A local artist painting the very beautiful town of Positano . . .
While traveling I enjoy looking at artwork that can be found in famous museums, but I also love admiring artwork from the many talented street artists. Over the years, I've managed to purchase several beautiful pieces which I will treasure always.
To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Gattina's Kehole PictureswebsiteHERE!
On ABC Wednesday I featured a photo of this beautiful beach in Hawaii. It was a bright, sunny gorgeous day where the blues of the ocean and skies and the greens of the grass and trees really jumped out at you from the photo.
I wanted to once again feature another beach photo but on this day it was a bit rainy, the wind was really kicking and there were these dark storm clouds hovering above, preventing the sun from shining through.
These photos are of the Marina Grande Beach in the seaside town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast of Southern Italy. Being there at that moment made me realize that there are just some places in this world that remain gorgeous, even in bad weather.
In keeping with the mood presented by the weather, I decided to post process my original photos in Black and White. Back in the old film days I used to really enjoy taking and processing B&W photos. I remember the excitement I had watching as the images came to life in the dark room. Now it is a matter of one click on a software like Photoshop CS4 which is what I used and voila.
And in case you're wondering, here is one of the photos in it's original color. :)
To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Gattina's Kehole PictureswebsiteHERE!
Today I had to choose between visiting the small town of Scala near Ravello or hike the famous Sentiero degli Dei (“Path of the Gods”).I haven’t done any real hiking on this trip because I’ve been having some issues with my asthma and to be honest I made the mistake of watching the movie “127 Hours” and I was a tad scared of the thought of hiking alone in a foreign country in the middle of the hills up to 633 meters above sea level.
But today I felt pretty good and I decided to conquer my fears of hiking alone. Plus I didn't want to have any regrets on passing up the opportunity to hike this very popular trail.
The plan was to hike from Bomerano to Nocelle which I read on my Sunflower Landscapes “Sorrento-Amalfi-Capri car tours and walks” book by Julian Tippet. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to do some hiking on the AmalfiCoast.
First, I caught an early Sita bus to Amalfi then on to the town of Bomerano by way of Agerola.From Bomerano the path starts just to the left of the main church in Piazza Paolo Capazzo.From here the path goes through Grotta del Biscott, Colle Serra and ends in Nocelle where I took the bus back down to Positano then back to Praiano.
The path was basically well marked except for a couple of places where I just wasn’t sure.Luckily there was a hiker to point me in the right direction.
I found this hiking sign with this very cool statue of Mary in this cave like hole in the mountain.It was as if she was sending her best wishes to all the hikers off to tackle the Path of the Gods trail.Cool!
I later met a couple of hikers along the way, this one woman was very interesting and she spent a few minutes talking with me (her in Italian and me in English) but somehow it worked.I asked if I could take her photo and she politely posed.We bid each other Ciao and went on our merry way.She was heading in the opposite direction.In fact all the hikers I passed were going in the opposite direction.
Now I can understand why this trail is called the “Path of the Gods”.You almost feel god like standing above this magnificent view.
Big carin with contributions made by hiker from all over the world. Can you see my rock? :)
I crash into a hiker taking a rest on this rock and I asked which way to Nocelle. He told me go right up the path.When I reached the fork in the trail I turned back to him and he gestured to go right.
Trail markings
Now, I was in really good spirits at the beginning of the trail but that movie started to mess with my head because there were some really uneven rocky sections.And to top it all off, I kept hearing rustling in the bushes as I walked along. I think they were the big lizards I kept seeing but I had visions of a rattle snake popping out from the bushes and attacking me.
Finally I can see Nocelle and just like in a marathon race you think you’re close but then you’re not.I finally get to this section and it went down under these enormous trees with leaves on the ground. It was dark, it was scary, I was alone and I was wishing my good hiking buddies were with me right about now.Since that last hiker at the fork on the trail, I have not seen one person on the path and it was really making feel very uncomfortable.
I heard another rustling sound and when I looked up I saw the face of this dog!I got startled but I also think I startled him. J
I decided to buckle down and head down that dark and creepy path.I look up and I could see my little friend!Can you believe that he was actually waiting for me!
My hiking buddy
My little hiking partner would walk ahead then stop and wait for me to catch up.He actually escorted me all the wayto Nocelle which I thought was so cool.But more importantly he kept me company when I really needed it.I would talk to him along the way and I tried to keep up with his pace (he was a fast hiker).
Finally the path evens out and there are hand railings for the rest of the way.Once we got to the town, my little friend turned towards me.He was a little shy and didn’t come close to me.I said Grazie and Ciao and then he disappeared back down the trail again.It was like he brought me right to the town and once he knew I got here, he was okay to leave me.
I taped a short video to feature my little friend and his unselfish act of kindness to a hiker who really needed it.
Thank you so much my little friend where ever you are!
The sky is dark, the beach huts are boarded up for the winter, most of the stores, hotels and restaurants are closed and the boats are all covered up . . .
. . . . on the near empty beach a loan sun bather types on her iPad while a couple of tourists are busily taking pictures.
And me . . . .I enjoyed a delicious pizza (best on this trip so far).It had tomatoes, mozzarella and eggplant. I also had a nice glass of prosecco (also the best I’ve had on this trip) and a vanilla gelato for dessert.
Today I spent a Rainey Day in Positano and had the best time!
Today I visited Ravello and what a beauty! I leave for Capri tomorrow, so I am unable to devote the time Ravello deserves. I will have to postpone my post about my visit there until I return from Capri.
But for now here's a quick post on how well I'm eating here on the Amalfi Coast. Here's my post on my dining experience at Chez Black in Positano.
And here's the wall of fame! I wonder if Mr. Steinbeck's photo is one of them?
I started with a wonderful Caprese salad. Although I don't eat a lot of cheese I actually liked it.
Next my delicious grilled Sea Bass (and they offer to take out the bones for you) . . . .
When the dessert tray came around, let me tell you I was so tempted.
The service was excellent and you can see the owner come by to greet customers and help the waiters/hostess.
So if you find yourself in Positano, get yourself to Chez Black for a great meal, great view and a great place for people watching.
Chez Black
Via del Brigantino, 19
Positano (S) - Italia www.chezblack.it
It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there
and becomes beckongly real after you have gone.
by John Steinbeck
(Harper's Bazaar, Published article in May 1953)
Apparently Positano was a poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century and it wasn't until a published article about Positano by John Steinbeck in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953 did the town begin to attract large numbers of tourists. I found a copy of his article HERE and loved it.
I think John Steinbeck's article was interesting because it was written in the 1950's but he really writes in a way that a Slow Traveler of today would. That being that he noticed things that only a Slow Traveler notices after they have spent enough time in one place to notice them. Here's another excerpt from his famous article:
"In a few days we became aware of Positano's greatest commodity - characters. Maybe they aren't marketable, but Positano has them above every community I have ever seen. Yes, Positano flourishes with characters."
I think that the main attraction that I'll find in Positano will be the town of Positano itself. It captivated, Travel Channel Host, Samantha Brown, so much that all she could say when she first saw Positano was "you had me at Buon Giorno . . . you had me at Buon Giorno."
Positano is so beautiful that you can find her in several movies, my favorite of which is in the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, with Diane Lane. In fact, I had to watch it on Netflix recently.
Once a sleepy fishing village, Positano has become a favorite of the rich and famous with its' chic (and pricey) hotels and small boutiques. There are limestone cliffs, draped with these pastel colored houses which seem to flow gently down the rugged cliffs to the pebbly gray sand beach of the Marina Grande and down onto the turquoise green Tyrrhenian sea. Talk about your picture perfect postcard.
There are steep pedestrian only lanes, shaded with vines of bougainvillea and they say that even on the off season the village maintains its charm. It is recommended that you wear comfortable shoes when venturing out to explore the steep and narrow streets here. I love this next excerpt from John Steinbeck's famous article:
Again, Positano is never likely to attract the organdie-and-white linen tourist. It would be impossible to dress as a languid tourist-lady-crisp, cool white dress, sandals as white and light as little clouds, picture hat of arrogant nonsense, and one red rose held in a listless whitegloved pinky. I dare any dame to dress like this and climb the Positano stairs for a cocktail. She will arrive looking like a washcloth at a boys’ camp. There is no way for her to get anywhere except by climbing.
Once I am able to recover from that initial "wow" reaction that I'm sure I'll get from my first sight of Positano, I want to visit the town's main church, the Santa Maria Assunta with its distinctive majolica tiled dome. This triple naved layout church took shape in the 18th century when it was built over the remains of a 13th century Benedictine abbey. Inside, located above the high altar is the La Madonna Nera (Black Madonna), a Byzantine icon. Legend has it that this came to Positano on the waves of the sea after a terrible storm.
On the seaside, I'll also find two ancient defensive Towers, Torre Trasita and Torre Sponda. They were used for defensive purposes against pirate assaults.
Yes, it seems that Positano does in fact bite deep . . . . next up the town of Amalfi.
