Itlay - The Coastal Situation

I must say it’s been exceptionally nice staying with my Aunt and Uncle in Italy. Since my last post we’ve checked out the Amalfi Coast, spent a day at the beach, and I’ve continued to eat more good food than I can keep a track of.

In the summer Italians flee to the beaches by the thousands. Some beaches are nice and clean while others are pretty questionable. All of the nice beaches are managed by local small businesses and every square centimeter is utilized. Lounge chairs, umbrellas, and people lying about cover most of the sand. There’s usually a bar nearby and African immigrants roam about selling sunglasses, hats and wrist watches. For those not accustomed to a sardine packed beach the situation might seem kind of foreign and maybe a little intimidating, but hey, this is Italy. So, park the car, pay a few Euros, and enjoy the lovely Mediterranean climate.

It doesn’t take long to adjust to Italian beach life. I’d say it takes about 2 or 3 minutes. Despite the crowds there’s a nice relaxing vibe that’s contagious and it’s easy to understand how someone can make the beach their domain for the summer. Some people rent a specific umbrella plots for the entire season. For a good swim you can wade past the shallow water crowd into deeper perfectly temperate waters with just the right salt content. Not many people go beyond waist deep water so beyond that there’s plenty of room to move.

Where there’s not an enticing beach there are miles of scenic coastline. Most notably is the Amalfi coast which is located south of Naples. The Amalfi coast consists of a narrow winding road cut into steep mountains that fall into a strikingly beautiful rocky shoreline. The road passes through incredibly scenic old fishing villages cut into a built precariously upon very steep terrain. Many of the buildings are painted different colors which creates a nice contrast. The roadway must rank as one of the top coastal drives in the world.

Naturally with it being July there were plenty of tourists on the Amalfi coast but Frank commented that it was noticeably fewer than he’s seen on past visits.

Frank and Anna have been really great. They’ve been more than generous and my time in Italy is passing very fast. I’ve recovered exceptionally well from the accident I had two weeks ago. The stitches have been removed and aside of a little remaining black around my right eye everything looks pretty normal. Next Saturday morning I’ll be on the move again as I settle into a very different kind of experience.