Days 68-71 - The Amalfi Coast and Arriving in Florence

Melissa and I awoke in Salerno and had to figure out how to get to the Amalfi Coast.  If you think this is a simple task you have never tried to navigate the bus system in Italy.  We walked to the stop and then realized we had no idea which bus we needed to get on or what time it came.  After a walk back to the hostel to use the internet we figured out that there as a 12:45 pm bus to Amalfi.  When we tried to board the bus we were asked for our tickets which you aparrently are unable to buy on board.  In the time it took to buy the tickets the bus left so we had to ride the 1:30 pm bus to Amalfi.  From Amalfi another bus was necessary to Agerola and of course it was not until 5 pm.  We essentially spent a whole day travelling to an area that was about 20-25 miles away from Salerno.  The view was well worth the time it took to get there.


The view from near the hostel

The bus rides up to where we stayed were absolutely insane.  In some places the road is barely wide enough for the bus to pass a car so the busses have to honk around all of the blind corners.  I made the mistake of sitting seaside in the back of the bus and I paid the price.  By the time the bus ride ended I was as white as a sheet. 

There were not many touristy things to do in Agerola since we were well off of the beaten path.  It was refreshing to get away from monuments and other sightseeing for a few days. 

One of the highlights of the Coast was the walk from Agerola to Amalfi.  This involved descending 2039 stairs (I counted) and then walking along the narrow road trying not to get hit by busses. 

The path to Amalfi

Check out the building

The most random moment of the walk: spotting this building on the side of the cliffs.  I cannot imagine how or why this was built but I am sure there must have been a good reason.

Another picture from the walk

Getting closer to Amalfi...

We made it

Like I mentioned earlier it was nice to explore the countryside, even though Melissa had to make friends with every dog we passed...

and pose with ridiculous signs...

The plan was to leave Agerola and head to Venice. Unfortunately the cheap lodging was booked and to be honest neither one of us wanted to endure the train ride. We made our way to Florence instead and that is where we are now.

Scott