Summer Vacation - Amalfi Coast June 2012

Now that I finally got around to setting up a blog it seems to make sense to share some of the many pictures we took during our two week vacation to Italy earlier this summer.  It was during these two weeks in our lives that Angie and I committed ourselves to the journey we are now on. I will share these in several posts, beginning with the Amalfi Coast, followed by our day trip to the island of Capri, and conclude with our week in Tuscany.  Amalfi (June 23-28) begins as follows:

This might have been the first picture I took in Italy this year.  Taken off our outdoor patio, from the back of our Montepertuso villa that literally clung to the side a steep mountain, we overlook the seaside town of Positano below – and the mighty Mediterranean Sea.

Taken off the patio, this is what passes for the backyard of our villa – the Apennine (Ap-a-NE-na) Mountains. 

The town of Positano, located on the south side of the Amalfi Coast, taken from the Mediterranean Sea.

Make no mistake - the town, the villas, the roads, the people and their culture are all chiseled into the steep mountainous terrain here.

A day at the beach in Positano.

A day and a lunch spent at Sorrento, on the north side of the Amalfi Coast.

Hiking atop the Apennine Mountains that run through much of Italy and all of the Amalfi Coast.  This trail is called the Path of the gods, so named for its elevation, rugged challenging terrain, and beautiful vistas.  Hiking the Path was one of the highlights of our week in Amalfi.  In many places it is little more than a goat path with steep drop-offs, but it’s worth every step.  Just don’t miss a step.

The southern edge of the Amalfi peninsula stretches west straight out into the Mediterranean Sea.  Taken from our hike on the POG, this shot clearly shows how the Apennine

(Ap-a-NE-na) Mountains go right down to the Med.

The Buca di Montepertuso – The Hole of Montepertuso.  Montepertuso is the small town just a few steps up from our villa, where in the cliffs above the town the weather somehow wore a giant hole right through the mountain!  And yes, that is Angie standing in the gap.

On the way back down from the Buca.

Overlooking the town of Montepertuso from one of the many gardens terraced into the sides of the mountains.

No better way to celebrate surviving a day of hiking than a fine dinner of Bistecca (the biggest Porterhouse steak in recorded history).  Taken at the excellent il Ritrovo restaurant in Montepertuso, overlooking the mighty Med.