Down to the sea in ships

There is a constantly changing parade of superyachts mooring off Positano.  Every day some arrive and some leave.  The most we have seen at one time is 11 and on average there would be 5 or 6 in each day.

Thanks to a long camera lense we can usually name them.  The shots below are of the Christina O – the private yacht built by Aristotle Onassis and a group of 4 superyachts which includes Arctic P, a research vessel that was converted into a luxury cruiser by Kerry Packer and is now owned by his son James Packer.

Spare time

Ok, so I’ve got the luxury of time on my hands.  And what better way to spend it than brushing up my PhotoShop skills and then boring everyone with the results.

In particular a process called “tilt shift” photography which makes a photo appear to be “model-like”.  The purist approach to this involves special camera lenses and vast amounts of setup time.  But good old PhotoShop can emulate the look with quite impressive results.

I’ve taken a shot of the local beach and had a wee play.

Il dolce far niente

We have been in Positano for a week or so and life has settled into a comfortable, simple  routine.

Our days start late at the villa and after a leisurely walk to the hotel we spend the hottest part of the day around the hotel pool.

Late evening in Positano

In the cool of the evening we either return to Villa Greta and enjoy a drink on the terrace or we walk down into the village for shopping, eating or just wandering and exploring.

We’ve been to dinner at Chez Black on the beach and had dinner on the Eden Roc terrace overlooking the bay.  All in all I think we’ve perfected ‘il dolce far niente” as the Italians call it – the sweet art of doing nothing.

Answers to questions

Never let it be said that Toscanakiwi doesn’t respond to it’s readers comments.  The recent post about our day at the beach raised a number of questions.

Here, we answer them.

That Ferrari

I didn’t have a photograph of the Ferrari yesterday but “Tina of Texas” wanted to see the car.  Today I wandered up the road to take a shot and, being Italy, the car was still there.  In fact it hadn’t moved an inch.

What you can’t see from the photo is the steepness of the drive the car is parked on.  Clearly the car’s owner doesn’t trust the handbrake and has used what I assume is a Ferrari aftermarket accessory to ensure the car stays put.

Obviously it must be a Ferrari branded brick although I couldn’t get close enough to confirm this.

The turntable

The turntable is covered in a very stylish faux grass finish.  Not really sure the logic of this but I guess it’s an Italian thing.

The beach

Geoffman asked about the makeup of the beach.  Asienzo beach is mostly a pebble beach.  There is a small area of sand but from where we were it was a stony walk to the water.

Also the stones were incredibly hot so part of the entertainment was watching people do a funny little dance when a stone or two worked it’s way into their shoes or sandals.  From experience I can say  – ouch.

The Beach

Today we went to the beach.  We walked down the 239 steps to Arienzo Beach and paid €9 each for a lounger, an umbrella and a spot on the private part of the beach.

After an hour of tanning and swimming we adjourned to the Arienzo Beach Club for a pasta lunch, beer and Gin & Tonic.  The beach club is a restaurant and bar built on the beach and consists of poles, canvas, chairs and tables.  It’s amazing they can produce good food but based on our choices for lunch, they can.  What’s more, anything to do with seafood is fresh – caught that morning, in fact.

After another hour in the 32 degree sun we headed up the steps. – all 239 of them.  The walk up takes you past some of the most expensive villas in Positano and at the leisurely pace we were walking we got to see them in detail.  I was most impressed by the one with the brand new Ferrari out front and, to allow the car to turn around, a turntable at the end of the drive.

I’m sure the Ferrari driver was equally impressed by the two hot, sweaty, smelly, gasping tourists staring at his car and his turntable.

Arienzo Beach

The nearest beach to Villa Greta is Spiaggia Arienzo which is, quite literally across the road and down the cliff.

It’s a small beach and is reached by 239 steps – straight down.  We haven’t got there yet – mainly because the 239 steps would be there at the end of the day – straight up.

Maybe tomorrow.

Villa Greta

A couple of photographs of Villa Greta taken from across the road.

Breakfast

Those of you who have stayed at Eden Roc Hotel will know Tony and the experience of breakfast.  When we were staying in the hotel, we would stumble down to breakast – usually late – and be met by Tony’s smiling greeting across the restaurant and cups of his famous Cappuccino.

I am not a coffee drinker except for Eden Roc and only because of Tony.  My record is 3 cups by which time I was bouncing off the walls.

When we booked the villa we were told we would have full use of all the hotel facilities – including the ability to pop down for breakfast.  While this has proved to be the case we were a little nervous as we wandered down the road to the hotel the first morning.

We needn’t have worried.  When we arrived Tony was nowhere to be seen but within a minute we heard his traditional greeting “good morning sir and lady” across the restaurant and he arrived at our table with two cups of his famous cappuccino.

He then proceeded to ply us with croissants (the last two kept just for us), watermelon (fresh from the Eden Roc garden), toast (toasted both sides – past guests please note) and slices of breakfast pizza/quiche all prepared especially for us.

We don’t normally eat breakfast so working through the mountain of food that arrived required concentration and complete disregard for the effect on our waistlines.

Live action – or inaction

It’s around 1:30pm and 30 degrees. Relaxing before lunch. Nothing more to say really.

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Girls out and about in Positano

Today the girls got their first taste of Positano with a walk from our villa to Eden Roc Hotel and back.

The stop at the hotel was an excellent chance for a drink and to catch up with Carlo who manages the bar and restaurant.  As always he had some great tips for places to eat in and around Positano although tomorrow evening we will be enjoying his hospitality with dinner on the terrace overlooking the bay.

On the way back to the villa Jean and the girls posed for the classic Positano photo.

For sale – one superyacht

We snapped this photo of one of the superyachts moored in our front yard last night.

It is called Lady Joy and a quick check on the interweb found that it accommodates 12 people in complete luxury for between $US250k and $US300k a week.

Interestingly it’s also on the market – for $US43 million.  Any takers?

A rare sight in Positano

The rarest thing you see in Positano isn’t some exotic bird or animal, it’s an empty carpark.  Parking spaces on the side of a cliff are strictly limited, unlike the number of cars, scooters and motor bikes in Positano.

If a trip out is planned, locals make a judgement call about whether it’s worth taking the car and losing their park – because finding another one may mean a long wait or, worse, a long walk.  Some cars have been parked in the same spot so long they are collecting dust.

The photo shows an empty park opposite the villa.  It stayed empty for about 2 minutes, maximum.

Welcome to Positano

We arrived in Positano on Saturday after a 5 hour drive from Tuscany to the warmest, friendliest greeting from the staff at Eden Roc Hotel.  We aren’t staying at the hotel but have rented a villa they own called Villa Greta.  The villa is situated just along the main road, 10 minutes easy walk from the hotel.

When we arrived there were fresh flowers on the table, wine and fresh fruit in the fridge and a home made cake on the bench. A lovely touch by the hotel we thought.

Compared to our cottage in Tuscany the villa is huge and everyone is enjoying the additional space and various mod cons – like a dishwasher.

The dogs have recovered from the drive south and have settled in.  They already bark at everyone walking past on the street – much to the delight of the locals.

We normally arrive at Positano later in July but the good news is that the weather is great and the temperature is around 30 degrees.  The town doesn’t feel packed and the superyachts are just starting to arrive in the bay.  The bonus is that we can use the hotel facilities – pool, bar, restaurant, did I mention the pool, etc – so we have the best of both worlds.

We’re off to Positano

It’s time for a holiday from our holiday.  That’s right, the whole Mowday clan is moving from Tuscany to Positano (on the beautiful Amalfi Coast) for a fortnight.  We’ve rented an apartment which is owned by the lovely people who also own and run Eden Roc Hotel, our favourite hotel in Positano.  Updates to follow.

Poppie ready for the trip to Positano.

White Roads

This was a phrase we had not heard before we started motoring around Tuscany. While it sounds quite exotic, it is simply the local name for dirt roads.

In Tuscany there are quite a few.

On a map you will see many roads criss-crossing Tuscany and the distance between places seems small by New Zealand standards. It’s only when you drive that you realise what sort of road it is and the trip time changes accordingly.

Clean me - please.

The road to the cottage is a white road 3kms long. As you can see by the back of the mighty Peugeot (which is a black car, honestly) in summer the roads can get quite dusty. Today, in honour of it’s impending trip to Positano, the Pug is getting it’s first serious clean.

I’ve even bought a sponge and some carwash from the local supermercato.

I’ll just wait until the temperature outside drops below 30 degrees before I start. Ah, that gives me time for a beer.