After yesterdays full on afternoon / evening it was tempting to stay put, however as we are heading back to the coast, I always think there is a greater chance of a decent pitch if we don’t arrive at the weekend and so we press on.
As the crow flies the distance isn’t that great but the shorter route is still very much a construction site and not recommended on either Apple Maps (which we use) or Google Maps and so we take their advice and cross cross the ‘heel’ of Italy via Brindisi and Lecce to arrive at our destination a campsite just north of Gallipoli…..
Another mostly shady tree covered site with reasonably sized pitches with plenty of space. Once settled we leave the site to explore the coastline to the north.
The coastline is craggy rocks along here with the odd pine covered sandy inlet as we walk along the half completed footpath to Torre Sabea….
Following the footpath inland slightly as a couple of closed campsites take beach side position, Tilly performs a silly dance with her back legs to avoid the pine needle strewn pathway until we can access the sea again….
The area is still covered in pine needles but they don’t seem to bother Tilly here as we make our way along the sea front….
Arriving at Spiaggia Di Rivabella we wander briefly into the resort to realise that it is largely holiday apartments or maybe weekend homes and that nearly all are closed up for the season including the few bars and restaurants so we return to the beach for Tilly to have a bit of a runaround before we head back to site….
From the site entrance we have Distant views across the bay of Gallipoli to the south and Nardo to the north…
A lovely sunny day, not too warm so just right for what we have in mind. Having decided that co-ordinating the very infrequent bus service to the campsite was not going to work we ventured the short distance in the van into Salerno. Having selected a large car park by the station as suitable for daytime camper parking on Park4Night I was fairly confident, even when confronted with the chaos that ensued once we arrived in Salerno.
However this confidence was short lived as we approached said carpark and I could see that it was pretty chocablock and even though we are only 6m most car parking spaces are not doable unless there is space behind to overhang a bit. I didn’t risk it and carried on towards the seafront in search of something more suitable. Unfortunately everywhere was heaving with double parking an interesting feature of italian parking, on the premise that by sticking your hazard lights on all will be fine!
At a complete loss and in fact just looking for somewhere to pull over and research alternatives when I spied a motorhome Aire and pulled in on the off chance. It was next to and run by a vehicle recovery yard and they were quite happy for my to park in the secure area for the daily charge of 10 euros (this was actually the overnight price which was fair and I would have stayed if I were not already paying for my camping spot up the road).
By now time was running a little tight for us to catch the 11.40 ferry and so we set off at a pace to Piazza Concordia, the ferry terminal, passing the ruins of Salerno castle and enjoying views back across the city from the marina….
We made it just as the ferry was boarding and enjoyed the coastal journey passing the picturesque villages of Vietri sul Mare, with it’s hilltop Cross, Cetara and hillside Ravello….
Before arriving at our destination – Amalfi….
The village was very busy on this fine sunny day and firstly we walked away from the crowds to get a coastal view of Tovere San Pietro, take in the small beach and look back across the village over the marina….
Stealing our selves for the hustle and bustle we ventured into the village, through the main Piazza and up the narrow streets to Amalfi Cathedral….
As is often the case, by veering away from the main streets and choosing to wander along the back streets and alleys, we can get more of a feel of the place without the company of the crowds….
Having our fill, we headed back down to the coast at the opposite end of the village, admired the first (of many as it transpires) ‘Tree of Life’ bronze sculpture overlooking the crystal clear Amalfi waters and views back across the village….
Walking roadside along the very narrow and twisty road that feeds all the villages on this coast and one that I would not wish to drive in any form of vehicle unless guaranteed a right of way – albeit and probably part of the problem, as it is used by buses and coaches as well as cars and strings of motorcyclists and cyclists alike. A short time later the footpath left the road and we started our descent into Altrani….
This village is much smaller and quieter than it’s neighbour and we spent a while mooching around the streets and sitting on the sea front enjoying the sun and just watching the world go by and being….
Rather than dice with death on the roadside and progress any further we opted to use the pedestrian tunnel which connects Altrani and Amalfi and head back to the port….
We toyed with the idea of continuing further along the coast to attempt to visit Positano but the next ferry wasn’t until after 4 and the bus queues were horrendous so for us, Positano will remain unvisited! Instead for an alternative perspective we opted to catch the bus back to Salerno and were lucky enough to get one of the last seats using the bus ticket that we had purchased in Sorrento.
The bus journey was interesting as it crawled its way stopping and starting to allow traffic to pass along the narrow road but we got some lovely glimpses of many of the other villages – Minori, Maiori and it’s sea fort, Erchie with it’s beach and sea fort….
And extensive views of the much larger Vietri sul Mare and coastal Salerno beyond….
The mile or so walk back to the van was taken at a much more leisurely pace along the sea front in Salerno and our return journey was much more straight forward with us being back and settled on site in time to catch the rather spectacular sunset across the bay to the Amalfi coast where we have spent the day….
At the risk of sounding controversial and though we enjoyed our visit to the Amalfi Coast, I think Cinque Terre was prettier and more dramatic.
The weather forecast was for a wet day, so even though it was wrong and apart from a few spots here and there it was fine, we had rather got used to the idea of a quiet day.
Early afternoon though we were both ready for a walk and set off in the direction of the nearest resort (heading back towards Salerno). As the sea is still a bit choppy and there is very little wet sand to walk on we chose to walk along the footpath. I will say it was not the prettiest walk as on our left is a series of closed either seasonally or permanently cafes and bars, obscuring our view of the sea and beach and to our right is the main road, not massively busy but not attractive either!
I will also at this point mention the fact that I am rather shocked and very disappointed with the amount of roadside rubbish that is in my opinion a real blight on this journey through Italy. The main roads are just littered all the way along and most lay-bys have piles of sacks of rubbish in them such that a few times where I have wanted to pull in to take a scenic photo, I just haven’t. Why? and what a real shame.
We walked as far as Pontecagnano with more derelict buildings and litter before joining the beach Spiaggia del Sud….
And choosing to walk back along the beach, much to Tilly’s disgust as it is significantly more appealing than the alternative.
The beach at the campsite, Spiaggia di Magazzano was pretty empty so I did encourage Tilly to have a bit of a play, before a big white dog appeared in the distance and she decided enough was enough!….
The highlight of our day was being treated to this stunning sunset….
A much better day with plenty of warm sunshine as we left Pompeii and the hustle and bustle of neighbouring Napoli behind and headed a little further down to the coast to just south of Salerno.
The drive was a little tedious as the non toll route took us through a string of outlying suburbs, full of Sunday drivers reversing in and out without a care in the world, stopping starting and completing U-turns, pedestrians stepping out without looking and clusters of cyclists thrown into the mix. We then had to venture up into the hills with narrow winding roads, more cyclists and randomly parked cars, so it took us several hours to complete a relatively short journey!
Hey ho though, we arrived in one piece and were soon settled at Camping Lido di Salerno just a few short steps from a lovely sandy beach….
Without further ado we set off to explore our new surroundings and embrace the warmth of the sun (now down to an acceptable 22-25 degrees) and cool gentle breeze.
Not a very deep beach so Tilly was not a great fan as the waves were crashing a little to fiercely for her!….
A breath of fresh air (literally) after the last couple of days on the edge of a city.
Quite a bit of rain overnight and light rain throughout the morning and some pretty torrential downpours, however, we have a plan and so late morning we made our way the short distance to the train station just as the heavens opened….
and caught a very busy (standing room only) clanky old train into the heart of the gentile town of Sorrento….
A gap in the rain allowed us to wander the busy streets lined with eateries and soak up the the atmosphere….
Find a little respite from the crowds in the Cloisters of San Fransisco….
And walk down the quieter back alleys…
The sun came out right on cue for us to enjoy the amazing coastal views, spot the crusie ships in the bay, accounting for at least some of the visitors and the turquoise seas and the smidge of sand that is Spiaggia de San Fransisco…
After a bit of ferritting around we did also find the forgotten ‘Valley of the Ferns’ with its derelict old Mills which were cut off from the sea in 1866 when the main Piazza Tasso (first photo above) was built and closed down by the 1940’s because of rising humidity and industrial obsolescence….
Having had our fill of wandering around the town we headed back to the station and is still relatively early bought bus tickets to visit Positano. However at this point our luck ran out as the queue was quite shambolic with people jumping in where ever they felt like it, no actual pavement to stand out of the the way of arriving and reversing buses, Tilly having to be carried to prevent her getting trodden on or run over, no indication of when the next bus would arrive and to crown it all, a half and hour in the rain came – seriously!
We gave it another 15 minutes by which time it was nearly 4pm and we were both soaked and there was a return train just after four, so we hurried back to the station and luckily managed to get a seat on said train.
Slightly disappointed to have not made it to Positano but thankful to be out of the rain and in the warmth of the van by 5, we settled down for a nice cosy evening.
Today’s stats:
Miles walked – 7
Train / bus tickets (which I did get to use in Amalfi) – £8.99
