Amalfi Coast

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Amalfi harbour

Fuore inlet

We've walked about 15km each day, but doing a vertical 600m either in single or multiple ups & downs. Yesterday we walked along the old footpaths that connected the towns along the coast, some of them mule tracks, Within the towns, the streets are perhaps a meter wide on average and pass under and over buildings. In Amalfi itself, the main route between the upper and lower town was along such an arcade until they covered and paved the stream to allow wheeled traffic access. So, like Himalayan villages, everything moved on the back of people or mules until the motorcar became common after the war. We encountered mules carrying building equipment up some of these streets, others were taking their owner and some metal panniers up for another building project. Often there is no car access at all.

All the churches have been Barouqued, so I haven't spent much time in them. However, there are many shrines in various spots across the hills. The coast has an old history of Muslim pirate raids and our hotel at Praiano is just above a Saracen tower, now an artist's studio. The harbours are tiny, but were an important part of the Amalfitani trading empire, and before that gave important assistance to the Romans during the second Punic war. Fishermen still row or motor out each day to their fishing grounds, despite the influx of glitterati seeking sun and restaurants in these small isolated villages. On Sunday, the Neapolitan motorcyclists were out on the Harleys or Ducatis terrorising the locals with bad road manners.

Everyone here greets you with a boun giorno as you walk past. In Spain, the Galicians (including our guides) greeted each other as brother and sister - a really friendly society. The Amalfi coast is similar, but the tourists are more standoffish. The tourists in Galicia were generally pilgrims, happy to share a story or a g'day. 

The walk today was from our hotel at about 50m up along village streets (foot traffic only) up and around ever higher terraces to some grottoes underneath high limestone cliffs. Then through a high cleft to a gentle town growing grapes and everything else at about 650m. Across the top of the valley and the cliffs on the first part of the Sentiero degli Die - the Footpath of the Gods - to a saddle , then about 2000 steep steps down. Wonderful walking.

Our knees are generally standing up to it all. A caffeine dose in the morning helps our energy and plenty of water helps with the 26 deg days. Calves and cardio vasculars are coping well. Until a kid of ten passes you on an uphill slope of steps and asks what the sticks are for!