European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Take the plunge experience Italy s Amalfi coasts amps photos by Gary Millers amps Sharon Kilday the buildings of Positano cling to the Mountainside sloping Down to a Small Beach. The town has become a popular resort among europeans. By j. King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau the twisting soaring plummeting Amalfi drive is Only 30 Miles Long but it has the potential for a one Day weekend or we Klong trip. The drive can be included in a 90-mile Loop from Naples Italy. It can be made in a leisurely five hours but that will allow Only for stops for souvenir snapshots along the Amalfi coast and scarce time to properly drink in some of the most marvelous real estate on Earth. The drive runs Down the Amalfi coast the Southern Side of the Sorrento Peninsula. It should be navigated from West to East a from Meta to Vietri sul Mare a to put the car on the Seaward Side for the Best views and to avoid head on confrontations with the Sun. Although the drive is known the world Over finding it is something of a trick. For some reason the italian government prefers not to signpost the Way. To get to the drive take the a-3 Highway South from Naples and exit at Castellammare i Swabia. From there follow signs to Sorrento and on the outskirts of that resort pick up signs to either Meta Positano or costiera Amalfitana Amalfi coast while ignoring signs to Amalfi because that will take you on an Over Mountain route that skips much of the Amalfi drive. From Meta the drive ambles through vines Pines and Groves of olives and Lemons but once it hits the coast around Sorrento it demands the Driver s total concentration. Hacked out of solid Rock and with Clit hugging nets to catch the occasional free falling Boulder the two Lane Road skirts sheer 800-foot-High drop Otts while swinging through 750 bends in its first 20 Miles. Fortunately sturdy safety barriers prevent motorists from regularly shooting off the drive to their doom. Rare breaches in the barriers Are dead giveaways to spots where careless motorists exited into the abyss. The scenery is awesome. High mountains pocked with gaping Grottoes of Limestone fall off into a dazzlingly Blue sea. The Road is fringed by bougainvillea oleanders and camellias. 1 it is so Beautiful Andie cide wrote of the coast that i had no desire. To see anything More Beautiful on Small coves offering harbours for Small boats and havens for Day trippers Dot the Amalfi coast. 12 stripes Magazine september 5, 1991 aside irom Quick photo pauses at the drive s Belvedere the first Stop should be at pastel hued browsers look at clothes outside a Positano shop. Positano which can be seen on hundreds of airline calendars. A Roadside tourist office on the outskirts of the town is the place to pick up a copy of the free Booklet listing All the hotels on the Amalfi coast. Double rooms run from about $40 off season and in simple accommodations to More than $400 per night in glitzy lodgings like Positano s magnificent be Siren use and san Pietro hotels. Positano once an isolated fishing Village is now a smart resort favored by both Northern europeans and italians. The town clings to the Mountain with its tiny White buildings descending like Steps to the sea. A single Lane St. Andrew s Cathedral is Amalfi s biggest attraction. Street snakes through town and parking is extremely limited. Positano is noted for its colourfully tiled buildings its Alle like lanes crammed with boutiques and its distinctive feminine fashions. Cirive the Beach at Positano a miss. It is Gray pebbly it loaded and Small. The Amalfi coast really does t have Mik h to the Way of beaches and those in the know take Launt Hes to secluded Rocky coves to plunge in crystalline seas. Many tourists arrive in Positano by sea. Plodding term and Swit hydrofoils connect its port with Naples Sorrento Amalfi and the nearby Isle of tips the Multi coast is Worth a visit most times of the year. During sunny in a in Winter the temperature can climb Well into the oils. Few Lou lists Are about then and you won t need reservations anywhere. 1 he temperate Days of Spring and tall Are also Ideal Tor a leisurely drive. However in uly and August especially on weekends Trublic can be a trial. On certain Days in August when allot Italy seems to go on vacation local cars Are allowed on lie drive Only on alternate Days according to the numbers on their Lic Ense plates. For those who prefer to leave the driving to someone else several companies offer guided bus Tours along the coast. A aking Cruger the drive along the Amalfi coast goes past some sheer Mountain drop offs. Positano is a great place Fot a lunch break. Fry la Cambus overlooking the Beach and Harbor and plan on spending about $40 for two for lunch. Next Stop is Amalfi a 30-Minule drive from Positano. It is a rather Small place with Only >,500 inhabitants yet it is one of the great cities of italian history. Medieval Amalfi is reported to have had a population of 70,000 and its fleets made it a rival of Pisa Genoa and Venice for control of Mediterranean Commerce. In its heyday the maritime Republic of Amalfi regulated shipping in the Region delivered crusaders in its galleys and supposedly produced the first compasses Lor mariners. Amalfi with alleyways vanishing into arabesque Arches and it is a wonderful place for aimless ambling. The part Arab Norman part romanesque St. Andrew s Cathedral is Amalfi s glory. The Cathedral dates from the i 1th Century and has been alien d Many times. It is adorned with Brilliant mosaics. Its Brone doors were cast in 10 >6 in constantinople and its c Loister is one of the most Beautiful structures on the c Oast. A Side trip to the Cool and Delight i us lit lie Hill h it in it it Yavello is strongly advised. Ravelin m loser to the sky than the seashore according to it or Pul Side is a 2,000-foot-High Balcony overlooking the spec Tut fur it Oast. A bracing hike1 May be made Between Camulli and Ravelin via a Well maintained mule True k. After the Detour to Ravelin the Dove pusses through the Seaside towns of Minori main i and i Etura. The three Art gems and All Are a it the a lingering v cat or an overnight stay. The drive and tin Amalfi Oast end a the own of Vietri sul Mare. Don t be put Oil by the town s heavy iral fic and Lac k of c harm Tor Vietri s i Ceramic s and i Ceramic shops arc1 Umnus in Italy. F rom Vietri the drive along the it congested Highway Hue k to Naples takes Only 10 minutes but it you have a Day or two to Tarry turn the1 c a around and do the1 drive again in the opposite direction. You won t regret it. September 5, 1991 sir Pes Maga one 73
