A Day in Amalfi

 I will flat out say that I wish we had only spent one night in Naples and many more nights here.

This is one of the monasteries original bells

After breakfast we decided to walk down into town. We had to pass out of this gate as we left the monastery grounds

It was a bit of a hike, but so far my knees have been behaving pretty well

This is the first part of the walkway/stairs down

We were still two roads above the sea when we hit the edge of the town

There are these hundreds of year old walls helping stabilizing the hill

One of the houses we pasted had this old picture on their wall behind the gate to enter their courtyard

This is the road closest to the sea and the main coastal road

We then walked back into the heart of the main city square

It featured the ornate fountain

And if you head towards the hill from the main square you hit what I think is the main commercial street

There were many shops we stopped in, but this one snagged us.

Samples were so plentiful, we had not even finished one before they were offering another. After the second cookie and fourth piece of candy, I had to start refusing. Even then, I still was convince to try a couple of other things. I think if I would have accepted, we could have tried one of every sweet in the shop. In the back they had some of the best balsamic vinegar I have ever tasted as well as some fantastic olive oil. We ended up shipping a couple of things home.

When we finally reached the end of the shopping of the street, here was what we saw. Most of the Italians we met seemed in great shape. That is really not surprising if you figure how much walking and climbing they probably do each day

On the way back we saw this display and read a plaque that told how important the donkeys were to their town. They even have a fountain in one of the other squares celebrating the donkeys 

We did a little shopping to take with us. Mainly post cards for grandkids and consumables 

We are back in the main square again at the historic church. We did not go in together, but Dale went back to town an hour or so before dark and went through parts of it. He shared his pictures, which will come a little later in this blog.

If was like a treasure hunt looking for fun pieces of art around in unusual places. This was on the entry by the outdoor restaurant we had lunch.

Grilled vegetables and pizza or pasta have been our go to lunch or dinners here in Italy

We wandered down to the water after our later lunch

The water can really spray up in some place

More of how they used arches and walls to help keep the area and roads stable

Unusual statuary by a more modern artist symbolizing how we move through life

Another look at how the city is built up the cliffs. I have been to San Francisco, but this is even more dramatic 

We took another walkway closer to the sea on our way back towards our hotel.

A look back into their boat harbor

Nature was so much a part of the surround area near the city of Amalfi

A pretty butterfly landed on the wall by the stairs we were climbing up toward our hotel

This is the bell at the base of the stair. It used to be used to let the monks know they had company 

Here is one of the younger yucca plants on the grounds. It is only 100 years old

Lemon and mandarin orange trees are all over the grounds and bordering the walkways

Here is part of the chef’s garden. They grow most of the vegetable used at the hotel

We explored the hotel in the mid afternoon.

The grounds are truly magical 

They have a lovely infinity pool at the far end of the property

This is part of the monk’s walk

Here are a couple of pictures showing the layering effect the town has

A picture I took from the sea shore of our hotel

Walking back up to our hotel

Note you who read this: the pictures are not all in chronological order, but still fun!

A great example of how things are built into the cliff.

Later afternoon towards evening. The colors of the sky and cloud with the trees in the foreground 

Dale took this picture when he went back into town. He said it just seemed right to send it to Holly

He went into the church area. He could not go into the main chapel as it was only for those wishing to pray. First he walked around the entry and a little museum they had set up in a small side chapel. He said he was so-so about those part. He assumed the church was more decorated. As he was finishing the main floor area, he saw a sign for the catacombs. So down he went, thinking it would be like the rest of it he had seen.

These are the catacombs. He said they were truly fantastic. And as you can see, he pretty much had them to himself. He said it was all in really good shape and as you can see elaborate.

This is the statue in the center area altar. He was truly surprised because most of the other parts he had seen, up to then, seem like they were pretty plain.

This picture was of a particular piece of statuary  he saw in the museum part of the building. He was intrigued by how they had made the wood look like it was cloth. I find it kind sad it had been so damaged. I would bet is was a beautiful piece when it was created. Also I would guess there was a solid gold or jewelry piece in the center of the chest, that was taken out.

Here is a picture at dusk as he made his way back to the hotel and our room

After he got back, he got some water and indulged in the eclair we had bought on the first trip down. I took a taste, which was yummy, but was not really that hungry 

We went down to the restaurant to get something to eat around seven. We did not have reservation, but they could seat us at 8pm. The other option was to get something from the bar menu. We took that option and sat in this lovely room while enjoying a sandwich and fries we split. They already had a Christmas tree set up. As thanksgiving is not a thing here, I guess they move from Halloween/All Saints day right into Christmas

When signing for our meal, Dale looked up and saw this bottle of High West Distillery whiskey.

That whiskey comes from the distillery just outside of Park City, Utah. We had a chuckle with the bartender as we have eaten at the restaurant at the distillery a couple of times. Small world.

After we got back to our room, we spent some time soaking in the hot tub on our private patio. A lovely way to end a lovely day.