The Road to Amalfi... The Danger Zone

Friday, August 28th:

Our Final Day of the Busabout Tour was another early wake up with the bus rolling out of the campsite at 7:30. We were headed to the Almafi coast to check out a few of the towns before making the four hour trip back to Rome and Camping Roma. Mel gave us a brief itinerary and warning about the road we were about to take on the mornings journey. The road to Amalfi is full of twists and turns along sheer cliffs. Due to the make up of the roads there are numerous restrictions that range from the size of the vehicle all the way to what days of the week locals are allowed to drive theirs cars (basically use the same method used for gas after hurricane Sandy). The bus we rode in was the largest type of vehicle allowed on the roads and is only allowed to drive southbound.  Busabout actually hires local drivers that understand how the Almalfi coast works... this day would put our driver, Salvitore, to the test and then some.

After her warning, Mel turned on The Danger Zone and let the music do the talk. I can honestly say I have never seen views like what we witnessed on this trip. Blue water as far the eye can see and another awe inspiring view at every turn.  You could actually hear the entire bus gasp/ groan/ grunt at every right turn or moved that speed around us into a blind corner. These Italian drivers a crazy but you can tell they have absolute confidence in their ability and the drivers around them. Even the pedestrians on the sidewalk don't flinch as the drivers narrowly pass by. 

We made our first stop at a roadside stand that sold fresh fruit, fresh orange juice and postcards. It was then back on the bus as we continued to Amalfi. 

The bus pulled in around 9:30 and we had some time to grab breakfast and a coffee before heading out on our boat cruise. The whole group followed Mel to Lo Scugnizzo for fresh pastries and Ashley split a giant doughnut filled with Nutella. Just what we needed before swim. The group made our way back the dicks and jumped aboard our boat for the hour cruise that would show us some the coastline as well as a 20 minute swim. A few of the group headed to Lovers Arch to do some rock jumping before we all got back on the boat and headed to port. We had about 30 minutes to walk around, so Ashely and I grabbed a gelato in town. Typing this out, Amalfi proved to be quite an unhealthy eating spot for us. Well worth it, but yikes!

Leaving Amalfi we headed to Ravello, a smaller town up in the mountains. First we had to go through Fiori and this is where Salvatore showed how well he dominates the road. The man is an artist with the bus and it was as much entertaining as it was frightening to watch him work. Well done Sir!

Arriving safely in Ravello, had some time to grab a sandwich from a local market, Alimentari. We grabbed the Tomato, Mozarella and Salami on ciabatta for €5 and a €2 Arrancini Ball (rice ball). Both were delicious and hit the spot. We then had some time to walk around the town and found it quite peaceful compared to the busy beach towns. It was the perfect spot to relax before jumping back on the bus and make for Rome. On our way out of town, Ashley spotted a Cameo shop and scored a beautiful pair of earrings, handmade in the shop. Not a bad keepsake for this wonderful trip.

Salvatore's couldn't relax just yet as he had to get us over the coastal mountain range and then back down again. With the grace and ease he demonstrated earlier in the day he made it to the freeway with no troubles and the majority of the bus fell to sleep to rest before we got back into Camping Roma.

After a quick check in we did some laundry before our last big group dinner. A solid close to a great trip and we have to thank not only Mel for leading us, but the entire group for creating such a fun atmosphere and welcoming the two of us in. Hope to see you all again soon.

Ashley's snaps:

Amalfi Coast Tour: Mix of Day 2 & 3 - snaps from August 27th & 28th from Ashley Habeck on Vimeo.