Never before having been to Italy, I took off to the Amalfi Coast to explore the beautiful beaches and colorful cliffside communities with my mom for my birthday. We flew into Naples from Basel and grabbed a quick bite to evaluate the hype around the most delicious pizza in the world–the reputation held true and we stuffed our faces by eating an entire pie each. We then took our rental car and zipped through the windy roads leading to Amalfi, surprised by the audacity of Italian drivers and navigating our way through the narrow streets in our tiny Fiat.
Amalfi itself was a beautiful town. The shop owners were all very kind, making for a very pleasureful and relaxing shopping experience. We made our way to Positano by ferry, noting the many stray cats roaming the area (and all of southern Italy, it seems). The cliffs of Positano were lined with gorgeously vibrant homes, making for a picturesque morning and an exciting hike up to the Path of the Gods. I stood in awe at the beautiful landscape before me, staring out at the city from the ferry boat.
Before our big hike, we stopped to lounge on the beach and take a dip in the ocean. I was surprised to feel how dense the Tyrrhenian Sea was. I could barely muster the energy to swim and simply sat there, floating and looking up at the colorful assortment of houses on the hill. After we dried off and my mom haggled a nearby artist for one of his paintings, we popped into random shops and art galleries. The paintings in Positano were painted so realistically that they looked like photographs. Past the shops, we made our way to the main road only to discover many roads didn’t have sidewalks and that we would have to share the road with traffic as the small European cars zoomed past us.
The Path of the Gods was a difficult climb, but worth every step. As we escalated higher into the hills, the views became even more astonishing. If I were to go back, I would definitely do it again. Although, I would do it properly and start at the top (from Amalfi), working my way down to end in Positano. Not having known the different options to attempt this climb, we decided to power through the difficult route (starting at the bottom and working up). This was fine, and provided a great workout, but our backs were to the ocean the entire time, forcing us to turn around to admire the views rather than having a screen-saver-worthy landscape before our eyes throughout the entire journey.
One thing I picked up on Italian culture from my time in Amalfi Coast: Italians are more than willing to help, but they are very literal. It could very well have been the language barrier, but when navigating the Path of the Gods, they would always answer our question directly without providing further insight. When asking how to get to the Path of the Gods, Italians would direct us to the nearest bus stop and give step-by-step instructions on how to reach the path from our current, exact location (disregarding the fact that there were much easier and faster routes elsewhere, had we known to walk a mere 15 minutes east).
Another thing that really grabbed my attention was how much Amalfi transformed between early morning hours and the buzzing evenings. Before noon, most streets were calm and quiet, with little movement and few stores open to peruse. However, at 5p, the square transformed with plenty of seating suddenly available for the restaurants lining the perimeter. People gathered for a bite and sat for hours, socializing and enjoying their food; in no apparent rush to be any place else until the end of time.
I really enjoyed Italy’s social culture and their laid-back attitude on life. The country has mastered the art of indulgence and taken to relishing in life’s simple pleasures. I could use more of that outlook in my own life.
The Travels of a California Millenial 