Anniversary trip to Italy, part IV.

Tuesday, 16 October

We awoke to a gloriously sunny day. The view from our balcony was breathtaking: the sea was now a beautiful shade of blue and the lush vegetation and white buildings were much more vibrant than they'd appeared in yesterday's haze.


View looking to the right from our balcony

The hotel offered a fabulous breakfast on the upstairs terrace. In addition to the usual selections of delicious meats, cheeses and pastries, La Minerva served freshly squeezed juices and prepared eggs to order.


View from breakfast {sigh}


This was my favorite breakfast buffet of our trip. The dark cake was "Torta Caprese," and it had Caprese stenciled in powdered sugar on top


In the glass was homemade ricotta - delicious!


One more lovely view from Hotel La Minerva

Antonino at the front desk suggested a walk from our hotel to the Arco Naturale (Natural Arch) that wound along the sea past Capri's iconic Faraglioni Rocks, three jagged spurs that rise dramatically out of the water. In delightful contrast to our adventure yesterday, this walk followed a well-established path. There were quite a few stairs, but the views were spectacular; we especially liked the Arco Naturale.


Looking up at where we hiked yesterday - the electrical tower on the top right




The Arco Naturale - truly lovely!


Looking through the Arco Naturale


Self-portrait - we were the only ones around - quite a treat!


An old cave along the path


Stairs and more stairs!


Spectacular views


Robert took this to show Will, our TCU Horned Frog


Capri's iconic Faraglioni Rocks


Magnificent views every way we looked


Robert trying to capture one of the views!


Another self-portrait


GPS map of our morning walk


Another glance up at where we hiked the night before

As the path entered Capri Town we stopped for delicious, if expensive and tiny, cups of lemon granita, a frozen slushy drink. We returned to our hotel to retrieve my coat and handbags (our suitcases had been sent earlier to the port via the mysterious porters).


Enjoying my granita




The Piazetta in Capri Town

We hoped to take the chairlift to Mount Solaro but arrived in Anacapri with only enough time to snap a few pictures before needing to take a taxi back to the Marina Grande to catch our 1:50 boat to Sorrento.

I was very sad to bid farewell to Capri as I found it a beautiful and magical place. We wished we had had more time and definitely hope to return some day.


Capri's Marina Grande

Robert and I planned to take a fast ferry from Capri to Positano, but Antonino at our hotel informed us that the boats between those two ports were not running due to high waves. He advised us to catch a boat to Sorrento instead and he arranged for a driver to meet us there.

The journey from Capri to Sorrento only took 20 minutes so perhaps I didn't have adequate time to get seasick, but the water didn't seem terribly rough to me. Gian Paulo was waiting for us near our point of disembarkment, and we climbed in his car for the half-hour drive to Positano.


Passing through Sorrento en route to Positano

The highway between the towns on the Amalfi Coast was like the Capri road on steroids. Enormous buses loaded with cruise ship passengers took hairpin turns that seemed to me would be challenging even in a Mini Cooper. Just imagine when two such buses met on a road scarcely big enough for one of them! I think I covered my eyes at least half of the way to Positano. Later Robert told me our driver while texting sometimes while he navigated! Oh, my, I'm glad I only knew that after we'd arrived safely.


The road along the Amalfi Coast


No idea how we got past this truck. I'm pretty certain Robert took this picture while I covered my eyes

Positano is a picturesque little town built into the side of a mountain right on the coast. We wound around its tiny streets quite a while before arriving at our destination, the Hotel Marincanto.



At the street level the hotel only has a car park and a little structure housing an elevator. Robert and I took the elevator four stories down to the reception area, which was adjacent to a lovely patio overlooking the sea where we also ate breakfast every morning. We checked into our room, #212 (duo cento dodici), which featured a little balcony overlooking the sea and a nice patio with a view of the town.


Our room at the Marincanto


Positano as viewed from our balcony

For dinner we ventured into town and down a pedestrian walkway near the beach to a restaurant called Lo Guarracino. We had a nice meal on their deck. I especially liked the linguini limone that I ordered; the sauce was really light and fresh.


Our dinner at Lo Guarracino - I'd love to know how to make Linguini Limone like this