Salerno

Salerno

So we have reached the Amalfi Coast after a long drive down from Rome. It didn't start too well as once we had picked the rental car up at the airport (way out west of Rome) it took us about 2.5 hours to get around to a southern exit for Naples, probably less than 50km. Once out of the rush the rest of the trip was fairly smooth as the road is in good condition, but then it should be as it is a toll road. It was busy though, possibly due to it being a Friday night. And here is what Wikitravel says about driving here - and we've noticed ALL of these tendencies!

"Theoretically, you can rent a car to cover the last stretch of the journey, but in all honesty it's probably better to reserve this option for second (or third) visits to the area if you are used to driving in Northern Europe or the US. The reason for this is that driving habits in this area of Italy have developed in a sort of local micro climate - most cars drift around on the motorway hovering between two or three lanes, most drivers talk and gesticulate instead of driving, and if you don't keep up with the traffic flow, you are likely to find someone tailgating you within 30 seconds or so.

If you need any more convincing, take a look at the cars when you arrive in the area. There is a prize if you can spot one without dents. Dents and rental cars don't mix well."

So we were very pleased to finally arrive in the hills above Salerno at a large country house containing our Airbnb apartment. Not only is it a scenic building with dramatic views and a very friendly owner, the fig trees at our balcony full of ripe - if only so slightly out of reach figs - cemented itself in our hearts.

Our first day out involved braving the Saturday morning traffic into the heart of Salerno. Busy, busy, busy but we made it to a car park without hitting anything. Everyone just edges from anywhere into the smallest of gaps and no one seems to get upset, well at least there is no tooting nor additional hand-waving.

Salerno itself seems to mainly consist of large relatively modern apartment blocks which isn't too bad given the views - high heavily-wooded hills and seascapes. Plus a large port. Down in the main centre there are two big shopping roads that are, thankfully, pedestrianised. These mainly contain the "known" Italian brands, But further down the main streets they merge into older historic centre with more interesting independent shops and numerous eateries. Worth a day's exploring but probably not much more.

Salerno alleys ...

Agripoli marina

Another day trip took us further south along the coast. It is really one large conurbation stretching south from Napes (squeezing around Vesuvius). But the traditional old town centres seem to have been swallowed up and aren't so easy to find. We got as far south as Agripoli which does have a pretty town centre on a hill overlooking the sea and marina. Plenty of old churches and a beautiful Byzantine castle. Sad to say but we spent a portion of the day in an Italian designer outlet mall and bought nothing that we couldn't eat, though we were sorely tempted in places if only we didn't have to carry everything around India for weeks afterwards and had a decent budget.

Byzantine fort in Agripoli

 And a few more scenes from Salerno ...

The Duomo courtyard