The Amalfi Coast: It's Magic "Dahling"

If you travel to Italy, touring the Amalfi coast is a must. I highly recommend you take a tour rather than going on your own as the roads are narrow, twisty, horns honk, Vespas whiz by and there are very few guard rails. Besides, if you had Giovanni as your guide as we did,  you would definitely be entertained!

Giovanni was wonderful, the views spectacular, and he loaded us down with historical information! We saw homes that once belonged to Sofia Lauren, Sting, Roger Moore, Gore Vidal, Greta Garbo, Bill Gates, and George Clooney to mention only a few. We toured by bus, took a boat ride of the coast, took walks around Rafaello, the town of Amalfi, and had a lovely lunch in a charming restaurant overlooking hills and the sea. Giovanni entertained us by singing all the familiar Italian songs, "That's Amore," "Valaree," "Oh Solo Mio," and others that were songs he grew up with as a child. Giovanni would tell us things then end with "It's Magic Dahling! It is difficult to describe the energy and beauty of this tour. And it was definitely the highlight of the trip so far.

 Sorrento was beautiful but is definitely a touristy town with lots of hotels built over kitchy shops that line the narrow roads. Balconies are filled with flowering plants that droop decoratively into mid air. The best flower we found there however,  was in a restaurant that we ended up going to two nights in a row.  It was the flower of the zucchini filled with a creamy concoction of ricotta cheese, parmigiano,  and herbs. Then it is dipped in batter and deep fried to perfection.  We loved it so much that we ordered it the second night in double the portions. I hope to find a recipe for this back home.

After two lovely nights in Sorrento it was time to head back to Rome and on to Casperia where our Pilates retreat would take place. To accomplish this we avoided the trolley train and opted for the lovely hydrofoil to Naples. Then a taxi through the crush of Naples traffic, a train to Rome, and a small commuter train to Casperia. Then we hopped a bus to the village and got a car to take us the rest of the way. The anticipation grew when we viewed the 12th century walled city built into the mountain.  It was a scene right out of mid evil times. Somewhat reminicent of the town from "Pillars of the Earth."  The castle awaits and perhaps even a handsome prince!