Amalfi - October 23

Thursday 23rd October was a stormy day with high winds and intermittent rain, so we mostly stayed at the hotel with a brief venture into town for lunch at one of our favorite Amalfi restaurants: Taverna Buonvicino. In the afternoon Laura and I took the winding path down the cliffside from the hotel to the sea while the rain held off for a while.

That evening Laura and I tried the new rooftop restaurant at the Santa Caterina: Senzafina, which was billed as "A Mediterranean Grill". We expected some hummus and grilled vegetables, but were surprised to find it specializes in rather large cuts of grilled beef and fish, with hummus and vegetables optional! What a great addition to the Santa Caterina!

That was our final full day in Amalfi for this trip. Tomorrow we head to Rome and then home.

Pompeii - October 22

On Wednesday 22nd, we were back in the car with Alessandro to visit the excavations of Pompeii and then lunch at a vineyard on the slopes of Vesuvius.

Laura and I had visited Pompeii 6 years earlier and we were happy to return. There is so much to see of this ancient Roman town that was preserved forever when Vesuvius blew its top off in 79AD covering the town in hot ash. You can stroll the streets of a town laid out on a grid, see the remains of fast food cafes with their counters with holes for amphorae, see homes of different sizes, see the amphitheater, and of course so many mummified bodies. In addition this year there was new excavation underway, which we could visit but not photograph. It was super cool to see the archaelogists at work and another section of the town being revealed for the first time.

Following the tour of Pompeii, Alessandro drove us to the lovely Casa Setaro vineyard. We did a short tour of the fields to see the vines, then retired to their restaurant for a lazy and delicious three course lunch, naturally with a wine to sample with each course. Delicious!

We did order a mixed case to be delivered home. :-)

Amalfi - August 21

We enjoyed another hotel day on Monday 21st. A highlight of the day was when we heard from the front desk that Audrey's parents, Kyle and Deanne, had arranged a gift for us of a bottle of very nice champagne as a thank you for us taking Audrey on this trip. The staff at the Santa Caterina set up a nice place on a landing with a view for us to enjoy the treat at cocktail hour!

After the lovely champagne, we ate dinner for the second time at the wonderful Glicine. Fewer photos this time, but we did enjoy a lovely bottle of Brunello di Montalcino. Good times!