Amalfi, Campania, Italy, Sunday, October 7, 2012

Amalfi Duomo

I think we are just starting to savor the joy of being here. We think about going to another hillside town by bus but decide to have another slow wander about day instead.
We walk along main street to the main Piazza by the Duomo. We wanted to check out the 1000 year old bronze door and when we get up the stairs, there is a Mass going on. This means we can respectfully see the inside for free instead of all the other times when they charge you.
The inside is very nice and has a crypt with the remains of St. Andrew inside, which were brought here from Constantinople in 1206 during the Crusades. Amalfi was an important town then and this relic is a sign of that.

Limone and Hazelnut

We walk a little further down the street and pop into a Pasticceria where we buy two pastries for brunch. I get a Deliziaca Di Limone and Carol gets a slice of hazelnut cake. We sit on the lowers steps of the Duomo to eat them and people watch. The hazelnut is good but the Limone pastry is incredible. Light and delicate wit a frosting and made with local lemons and a dash of Limoncello. Since it is Sunday, I will use the word heavenly or devine would work also.

Seafood in a Cup

We walk around town looking in a few shops, checking out a few side alleys and what feel like secret passages. Now we see the fish and chips place called Cuoppa Di Amalfi. We choose calamari and shrimp. it is made to order and then served in a cone shaped cardboard type cup. You sit in the alley on one of the few seats there if you can get one. Our order comes and it is so good. Very lightly dusted in flour and seasoned after it comes out of the fryer it is another taste sensation. It is so good that we order a different cup, this one with fish ( cod) and stuffed pumpkin flowers. We can’t get ourselves to try the one with little fish we have seen other people eat, which we think are sardines with heads intact, being eaten whole. While waiting, I watch the cook do everything fresh to order, from chopping, battering, frying, and seasoning. Our second cup is just as good, the pumpkin flower stuffed with some soft cheese.

Old Paper Mill Ruins

Time to work off some food we walk uphill along the main street which is the only one that cars are allowed on and only during certain hours. We leave the touristy part of the lane and walk through an area of old paper mills. These were among the first mills in Italy. The people from Amalfi learned the art from the Arabs, who learned it from the Chinese. This started in the 12th century and Frederick II of Sicily actually prohibited this paper from being used in official documents preferring the traditional sheepskin parchment. That couldn’t stop progress and the mills flourished into the 1900s.

Waiting on a Rock For Charlie

The road dead ends at a gated housing area so I climb up some steps that lead to a dirt path above, on my never ending quest to try and see what might be around the corner, mountain, canyon, or any obstacle to my view. I find some old ruined mills and ancient steps and when I am returning, I find my wife sitting on a rock in the dirt path. What a find that is! Enough easy exploring for today, we retreat to our apartment to relax.

Limone and Pear and Ricotta Torte

                For dinner, we return to Il Tari, and both get the same thing we had the night before. Exceptional once again. For dessert, we walk back to the pastry shop and get another Limone and a ricotta and pear torte. We walk down to the water, find a nice bench and enjoy these desserts. Carol, who is not crazy about lemons, falls in love with this pastry. As good as it is, I think the ricotta and pear may be better. Can’t go wrong either way and Savoia, the shop where we bought these has our vote for best we have tried.

Madonna Procession

There is a lot of commotion going on in the square and we watch as a band starts to play and a procession comes out of the church carrying the Madonna statue. It all heads up the street in front of us. We keep hitting these little surprise events here, all in the evening after all the day tripping, cruise touring, people leave.
We take a nice long evening stroll down to the harbor and the end of the jetty on this beautiful night. Amalfi has surprised us. Our first impressions were of a pretty busy place, very touristy, and pretty crowded. Although it has these qualities by day, you can avoid them by visiting nearby towns, or walking down the side alleys, or by the mills. In the evening, the identity changes and there are more Italians about than foreign tourists and the waterfront is beautiful and a local strolling area. We have enjoyed our stay here.
CNC
“People who don’t travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what’s in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things, because all they know is where they live” – Martin Yan

Expenses
6E- 1 hazelnut and 1 lemon pastry from Bar Pasticceria Savoia, Amalfi
11E- 1 cuoppo fried squid and shrimp, 1 cuoppo of fried cod and zucca flower from Cuoppo d’Amalfi
33E-1 seafood pasta, 1 chicken, bottle of wine from Il Tari
6E- 1 ricotta and pear, 1 lemon pastry from savoia
66E- Apartment

Miles Walked- 4 Miles