Positano
I'm not embarrassed to say that one of my favorite films is the romantic comedy (AKA "chick flick") Under the Tuscan Sun. In a pivotal scene, the main character Frances rides a scooter across much of Italy to surprise her love interest, Marcella. To her dismay, he has found someone else to love, and she is left heartbroken and feeling foolish. The reason I am relating this bit of movie trivia is that the backdrop for this sad story is the Amalfi Coast and the spectacular seaside town of Positano, Italy. I was so taken by the scenery in the film that I researched the location and incorporated a visit into our sabbatical trip. The Amalfi Coast has a single road that winds along the cliff tops and connects the Sorrentine Pennisula with Positano, just a few miles away. We got up early yesterday morning and got to Positano before the crowds of tourists arrived to fill the streets and stores with activity and noise.
We parked our rental car about halfway down the steep road that zig-zags from the top of town to the beach. We walked the rest of the way, oohing an aahing over the views. The town is often described as "vertical" for the way the pastel-hued buildings seem to hang over one another in their rush toward the sea. Once we reached the beach, I walked through the sand and took pictures while the morning light still lit up the town with a soft glow. Then we looked for a place to eat breakfast. Despite the dozens of restaurants lining the streets of Positano, there are virtually none that serve breakfast. There were numerous bars in operation and several pizza places open, however, at 8:00 a.m.! We finally managed to find a chocolate croissant and juice. Soon the streets were teeming with tour bus passengers. We walked around a bit more, bought hand-painted ceramic house numbers to bring home, and then returned to Sant' Agata on the tortuous road along the coast.
In the late afternoon, we drove down the hill to Sorrento for our second cooking class. The instructor was Lucia, who was joined by several members of her family (sister, nephew, nieces, etc.) in preparing a meal that included wood-fired Neopolitan-style pizza. Our classmates were a family from England: Mother, father, son, daughter-in-law, and four young grandchildren. A daughter had been married the day before in Sorrento. We all got along great and enjoyed each others' company as we followed Lucia's instructions. The food we prepared incuded deep-fried eggplant, deep-fried ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers, and deep-fried mozzerella sandwiches. After a lot of deep frying, we finally sat down to eat. We were nearly full by the time the pizzas were put in the oven to bake for three minutes each, but we managed to eat several slices. The class started at 4:30 p.m. and we finished eating our meal after 10:00!
The ride back up to Sant' Agata seemed extra-long in the dark, and we hurriedly prepared for our early morning departure to Rome when we returned. Our six days on the Amalfi Coast certainly passed quickly. We could have easily spent more time there if our sabbatical schedule allowed!
I'm not embarrassed to say that one of my favorite films is the romantic comedy (AKA "chick flick") Under the Tuscan Sun. In a pivotal scene, the main character Frances rides a scooter across much of Italy to surprise her love interest, Marcella. To her dismay, he has found someone else to love, and she is left heartbroken and feeling foolish. The reason I am relating this bit of movie trivia is that the backdrop for this sad story is the Amalfi Coast and the spectacular seaside town of Positano, Italy. I was so taken by the scenery in the film that I researched the location and incorporated a visit into our sabbatical trip. The Amalfi Coast has a single road that winds along the cliff tops and connects the Sorrentine Pennisula with Positano, just a few miles away. We got up early yesterday morning and got to Positano before the crowds of tourists arrived to fill the streets and stores with activity and noise.
We parked our rental car about halfway down the steep road that zig-zags from the top of town to the beach. We walked the rest of the way, oohing an aahing over the views. The town is often described as "vertical" for the way the pastel-hued buildings seem to hang over one another in their rush toward the sea. Once we reached the beach, I walked through the sand and took pictures while the morning light still lit up the town with a soft glow. Then we looked for a place to eat breakfast. Despite the dozens of restaurants lining the streets of Positano, there are virtually none that serve breakfast. There were numerous bars in operation and several pizza places open, however, at 8:00 a.m.! We finally managed to find a chocolate croissant and juice. Soon the streets were teeming with tour bus passengers. We walked around a bit more, bought hand-painted ceramic house numbers to bring home, and then returned to Sant' Agata on the tortuous road along the coast.
In the late afternoon, we drove down the hill to Sorrento for our second cooking class. The instructor was Lucia, who was joined by several members of her family (sister, nephew, nieces, etc.) in preparing a meal that included wood-fired Neopolitan-style pizza. Our classmates were a family from England: Mother, father, son, daughter-in-law, and four young grandchildren. A daughter had been married the day before in Sorrento. We all got along great and enjoyed each others' company as we followed Lucia's instructions. The food we prepared incuded deep-fried eggplant, deep-fried ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers, and deep-fried mozzerella sandwiches. After a lot of deep frying, we finally sat down to eat. We were nearly full by the time the pizzas were put in the oven to bake for three minutes each, but we managed to eat several slices. The class started at 4:30 p.m. and we finished eating our meal after 10:00! 
The ride back up to Sant' Agata seemed extra-long in the dark, and we hurriedly prepared for our early morning departure to Rome when we returned. Our six days on the Amalfi Coast certainly passed quickly. We could have easily spent more time there if our sabbatical schedule allowed!