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We have a Madonna. Just down the road from the villa is a short set of steps leading up to a statue of Mary set into the cliff. She is behind glass to protect her from the elements and is … Continue reading
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When we were travelling back from Amalfi last weekend we passed a spot high on the hill about 2kms outside of Positano which had a fantastic view of the village. Today I drove back to that spot and took some … Continue reading
The generally held view is that Italian traffic is bad, and that Neopolitan traffic is some of the worst in Italy. Despite driving all around Italy we had not experienced really bad traffic – until last week.
On Monday evening our visitors flew out of Naples and we drove them to the airport. The normal drive from Positano to the airport is about 1 hour and 20 minutes over winding hill roads. At rush hour or on weekends “allow 2 hours” has been the past advice from the knowledgable staff at Eden Roc Hotel.
We had visited the ruins at Pompeii Monday afternoon so our trip to the airport was a much shorter journey – according to our GPS only 30 minutes from the town of Pompei where we had dinner, and all along motorways. Sweet!
Even so we left Pompei town at 6:15pm, aiming to be at the airport by 7pm. This allowed a comfortable hour and a quarter for our visitors to get through immigration, security, do a little leisurey duty free shopping and arrive at the gate by 8:15pm. As their flight was EasyJet, the gate would close at 8:15pm – there is no room for movement.
The first two thirds of the trip were completely uneventful. Then the traffic started to get a little heavy – in fact we were at walking pace by the time we exited the main Napoli to Salerno motorway and transferred to the motorway to the airport.
But on the bright side at 6:40pm we only had about 5kms to go. Easy!
About 400 metres further on the fun and games began. Three lanes of traffic converge into two. As kiwis we know the routine – merge like a zip. Not in Italy. This was a case of merge like 4 zips, two of which are broken and two of which are twisted around each other and every driver has a different idea of which way to pull the zip.
The net result was that after “merging” we ended up with three lanes of traffic crammed onto a two lane motorway. To add spice, there seemed to be an unofficial fourth lane next to the slow lane which formed when a car needing to get somewhere in a hurry (not that we weren’t in a hurry) used hazard lights and horn to push through the already jammed motorway.
While this configuration got the maximum number of cars on the motorway it made for the minimum possible traffic flow. In fact walking would have been considerably quicker.
This became an option we seriously considered as time passed quickly and the distance to the airport reduced slowly – really slowly – snails paced slowly.
We only had 1.6kms to go to reach the airport but already the time was 7:30pm. The clever banter in the car about the state of Italian motoring had subsided and there was an oppressive silence interspersed only by terse comments “don’t let him push in”, “watch that VW”, “bastard, he just got in front of us”.
By 7:55pm thoughts had turned to rebooked flights and overnight stays in airport hotels. But then the traffic started to thin and the exit to the airport appeared. It was clear – well clearer than anything we had experienced for the last hour. So with 1.0km to the airport we were off.
Those of you who remember the final drive to the hotel in the movie Notting Hill will understand what followed. No stopping for anything, even for stop signs, new lanes were formed where necessary to get around queues, the pavement was even used at one point. If I do say so myself it was a truly “Italian” approach to driving and it got us the remaining distance to the airport in record time.
What followed was a mad dash for bags (all carry on thankfully) and the entire team headed into the airport except the driver who was then moved along by the airport police.
After parking the car – in an official carpark not just at the side of the airport road as the locals do – the driver made it back to the terminal. Just in time to see our vsitors, having already cleared security and customs, running towards their gate.
Ironically the drive back to Positano was done in record time. All the traffic jams had cleared and we had a clear run all the way. Ahh, Italy.
Every time we arrive back at Villa Greta we are met by Daisy and Poppie. They are so pleased to see us and it doesn’t matter how many times we come and go we always get the same rapturous welcome. For those of you who don’t know them Daisy, being nearly 15 years old, is the slower one. Poppie is the one with her favourite toy in her mouth.
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In mid summer there are no sunsets in Positano. I don’t mean the sun doesn’t go down, I mean it happens behind the hills that ring the village. But in autumn the sun has moved far enough south for the … Continue reading
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The pretty girl visited the shop run by the wicked shopkeeper and discovered that the wicked shopkeeper was, in fact, her fairy godmother and had many, many magically beautiful dresses. So many in fact that the pretty girl couldn’t decide … Continue reading
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For our visitor’s final day in Italy, we visited Pompeii, one of the three towns destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD. What sets Pompeii apart from other roman ruins is the fact that the eruption buried … Continue reading
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On Sunday we took our visitors to Amalfi and Ravello. This a drive of only 25kms from Positano but it takes the best part of 50 minutes given the narrow winding road along the coast. You pass through picturesque villages … Continue reading
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For the past few days Villa Greta has been a full house. Our friend from the UK, Gill, and her folks from New Zealand jetted in from the UK on Friday night and we spent the weekend on and around … Continue reading
You can always tell when the girls feel at home. They start barking at everyone walking past and go nuts when anyone visits. Based on this, as of last Wednesday Villa Greta became “our place”. For the next few weeks anyway.
The next day the pretty girl and her handsome husband set off early to visit the shop with the magically beautiful dress. Once again the wicked owner was not there and the shop door was locked. The girl’s heart was filled with sadness. “Alas, will I never get to wear the dress?” she said. As she turned to walk away she noticed a small note taped to the door. It was a phone number. At last a way to contact the wicked shop owner.
The pretty girl reached for her trusty iPhone and called the number. It rang and rang and rang. Just as the girl was about to hang up, the phone was answered. Oh happiness, the pretty girl listened to the shop owner and the reason for the closed shop was explained.
The owner had another shop in the little village of Positano. It was nearby and the pretty girl could find the magically beautiful dress there. Oh joy. At last the dress was within her reach. It was meant to be.
But this is not the end of our tale, because nothing in the magical kingdom of Italia is ever that simple.
As she walked to the new shop the pretty girl passed another dress shop and in the window saw another dress. It was a dress of green. It was long and cosy. The pretty girl thought it would keep her warm on the long winter evenings that were fast approaching, something the magically beautiful dress would not do. She tried on the dress of green. The fit was perfect. Everyone in the shop agreed the fit was perfect and that the pretty girl looked even prettier in the new dress.
The pretty girl was torn. What of the magically beautiful dress? Was it not meant to be? Was it more beautiful and magical than the dress of green?
She decided to do what she always did when this happened – have a glass of wine and a fag and think about it.
To be continued…
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Italy came off daylight saving on Sunday and the days got an hour shorter. It was already getting dark at 7pm, so suddenly the days got dramatically shorter. The change meant that Positano beach and village lose the sun around … Continue reading
This weekend we will have visitors staying with us at Villa Greta. Our friend Gill from the UK is flying in for the weekend with her Mum and her Mum’s husband Allan from New Zealand who are on their first trip to Europe. Positano is their first stop outside the UK and the trio fly into Naples airport on Friday evening and stay until Monday.
With so many things to see and do and so little time, picking the best activities is critical. At this stage there is definitely a trip to Pompeii on the cards. A walk around Positano is a must and a trip down the coast to Ravello or Amalfi is a good way to see the local area. But beyond that the weekend is an unwritten story.
Suggestions anyone?
… you check out how busy the beach is.
Positano in summer
Positano in autumn
With space at a premium on the drive to Positano, we had to find room for the girls in amongst the vast quantity of luggage we had filled the car with. Daisy travelled in style in the back seat on a stack of blankets and pillows which raised her to around window height. Great for her as she had a view of every person, car or bike we passed, but bad for us as she barked at every person, car or bike we passed.
Poppie travelled in the front on the knee of the lucky passenger. Poppie has eaten well in Italy and her current weight of 7.2kgs does, after a few kilometers become quite heavy. This necessitated regular stops to allow the poor passenger to regain some degree of feeling in their lower legs.
Oh the glamour of travel.
La dolce far niente 