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.
Category Archives: Amalfi Coast
Positano sunsets
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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
The “meant to be” dress – a modern fairytale concludes
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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
A day at Pompeii
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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
Amalfi, Ravello and dinner
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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
A full on weekend
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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
It’s officially home
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 “meant to be” dress – a modern fairytale continues
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…
Every cloud has a silver lining
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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
Visitors to Positano
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 know it’s off season in Positano when …
… you check out how busy the beach is.
Positano in summer
Positano in autumn
Pups on tour – a feeble excuse for yet another cheesy dog photo
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.
We’re here and the weather is …
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… beautiful. As we hoped, it’s back to summer clothes for a wee while. Yesterday we wandered down to the beach at Positano. The village is still busy but that summer crush of people has gone and everyone seems more … Continue reading
The “meant to be” dress – a modern fairytale
Once upon a time there was a pretty girl and a dress. The dress was magically beautiful and hung in a shop window in the little village of Positano. The girl who was visiting Positano in July saw the dress and tried it on. It fitted perfectly. The girl’s sister said she looked beautiful in the dress. It was perfect. The girl said she must have it.
But the girl hesitated. Buying the dress would mean the girl and her handsome husband would have no money for food or drink for a week. The girl proclaimed “I will come and buy the dress before we leave. If it is still in the shop it is meant to be”.
Her husband was most pleased as he would not have to go hungry and would have a plentiful supply of ale to quench his thirst.
For the next two days the girl thought about the dress. She longed to wear it again. She vowed to make it hers.
When she returned to the shop, alas, it was shut. The wicked owner was taking an afternoon nap. The girl would return later. Again, when she returned the shop was closed. Many times she returned and each time the door was locked and the lights were dimmed. The girl was despairing.
Finally the girl’s time in Positano was ending. Still the shop remained closed. The girl’s sister reminded her “if you return to Positano and the dress is still there, it was meant to be.”
The girl left Positano with a heavy heart and no dress. Over the next months she had many adventures in the land of Italy but always in the back of her mind was the magically beautiful dress.
In November the girl and her husband returned to the little village of Positano. The girl resolved “if the magically beautiful dress is still there, I will purchase it”. Secretly she thought that a dress as magically beautiful as this one would have found an owner long before her return.
On her first day in Positano the girl rushed to the shop. She chose a time when the shop must be open hoping against hope that the dress was waiting for her.
As she approached the shop, through the window, she could see the dress. Still magically beautiful and still waiting for her. It was meant to be. She broke into a run, reaching for her purse filled with gold coins.
But alas, as she got closer to the shop the girl could see that the lights were off and the door locked. The shop was closed. She wept.
To be continued…
Leaving for Positano
Inside stuff to pack
It has been a fantastic 6 months reveling in the Tuscan way of life but all good things must end. And our ending is just a new beginning as we swap Tuscany for Positano on the Amalfi Coast.
We were there in July when it was summer and it was almost tropically hot. In November it should be cooler but still as warm as a summer’s day back home.
Outside stuff to pack
We shall see, but first we have to get there and that means cramming everything we own into our Renault Megane Wagon and driving south for about 5 hours … 6 with stops for the girls.
Farewell Tuscany, hello Positano.
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La dolce far niente 