A PHOTO GALLERY of ITALY 2019
I have been getting requests for more photographs from our trip. I am going to put together a raw gallery of photos for you to enjoy here. I will try to label all of them with captions so that you can get an idea of why I took them at least. I apologize in advance for any that are duplicates of anything already on this page.
Without having to read my prior blog entries, these pictures will be gleaned from our trip the Amalfi Coast of Italy and our stay in the town of Atrani Italy for two weeks starting on May 22, 2019. Our arrival coincided with my 55th birthday!
One of the most famous attributes of the Amalfi Coast is the steps. There are steps everywhere and to everywhere. This coastal area isn’t flat, it is limestone mountains soaring directly from the sea to the heights above so the natives had to develop pathways from town to town whether it’s around the next bend or 1500 feet above.
I think you get my message, steps and pathways everywhere. We ate anything we wanted and actually lost a couple pounds while on vacation on the Amalfi Coast!
I’m not sure if this is our only trip to Italy in our lifetimes. I’m not sure if we will ever be back to Amalfi and our acquaintances in Atrani. There are a few things that I am sure about though. I found the people and the countryside to be to my liking. These people are passionate about theirs lives from living daily to politics. Everyone has an opinion and voices it. It was fun to see the old men and women in the town squares passionately discussing the topic of the day. These are the descendants of people who scratched a life and towns out of the sides of a soaring limestone mountain range and turned it into a prosperous, major sea power! The food, contrary to popular belief, was not heavy and mostly just simple and tasty. Made from ingredients that are sourced locally on those terraces pictured above and picked daily. Each town has a fishing fleet and the seafood is caught and purchased daily (don’t expect to buy any from the market after noon, it’s sold out). The soaring views and rugged country appeals to the viewer as they look across the sea and the misty morning mountain vistas.
Interestingly, I think that this coast of Italy hasn’t really changed since the 7th century. Amalfi, along with Pisa, Venice and Genoa was one of the most powerful maritime republics. Current day Amalfi hearkens back to a time when there were only sail driven ships plying the waters of the seas, coming into the ports to trade and re-provision (Amalfi produces their own type of lemon for scurvy prevention). The visitors from far away flocked to the streets and markets of Amalfi to trade and purchase exotic textiles and goods. You can and do walk the same streets and often go into the same shops that those historic traders walked and used to ply their trades. Today those traders just come by bus and cruise ship to buy fine textiles and exotic trade goods and get a really tasty meal or two.
I hope, gentle reader, that I have left you with a desire for more… More photos, more food, more information. If you have the opportunity to go to this amazing place, you should take it! As you know from my general theme, I encourage you to get out and explore no matter whether it is in your own back yard or exotic and far away lands.
As always….get out there and explore!
BFD