on, we raced to catch the 8:30 ferry. Making it just in time, we set sail again over the crystal blue ocean, & after stopping a couple of times to pick up more passengers, we arrived in the port of the paradise island of Capri. Unloading off the ferry, we weaved & dodged around the masses of other tourists, who trickled off other boats at a seemingly never ending pace. Seeking respite at a café with a particularly strong cappuccino, we made an executive decision to hire a scooter for half of the day, & after we paid up, our waiter pointed us to a scooter hire store. 

The hiring process was a breeze, the gent behind the counter marked the best spots on the map, & we had 5 hours to bring it back. Setting off on the hectic & narrow island roads, we rode along a winding pass that cut into the mountain & provided breathtaking views. It wasn't too long before we pulled into the carpark of Punta Carena e Farro & as we walked down the pathway we soon came to realise why the swimming spot was a local favourite! The  water deep, yet crystal clear, so you could see every rock on the bottom. We jumped off a diving point, which unbeknownst to us, would be just a warm up for the ones to come!

After making like a sunbaking lizard on the rocky boat ramp for a wee while, we were up & off again, this time headed to another swimming spot on the opposite side of the island. This one was called Grotta Azzurra, & it was just picture perfect. Laying our sarongs down, we leaped into the ocean, the island dropped off right away into blue abyss, making this the perfect jumping spot. Sean was jumping from a point a good 8 metres up before a young local boy asked him to come jump off a point nearly twice as high! Unsurprisingly, Sean needed no time to deliberate, & he was soon up on the face of a cliff. It was a giant drop but he wasted no time in taking the leap of faith, plunging into the water, then coming up laughing. We hung around the serene spot for a little while, before agreeing that we were both hungry, & so we were back on the scooter, headed towards the opposite end of the island.

We parked up in the town centre as no vehicles were permitted past a certain point, & we made our way up a hill towards a restaurant Sean had read about. Making it to the place after a good twenty minutes of walking, we were met with a closed door & empty place. Not disheartened, we retreated down towards another crisp white place we walked past earlier. It worked out fantastic in the end, because the place we ended up at, 'La Palette,' provided outstanding views of the other side of the island from their modern balcony. We enjoyed a cold peroni with a tantalisingly fresh Capri salad, before our mains were brought out. We both had different pastas, mine a seafood special & Sean's, a classic carbonara. They were both fresh & tasty, not to mention very cleanly presented. It hit the spot, & after paying up, we were back walking down towards the J'ardin Augustino. 

The gardens were picturesque, amongst the cliffside with sea views. Unfortunately as we were in a hurry to get the scooter back in time, we could only stop for a few photos of the gorgeous view, before heading back to the carpark & jumping on the scooter. We rode back down to the shop, dropped it off, & after one more swim at a packed beach we were back on the ferry bound for home. 

We stopped by the supermarket again & picked up some snackie foods - cheeses, cold cuts & bikkies. We weren't terribly hungry so it was just a light dinner along with  a couple of beers each. The second one, a German wheat beer smelled & tasted like smoked salmon! It was bizarre & I wouldn't rush back into another one! We were in bed shortly after, ready to leave Salerno to venture further into the coast.