Saturday's PhotoHunting: Room

Room with a view . . .

The very beautiful Casa Matilde is located in the small town of Praiano on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  From each room I had spectacular views of Positano and the Isle of Capri off in the distance. And in the evenings I enjoyed some of the most spectacular sunsets that I've ever seen.    

To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Gattina's Keyhole Pictures website HERE!  

Saturday's PhotoHunting: Watch Sunsets

It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and

not dream. ~ Bern Williams

 

 

In 2011, I was very lucky to watch 3 weeks worth of gorgeous sunsets from my apartment in the small town of Praiano which is on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  And each sunset that I gazed upon filled my imagination with dreams of visiting new and amazing destinations.  

 

Then in 2012, I visited South America for the first time to see ice glaciers, a magnificent waterfall and immerse myself in the bustling city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.   

 

I love sunsets . . . .  

 

To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Gattina's Kehole Pictures website HERE!  

 

2011 Amalfi Coast Adventures: Ciao from Italy . . . .

Wow, what a whirlwind two days . . .

Roma! The history, the art, the energy, the architecture, the churches, the food . . . . It’s got it all and it's amazing.  After the long flight I arrived at my hotel only to be told that they lost my reservation and they don’t have any more rooms. I wasn’t happy, but they immediately found me a nearby hotel and the bellman helped with my luggage.   Then when I checked out, I discovered that the other hotel paid for my room so I all I had to pay was 2 euros for taxes. Okay, now all is forgiven. J

By the time I arrived at my hotel, it was already dark but I headed out in search for a TIM store. I had no address but I saw it while in the Taxi on the way to the hotel.  Don’t ask me how I found it, but I did.  They got me hooked up with a SIM card and I’m good to go.  They don't sell unlimited plans, so I got the maximum internet time they had to offer. Hopefully that will last me.

And how can I be in Rome and not stop by the Trevi Fountain to toss my Euro coin in it to guarantee a return back to Rome!  Plus, I remember learning that the coins collected from the fountain are used to help feed the needy. 

There was this married couple there and it was so cool because when they went to toss their coins into the fountain the entire crowd cheered them on.  I sat by the fountain eating a nice wonderful and delicious scoop of pistachio gelato!  

Next to the Fountain I found a church and influenced by Annie’s blog I went in to take a look inside and to light a couple of candles. In the corner to the right of the Alter I found the most beautiful Mary I have ever seen. She is so mesmerizing it really took my breath away looking at her. Somehow I felt so comforted by her eyes. Thanks Annie for inspiring me to appreciate the many beautiful churches in Italy. They are truly wonderful.

On the way back I stopped to take a photo of this other fountain. I noticed a lot of police presence and this motorcade came zooming in. I was told that was the President of Italy. That explains the police presence and news vans.  By now I’m getting hungry, so I stopped by this family owned pizza.  The pizza wasn’t the best I have had in Italy, but the strawberry desert was really delicious and made for it. J

I started to blog before I went to bed but I my eyes suddenly shut down and I was out!  I had set my alarm before I went to bed. I set my alarm to wake up early so I can have breakfast and do a fast blog post before heading to Termini to catch my train to Salerno. 

My alarm didn’t go off and I woke up late giving me only an hour before my train leaves. I hightailed myself out of bed, through everything in my bags and wend downstairs to check out and have them call a Taxi.

I made my train in plenty of time.  While waiting to find out what Platform number my train will depart from I met a girl who was on the same train.  We chatted the whole time but got split up due to different seat assignments on the train.  She was cool, plus she alerted me to which car I had to get on. She was worried for me and rightfully so, because I was getting on the wrong coach. 

On the train, I sat next to the most entertaining travelers from Australia.  They were a hoot. They are in Europe for 7 weeks and they are going to a lot of places. The two Italian ladies next to me didn’t speak any English but they were a hoot too! They were very busy scratching their lotto tickets and I’m sure talking about what they would do if they won.  I know that’s what I would be talking about!  He, he.

They all got off in Naples and I stayed on until Salerno. My car service was already waiting for me.  I had heard a lot about the drive through Amalfi even seen several videos and wow!  It is exactly what they say . . . hair raising sharp turns through out.  Should I still do the Vespa adventure? Probably not. J

I arrive in my apartment and it is exactly as depicted on the Summer in Italy website. It is gorgeous!  Super clean, tasteful décor, and very well furnished and equipped.  The owner helped me to bring my bags up the stairs.  The owner, Mrs. Agata is so nice. 

And from the terrace in my bedroom!  My beautiful sunset . . .

And since I can see Positano from my Terrance, I’ll be going there tomorrow. 

Thank you everyone for stopping by!   Ciaó for now.

2011 Amalfi Coast Adventures: Like pearls on a string . . .

Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, the Amalfi Coast is located along the Sorrentin Peninsula in Southern Italy.  With it's limestone cliffs, sparkling turquoise waters, beautiful gardens/lemon groves, magnificent vistas and spectacular sunsets, I have read that the Amalfi Coast is the perfect place to relax and experience the genuine soul of Italy.  

After considering all of my options (scheduling, flight options and price), I went with the amazing City of Rome to be my fly in and fly out city rather than Naples. Although it was not the cheapest most convenient option out there, who am I to complain about "having" to travel to Rome again. :)

My first night's hotel is not very far from the famous Trevi Fountain so first on my agenda will be to head over so I can throw my traditional Euro coin into the Trevi Fountain to guarantee my 5th return trip to Italy. :) Next, I'll have to find a gelato shop then head over to the Spanish Steps, where I can enjoy a brief "Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday" moment.  In 2005 (the last time I was in Rome), I purchased this really cool Calendar which contains several scenes on it from the movie.  This was my favorite.

And before my return flight home at the end of my trip, I'm excited and lucky to be able to get together with blogging friend Sandra (Leaping Without a Net). It will be the second day of what will be several months (or years) living in Rome. Her journey is an amazing story and I am looking forward to hearing more about her plans. A great way to end my 2011 Amalfi Coast Adventure.

My logistics are all but done and now all that is left to do is pack and write a few Pre-Trip posts about my planned itinerary.  Here is my first installment . . .

Like pearls on a string the beautiful small villages that line the famous Amalfi Coast offer travelers beauty, history, great food and lots of timeless Old World Charm.  With 3 whole weeks I will be able to savour my time exploring the many interesting and beautiful things in this part of Southern Italy.

I have created a short list of "must sees" for each town and with the exception of my two night day trip to Capri I will decide day by day what I want to see and do.  I'll be there in November so the weather will be a factor.  I also plan on making day trips to Paestum (to see the Greek Temples) and Naples (to see the National Archaeological Museum and  Santa Chiara Monastery), but more on these day trips later.     

I plan on limiting my sightseeing to 1 or 2 places per day and then use the rest of the day to go on walks, sit at a cafe/bar or just have fun with my photography. This trip will be a lot about me and my desire to relax and feel like I'm part of this little town.  But I also want to learn about the history, art and culture.

My home away from home will be the small town of Praiano which sits between the more popular tourist destinations of Positano and the town of Amalfi.  My apartment looks really cool. It has a terrace in every room opening up to breathtaking views of the Tyrrhenian Sea and a distant view of Positano. I read somewhere that the position of the town makes Praiano the ideal place to view both the sunsets and sunrises and that the sunsets here are among the best in the world. Whoo hoo!

The name Praiano comes from the Latin Pelagium (open sea). It is a small village west of Positano and sits below Monte Sant'Angelo. It is a town that once had a flourishing silk industry and was during the 10th-11th centuries the summer residence of the Amalfi Doge.  Today, Praiano has opened itself up to tourism without the masses typically associated with it's neighbors, Positano and Amalfi.

For a little town, Praiano has some really interesting things to admire.

Inspired by blogging friend, AnnieNC (Churches in Venice), I have developed a genuine love affair with the wonderful churches in Italy.  It started back in 2007 when I visited Venice and experienced seeing so many incredible churches there influenced a lot by reading Annie's blog and her Slow Travel article called "My Favorite Lessor Known Churches in Venice". And how lucky am I to have several charming churches to visit here in the small villages along the Amalfi coast.  Yay! 

My first church to visit on my trip will be the Church of San Gennaro located right down the street from my apartment.  Built in 1589, the structure is a Renaissance basilica style building with three naves that is flanked by a bell tower with a cupola covered in majolica tiles.

In front of the building is a beautiful Piazza San Gennaro also adorned with a beautiful tiled majolica design.  This delightful Piazza has a wonderful distant view of Positano and serves as a great gathering place for the locals to enjoy the cool evening breeze and friendly conversations.  I think I know where I'll be hanging out during the early evenings. :)

Other sights on my must see list here in Praiano include:

- Church of San Luca Evangelista, built in the baroque style in 1588.

- Sighting towers such as Toree a Mare and Toree Asciola which were built to protect the harbour against saracens and pirates. 

- Marina di Praia is a pebble beach located between two cliffs.

You know, for a little town there seems to be a number of interesting things to see. 

Next up, Positano and Amalfi . . .

My PhotoStories: Old World Charm . . .

As most of the tourists have left  and the sun slowly begins to set . . .  

. . . . another glorious day ends in a small fishing village in Italy.

In 2005, I stayed in a small town called Vernazza in the Cinque Terre.  While my friend and I were having dinner at a nearby restaurant, we noticed one local after another come out and gather at this bench directly in front of us. 

We watched as they exchanged pleasantries and engaged in what appeared to be interesting conversations with each other.  This is a scene no doubt repeated nightly by the locals.  It was really fun to watch.

Today, we live in a world of new technology and many high tech gadgets. We communicate on Facebook, FaceTime, Texting, Emails, Twitter and yes even Blogging.  I am a huge fan of blogging and tweeting so I am no stranger to this high tech world that we live in. It is a great way of communicating and sharing our lives and common interests with lot's of people who we don't live close to.

But every time I remember this scene I have to say there there is something to be said about living life daily the old fashioned way.

I don't currently live in that world and so maybe that is why I try to seek it out whenever I travel so I can have the experience.

In about a month, I'll be traveling to the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy and as it was in 2005 I will be staying in another small seaside town called Priano.

It is a place where there is only one main road running through it . . .

a place with one church down the road . . .

a place with a couple of small markets

a place with only a handful of neighborhood restaurants/bar . . .

And as one fellow Slow Traveler said (mimi), it is a place that has a whole lot of

"Old World Charm"

And some pretty breathtaking views!

I have  been a busy bee arranging and confirming logistics, wiring the cash to pay for my apartment stay, booking my hotels, train tickets and car service, browsing the Internet and reading my numerous guidebooks all at the same time.  I have been learning quite a bit and I hope to do a few pre-trip posts before I leave.  

This part of Italy will be different for me and I think it will be a lot of fun both living amongst the locals and also doing some sightseeing. On the Travel speed scale this trip will consist of fast, medium, slow and snails pace.  :)  I have a couple of interesting day trips to see busy Naples, enchanting Capri and a few great archaeological finds in Paestum. Weeee!  More to come .  .  .

I had a dream last night

that I was flying for the first time.

And in the dream,

I could pilot my flight

with the thoughts in my mind. ~ Prince

In search of La dolce vita . . .

La dolce vita is Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life". 

Mesmerizing sunsets and sunrises

Churches, Mosaics and Archeological treasures

Prosecco and Pizza

Winding roads and narrow pebbled streets

Lemon Groves and impressive landscapes

Friendly locals and a place of Old World charm

Rugged Cliffs and the Tyrrhenian Sea

Cozy Piazzas, inviting Cafes

and a Path of the Gods . . . .

Legend has it that the town of Amalfi comes from a nymph, whom the Greek hero Hercules loved. When she died, Hercules buried her in the most beautiful place in the world and then named it for her.

I'm really looking forward to my quest in search of La Dolce Vita this November.  I know that I'll find it somewhere, maybe everywhere on the Amalfi Coast!

Trekcapri's 2011 Amalfi Coast Adventures: The Dream lives on . . .

I haven't been back to Italy since 2007 when I visited Venice for two whole weeks. It's been great traveling to places I've never been to like Spain, Czech Republic, Belgium and Scotland and also re-discovering new and familiar places in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. But as the old saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder".   

For my 4th trip to Italy, I plan to try something a little new with something a little familiar. New will be to see the small and charming towns along the beautiful Amalfi Coast and familiar will be to revisit the island of Capri.

It took me a while to decide on actually going on this trip because I was not only waiting for a good airfare, but I was also waiting for my asthma to improve. Like clockwork I've been taking my daily meds but my recovery has been slow and I'm still not 100% fully recovered.  But how could I not travel this year?  I have been drawing great inspiration from fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend, Sandra (A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with too much Luggage) who is about to fulfill her dream of moving to Rome to carve (and write) out an exciting new chapter in her life. I'm very excited for Sandra and I'm looking forward to reading about her awesome journey. It looks like I might even be lucky enough to meet her in Rome, which will be really cool.

As usual, I always draw travel inspiration from my fellow Slow Travelers. I am inspired by Sandra and her plans to move to Rome, by Kaydee who wrote a great trip report about her stay in Ravello with her family and by Mimi, who wrote a wonderful trip report about her experiences with friends basing in Priano and exploring around the Amalfi Coast. And it goes without saying that I am always inspired by Slow Travel Founder, Pauline Kenny, the Slow Travel Community and by all my blogging friends.

They say that great poets, song writers, novelists and even film makers are drawn to this part of Southern Italy in the Campania Region so why shouldn’t it also draw dreamers like myself as well. I've decided to base in the small town of Priano (Wikipedia) for the entire three weeks.  This is the longest I have stayed in one place and I'm really excited to try it for the first time.

I read an apartment review by fellow Slow Traveler, Mimi, describing this part of Southern Italy south of Sorrento as "old world." I love that description. Unlike my recent trip to the very vibrant cities of Amsterdam, and Berlin, there are no fancy modern museums, no art galleries, no super tall towers with precision elevators to lift us up for a spectacular view of the coast. No, not here. What I'm going to find and hopefully discover is an "Old World" charm that Mimi spoke of.

There's a paper mill museum, a miniature village display (YouTube Video) on the side of a winding road between Priano and Positano and there are hundreds of steps to climb up in order to earn my view.  Inspired by fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend AnnieNC (Churches in Venice) I'm looking forward to visiting several of the beautiful small churches in the Amalfi Coast like the Church of San Luca Evangelico which features paintings by Giovanni Bernardo Lama (Wikipedia). For my dining pleasure there are small but charming places like nearby Vivaro Wine Bar (Official Website).

I plan on keeping my itinerary loose, simple and very slow. On my "must see" sightseeing list: Capri, Positano, Ravello, Paestum and as many of the small towns like Atrani, Scala, Minori as I can see. I will use public transportation (hoping not to get motion sickness on those Sita buses).

Although the apartment has a spectacular view, it does not have WiFi.  Several months ago I invested in a Novatel 2352 MiFi (Official Website) device and I plan to purchase a TIM SIM card in Rome so I can hopefully have a hot spot to connect to the web. If that doesn't work, I learned that there is a little bar nearby that has WiFi service for 20 Euros a week.  Let's see, pizza, prosecco and WiFi.  I know that WiFi isn't very "old world" of me, but I love writing live blogs on my trips and then reliving every special moment when I return home. :)

So there you have it.  I finally purchased my plane tickets, I've started working on my itinerary and I've dusted off my Italian Phrase book. Trekcapri's 2011 Amalfi Coast Adventures has officially begun.

And the Dream lives on . . .