Visit the Amalfi Coast

“As we ascended the two hundred steps up to our rooms in the Pensione Colombo, my family and I stopped on every one of the five landings, partly because we needed to catch our breath, but mostly to marvel at the view. Every patch of available garden was planted with ripe tomatoes, zucchinis and colorful flower beds, and lemon trees that had been vined and twisted into shady alcoves. A litter of tiny playful kittens meowed their welcome, and when we turned ’round we could see the town of Positano beckoning; from a distance, the white-looking homes stood out against the lush green trees and dark beige cliffs that surrounded them. But by far, the predominant color here was the blue of the sea and sky, every shade of it, I’d find out later, and all the other colors seemed brighter in contrast: the lemons more yellow, the pine trees greener.”

“Descending our steps to join the celebrations in the nearby town center was in no way an easier feat than climbing them. Besides my ungrateful joints, there was always the imminent threat of missing a step, twisting an ankle and rolling down the stairs to my death. The first day, I sought support from the white metal railings, but soon discovered they were covered in ants that used them as a highway of sorts. It took a couple of times forgetting about the ants, and having them use my arms as alternate routes, to teach me to stop using the railings for their intended purpose, and risk rolling down the stairs. But here was the thing, ants and all, I was not deterred; I just walked slower making mental notes about that possible future life in Praiano.”

“I stayed in Minori and took day trips to Amalfi and Bomerano for the Path of the Gods hike to Positano. I planned to visit more towns but decided to stay longer in each destination because I get very motion sick, my stomach couldn’t handle all the twists and turns. On a side note, the hike took me 3-4 hours with lots of photo stops. When I arrived in Nocelle, I opted to go down the 1700 steep steps to Positano instead of taking the 15 minute bus.”