Positano, Amalfi, and the Amalfi Coast

Thursday we decided to take the local bus from Sorrento along the famous Amalfi Coast to Positano and Amalfi.  The weather was cloudy and threatening rain.  At Annamaria's suggestion, we had planned to take the ferry to Amalfi, and the local bus back with a stopover in Positano.  But the ferry was cancelled that day due to bad weather forecast on the water, so we decided to take the bus both ways.

The local bus is actually dominated by tourists, and with the ferry cancelled that day, the line for the bus was very long.  We waited nearly one hour, with a bus leaving every 15 minutes, before boarding a bus.  Fortunately, we ended up at the front of the line and we able to select very good seats for the trip.  

We reasoned that getting off at Positano on the way to Amalfi was a better option as others would be doing that later in in the day when we boarded a later bus to continue on to Amalfi.  That was a good choice as we ended up having lunch in a cafe with a gorgeous view.  Positano was absolutely beautiful as it is a city built on the cliffs, hills, and valleys next to beautiful blue water.  The main road circles through at the top of the city, so when we stepped off the bus, we were able to walk down the roads and stairways to the bottom.  This also gave us many fantastic views of the city.  Although Positano is today a beach resort town, it is upscale, scenic, and seems to have both nice beaches and many great looking hotels with sea-facing terraces and pools.  It would be a fun place to spend a week.

The Amalfi Coast is scenic largely because the terrain is mountainous right up to the water, with beautiful cliffs, peaks, and valleys.  I would have really liked the chance to stop at some overlooks and take photos, but the local public bus doesn't do that.  The cloudy weather also reduced the photo opportunities.  I snapped some shots from the bus, through the window, and they show some of the beauty of the area, but not the full potential of what could be done.  We may we'd to come back one day and try again, this time with a car or private driver!

After a couple of hours in Positano we caught a local bus back to the main road, then boarded the next bus for Amalfi.  The crowds were terrible in Amalfi and they were all jammed around the buses at the bus stop!  Just as we were getting off, the sky opened and we were in a downpour.  That lasted for about 10 minutes then passed.  We were much less impressed with Amalfi as it seemed a complete tourist destination.  while it had nice looking beaches, there was not much else that looked inviting.

Below are a few favorite photos.  There are a couple of shots from the bus, us having lunch in Positano, and a couple of shots in Amalfi.  The link to the full album is here.  Checkout a nice panoramic shot I took with the iPhone.