A day to sleep in! . . . Well, maybe not. There is a whole town and coastline to explore just outside our door and we only have this morning and tonight. We head back to Rome tomorrow morning on the 8:00am bus and today we head to Positano to explore it. No time to sleep. We can sleep when we get home.
We were up and had breakfast of muesli in yogurt and tea. Out onto the street by 7:30am this beautiful, blue bird day. My thought was to travel inland on the main road of the town to its end, however far up the valley that might be.
We progressed up marveling at the number of motor scooters we’re parked on the street. The river that runs down this valley is completely under the streets. Every once in a while you can hear it rushing below when you step over the iron grates that periodically dot the road.
The town used to produce paper as an industry, starting like 1300 years ago. They used the exact same process from back then up until 1969 when they modernized their equipment. 🤪. Just above the paper museum we found a group of musicians gathering. They all wore the same clothing so we could tell it was an organized band. We continued up the road another few hundred yards to its end, then turned around to return. The band had collected all its members and was warming up.
We stopped at a pastry shop to eat a croissant and have a drink. As we sat enjoying the morning and listening to the Italian being spoken around us we heard the band playing and marching down the street. They were good!
They finished their song in front of us and then milled around. We took the opportunity to head down toward the main square. Soon they were playing again and heading down right behind us. We ducked into a doorway and let them pass.
Is this an every Saturday occurrence or is there something special happening today? We learned from a conversation with a high school girl enjoying a treat at the cafe that this was the weekend they celebrate Saint Andrew’s birthday, the patron saint of the town.
The ban played all the way to the town square, finished their song and then disappeared into a cafe for a pastry and coffee. It was fun to see the town’s people on their balconies watching and listening to the music. We returned to our room and prepared for our boat ride up the coast.
Once down at the docks, we purchased two way tickets and then lazed in the sun waiting for our sailing time. Once on board, we sat up front on the rooftop seating where we would have a magnificent view of the coastline. In front of us we met Case and Sara from Winnipeg and had a lively talk with them as we glided up the coast.
Positano was somewhat of a disappointment. Not sure what I expected, but it was smaller than Amalfi and composed entirely of tourists shops. The people of Positano have discovered the utility and beauty of paint. The stucco walls of their homes are freshly painted, giving the town a vibrant and fresh fell. Amalfi could take a lesson. Although Amalfi is bigger and more diverse, Positano wins for looks. Our return tickets were set for 3:30pm, but we boarded the 1:30 boat for Amalfi. This time the boat was loaded. We had two bus tours from Rome on board.
Sally and I stopped to eat out near the beach, our second “meal” at a restaurant. Good, but not worth the price.
We returned to our room for a nap, hoping to have the energy to enjoy the town this evening. When we came back out, the town square was full of locals, 99% of the tourists having left on their buses.
We were just in time to see a parade down the Main Street of a crowd carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus and then up the stairs into the church. We tried to FaceTime Andy so he could enjoy this tribute to his namesake, but he didn’t pick up so we shared the event with Jeff and Jackie. We got ahold of Andy immediately afterward and shared the Town square and stories with him.
We wandered east on the highway to see what the vendors had for sale, then back to our room about 8:00pm. We watched a video on the history of Rome and then conked out. A very fun and enlightening day surrounded by amazing scenery on a grand scale
We were awakened by fireworks a couple times during the night. At midnight and one, then at five and six this morning. They must really admire Saint Andrew!!
No comments:
Post a Comment