Today bought with it a unique experience. Vietri Sul Mare is the gateway to Italy’s Amalfi Coastline. This is a 40km stretch of coast running from Vietri Sul Mare to Positano. The least expensive way to see the coast is to catch a Sita bus. A day ticket costs 8 euro and you can hop on and hop off anywhere from Salerno to Sorrento. You have to get the ticket before boarding and they are available at tobacconist/news agents or at the bus station in the area. We got ours from the news agent this morning.
We then went and found the Amalfi bus stop and we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Eventually, a bus came and we got set to board. As I did, the bus driver barked “no”! It was the wrong bus.
We waited a bit longer and another bus came, so we readied ourselves to join the masses and board. But no! It was another wrong bus.
Meantime, we had met, in this far-away-from-anywhere place, a lovely young couple from Pretoria who we chatted away to.
Finally, after waiting more than an hour, the Sita bus arrived!
And soon we were off. The coastline has many little towns that cascade down the mountainside to picturesque beaches…
Driving along the Amalfi coast is an experience in itself. It is like Chapman’s Peak Drive on steroids. It’s longer, higher, narrower and busier. The bus drivers spend their time roaring along, braking suddenly and hooting regularly. After flying around a corner they will reduce their speed to a crawl as another bus approaches and the two of them squeeze past each other with just milometers to spare. At times it’s quite hair-raising, but overall it’s highly entertaining. Today we spent 6 hours on various buses, but it certainly didn’t seem like it. Everything was so new and eye-catching, the time flew by.
The way the Sita buses work is that you go as far as Amalfi and then have to change to another bus. That bus was ready when we got to Amalfi, so we didn’t stop to see the town, choosing rather to get on the next bus. It was initially our intention to get off at Positano and then return to Vietri, but as the bus was going to Sorrento, we carried on going. Here is a map to give you an idea with Vietri circled in red…
Tomorrow, we go to Pompei. See if you can find it on the map.
On the way back from Sorrento, we got off at Amalfi and wandered around the very busy village. There is a massive Duomo (church) with 49 steps going up to it. (Parishioners need to be pretty fit!) This is a view of Amalfi Square from the top of the steps…
The church is open to the public and so we took a walk through. What was really interesting is that a couple were practicing playing the wedding march. A wedding was about to happen and so amidst the hundred of tourists, there were a couple of dozen dazzling wedding goers dressed for the occasion, awaiting the bride. Such a joyous occasion. As I did my Bible reading this evening, I was struck by this verse…
Isaiah 62:5b
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
A beautiful image.
After an hour in Amalfi, our final bus rolled out-of-town and headed back to Vietri. We have seen the Amalfi Coast. That we know for sure and I doubt we will every forget our Sita bus experience. Here it is driving boldly towards the bedlam of the coastal road…
This is part of Vietri sul Mare overflowing down the mountainside…
This was our supper view from our BnB terrace…
And so the day has ended and it comes with thanks!
#433 of my 1000 thanks is that I found the sea-sickness pills! I didn’t know where I had put them and for sure a week tomorrow I will want to make sure I have them!
Today’s been a lovely day. We have sucked the marrow out of it!
These are the days.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂