How To Reach Amalfi From Salerno with a Ferry

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I found this information just today: the season of Amalfitan Coast ferries begins.

The shortest way to reach Amalfi is to take a ferry from Salerno.
The ferries do not cruise all year round, they begin to run from April, 3 this year (2017).
The price is the same this year, euro 8. In 50 minutes you arrive in Amalfi. You can reach than Positano (euro 12) and Capri (10:30 the first, euro 21 complete trip)

Search for your FERRY here:

If you do not like the hard serpentine roads, you have to choose ferry for Amalfi. It costs much more (euro 2,20 bus), but if you suffer seasickness, the car road is really very very hard.

Positano - Capri euro 17,70
Amalfi - Capri euro 19,30

As said before, there is one other possibility to reach Amalfi: with a car/bus. The busses pass near the railway station. They have a luminous inscription "Amalfi"

Salerno, Italy

Ferry from Salerno to Amalfi, Italy

Amalfitan Coast seen from a Ferry

Atrani, Italy

My Favourite Italian Food

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You will probably not believe me, but my favourite Italian food is Mozzarella with fresh Tomatoes and Olive Oil.

Noooo, don't try to eat it using industrial mozzarella! It's completly different product that is similar to a piece of sole of the shoe. 

Yes, you are right, today, when I live more than 20 years in Campania, Italy, I know to distinguish them and enjoy the TRUE, now made mozzarella, The Mozzarella, every time I can. But You know about it now, too! 

This does not mean you can't use your industrial or old mozzarella, if you just ordined it. I'll explain you what to do now. Take a piece of bread, put a piece of old/industrial mozzarella on it, bath it in whipped egg and fry it. Bread side first and mozzarella side when bread is so as you like it. This is "Mozzarella in a Carriage".

 But the fresh, fantastic, unbelievable mozzarella is good with fresh tomatoes - solted and with GOOD olive oil. And Aglianico, delicious local red wine. Nothing more!
When you eat it for the first time, you will like it so much!

Once, I worked as a translator with a group of Russian businessmen. We had a free day and went to visit Amalfi coast. In a restaurant, they followed my advice and ordined mozzarella with tomatoes.
You want believe me, the other 3 days they ordined about 1 kg of it every diner. :-)
Delicious.

But fresh mozzarella is good with other fresh vegetables, too. And with different kinds of cheese.

If you have still to wait for your vacation, but you live in Berlin, you can visit a restaurant of my friend, Giovanni. He is excellent Italian cook and fantastic person. You will enjoy your dinne :-) 

Restaurant Locanda, Berlin

How to Reach Amalfi from Vietri Sul Mare (Italy) in a Bus

When you decide to travel to Amalfi, you try to understand how have you do to arrive there. There are many possibilities to find information, but I see that it's not always complete. So, this post is dedicated to some particular problems.

You can come with a bus or with a train (if not with taxi, but the price of a taxi from Salerno to Amalfi is from euro 100 to 150, sometimes much more). Here we speak about budget possibilities.

On the first photo you see 2 lines over the houses. The first is the main car road. Over it, you see the line of the railway. If you are fast enough, you need about 10-15 minutes to reach the crossway on the photo.

Vietri Sul Mare, the main crossway of the town

To go to Amalfi/Cetara/Maiori/Minori, you have to take a bus to Amalfi.
There are NOT tickets in the bus. You have to buy them in a shop (tabacchaio or edicola). If you come from Naples or Salerno, you can buy your ticket there.

The ticket actually costs euro 2,20. Sometimes, they give you a ticket by euro 1,80, it's the old price and it's ok, too. They say.
Say to the vendor that you need a ticket SITA that costs euro 2,20 (photo). It will be enough. You do not need to explain that you have to go to Amalfi.

Ticket SITA to go from Vietri Sul Mare to Amalfi

In Vietri Sul Mare. you have to go right (photo) about 150 m where you will find Edicola (magazine shop). The shop is situated where the square finishes and the narrow street begins.
So you have to count about 20 minutes to turn back to the bus stop.

Vietri Sul Mare, Maine Square

The bus stop is on the left of the first photo behind the very left car. Here it is:

Vietri sul Mare the bus stop for Amalfi, Maiori, Minori, Raito

Normally, busses to Amalfi pass 1 time in an hour. At __:15 (7:15; 8:15; 9:15....) This time can vary from 10 minutes earlier to 10-20 minutes later.
The bus arrive in Amalfi 1 hour later. If the situation with traffic is good.
That is why you needed to know exact time you spend for everything.

For example:
if you arrive in Vietri with train at 10:00 without SITA ticket, you have to count time to go to the crossway, time to buy your ticket and to return to the bus stop.
It's practically impossible that you can take a bus that passes at 10:15.
If you have the ticket - maybe.

The Capital of Ceramics of Amalfi Coast, Italy

One of the most interestng signs of all Amalfi Coast is it's ceramics. You find really beautiful things of every kind, from mini souvenirs to real size cows, in every town and village on your way. The abboundance of the objects of this art is due to the high quality of raw materials like clay and particular sand in the zone.

But the real capital of ceramics is a little town, Vietri Sul Mare. About 2 centures ago the young German artists boosted this art here - and it was a happy invention for the region.

Vietri Sul Mare is not only a merchandiser. It's inhabitants LOVE ceramics. You see the shops on every step on the main street of the town, but if you take time for a short excursion, you will find real artworks of ceramics in the narrow streets, little squares and passages.

Go, go, don't be shy. Enter in every passage.
Romantic medieval town.
Beautiful ceramics ornaments.
Enjoy it!

You will find exact explanations about how to arrive in Vietri, Amalfi, Raito, and other towns of Amalfi Coast in the other posts of this blog

Best Foods in Amalfi and Sorrento, Italy

 There are many excellent foods in Campania and you will enjoy them every day of your vacation in Amalfi or Sorrento, but the best of them are surely those you can see on my photos.

No, you maybe do not like particularly cheeses, so as I did. In this post, I'll tell you one of the reasons I look for them when I visit these part of our region, now.

When the local inhabitants offer you a piece of cheese, you can be sure, it's the best of the best you can find in our too fast world today. These persons still live their traditional, ancestral style of life, cure their animals - sheeps and goats. These animals often live most part of the year on the mountains.

If you love trekking, you will meet them often during your walks. The best is that they even rest without their shepherd. No, they are not alone there. They live with and completly trust their guardians: dogs.

 You see the goats, maybe try to speak with them... suddenly arrives the boss! Here he is!

But the best arrives some moments later: there is an other/some dogs behind you!!! They work in a very good trained team where every member knows his/her place. Some of them are before the herd, some are behind it. And there are some dogs monitoring the situation from a high place! 

There are shepherds, too, but they can even leave the herd - they know the work will be done the best way! 

So, when you buy cheese, you can be sure, these animals did not eat industrial food, nothing bad or dangerous. Eat it! Enjoy it! It's surely the best quality food we can have today.

How To Visit Vesuvius From Pompei

We live in a very good period for Pompei-Vesuvius visitors, now. Just for some years you can visit Vesuvius with numerous transports and there are so many houses open in Pompei!

Some years ago, I always adviced the tourists to visit Ercolano. There was nothing to see in Pompei. Almost all the houses were closed. Now, after UNESCO promised to leave them without money, the governent thought good to open as many as possible. So, you have put enough to eat in your backpack (normally, there is water in Pompei - not always, but...) and begin your walk from the morning.

If you think to visit Vesuvius the same day, it's better to begin your day with Vesuvius (about 2,5 hours) and go in Pompei excavations after it.

If you have time and want to visit both Pompei and Ercolano (Herculaneum), you have to plan Vesuvius/Ercolano one day (2,5+2 hours) and Pompei the other day. Pompei has very large extention, there are many houses open now. So, you need time to go from one place to other, to visit every house or other place. If you have a guide who wants to walk with you all the day, it's better. At least you do not leave interesting peculiarities.

There are 3 types of buses going from the Circumvesuviana station to Vesuvius.
One is on the first photo (euro 14 or more),
second - on the second photo (euro 2,70).
There is a dark-green one (Busvia) (do not have a photo here). That transports you to the cratere from it's other side. About euro 20-22.

You HAVE TO TURN BACK WITH THE SAME BUS!!!!!!!

Before you enter the bus, ask How much time you have to visit cratere. Prefer those who says, you have 1,5 hour. It seems, they give you more time for the visit, now. But if you have only 40 minutes, you have to be as quick as possible to turn back to your bus.

If you come here with the intention to practice trekking, take your alpenstock with you on Vesuvius.

The best (more quick + euro 2,70 only) is that on the second photo.

Fiumicino Airport and Leonardo Express from Roma Termini

 Fiumicino airport is the biggest in Rome and they have maybe most international flights there.

Said this, I want to warn you: never buy your tickets so that you have to go out and enter one hour later. The airport is long enough to go from one place to other and the queues could be very very long. Count at least 2 hours in this case.

Very comfortable is now the connection with the main railway station Roma Termini. There is a special Terminal for trains (green and red on my photos) and you can go not only in Rome but in Venice, for example, and other cities from there.

The train to Roma Termini has it's own name - Leonardo Express. It arrives on track 23-24. If you have not too much time and arrive in Roma Termini, you can choose the right direction. These are the last tracks on the left - if you arrive with a train.

The price of the ticket is euro 14 when I write this post. You can buy it on every path today. But if you think, you will have not too much time to "speak" with a ticket-machine, it's better to buy it online. You can do it with your cell, too.

If you want to purchase your ticket online, you have to write "Fiumicino airport" as a destination. I could not understand where, ..., is this train. If you write it in other way, you will never find this mistery station.

The bad in this airport is that they have ONLY ONE arrivals/departures panel per floor. It was so a week ago at least.

And there are infinite car rentals between the airport and railway station.

Fiumicino Airport

Fiumicino from Airport to Railway Station

Fiumicino Airport on the right

Fiumicino Airport Railway Station with Leonardo Express on the left

Fiumicino Airport

Fiumicino Airport Car Rentals

Fiumicino Airport Police Control 

Time to Travel Campania! Spring is Finally Here!

With these oleanders of all possible colors, I wanted to begin my post about the spring. 

Oleanders for Tourists in Campania, Italy

We were not very fortunate this winter. Rain and winds continued without break this time. Only some sunny days - and rain and rain again. 

Some poor flowers appeared in february, but who could see them if it was impossible to go out...

But finally we are here: spring donates all of us it's free huges. To everybody....

Sorrento Coast, Italy

There are many pathes in Amalfi/Sorrento coast. Most of them are cured and have even better look than the normal ways. You can use mobile apps to find more paths, too. And to help you if you loose the direction. Personally, I love them: they can show you where the path is if you do not understand what to do now.

the Way to Torre dello Ziro, Amalfi

One of the Trekking Paths in Amalfi Coast

The other peculiarity of the climate is that you never have to belive this fantastic weather, this sun: the wind is cold and you have high chance to pass the rest of your vacation in bed if you do not think about it. It's the second most big problem of the tourists here: they have always cold. In winter they are too happy to expose everything they can to the sun, in summer they have cold because of abuse of air conditioning.

M. Vesuvius Seen From Sorrento Coast

Beautiful Rocks of Amalfi Coast

Why Amalfi/Sorrento coast is different from other places, specially for those who loves trekking, is that you can pass all the day to cross, to walk the mountains - and you will finish your day swimming in the warm, nice waters of the Thyrrenian Sea. You can find still bays everywhere. The water will be warm enough to swimm even in January there.

Pizza Prices: Sorrento vs Salerno

Sorrento

My friends wanted to know how are the prices of normal "something to eat" possibilities in our zone. Last week, I had to visit two of the well known cities, Sorrento and Salerno, and wanted to control how much will cost the most common and desired meet of Campania: pizza.

I normally do not visit central restorants for tourists because of bad quality tourists oriented tastes. Sorrento is a little town living only fron tourists, so my choice was a pizzeria that is situated at the right from the Circumvesuviana station. It will be a still natural place, I thought.

I was not right.

First, the girl sad me the pizza will be little and will cost euro 4. Well, I thought, it's a right price even if a little too high for pizza margherita. So I ordine e good beer and wait for my meal.

I had to wait an eternity. The pizza was nothing special as a taste.

I normally ordine "Margherita con carciofini (artichokes)", but if you want something simple without reading long menus and try to guess what it is etc, you can say Margherita con salame/wurstel/prosciutto or con funghi (mushrooms) or what you like. It's the most easy way to receive what you want.

The price of Margherita in Campania is not high and vary from 2,50 to 3,60. The problem is that if you have the "not italian" face (like me), the price can be "according to the face" (that is why I send to ordine my husband). 

Pizza Margherita with artichokes in Sorrento

The pizza in Sorrento was nothing special. You can see it on the photo, too.

The price of this pizza and beer (33) was euro 10.

Next day, I had to take one of my kittens in Salerno (I am a red Maine Coon breeder) and so I could confront the pizza in Salerno with that I ate a day before in Sorrento.

First of all, I LOVE Salerno, I love Amalfi coast and Mountains Lattari (you can see them on the foto). I try to cross these mountains at least one time a week. Sometimes, I'm alone, sometimes with my friend, sometimes with a grooup of tourists or friends. I can say, I visited every pick you see on the photo. It's not dangerous even for a solitary woman, to trek or to walk there. But it's always wise to go with at least some persons. Even the most cured pathes like "Sentiero degli Dei" can suddenly present landslide etc. In any case, take your trekking shoes and alpenstoks in vacation.
And you can call me if you need company for your walks.

Seaside of Salerno

Now, we turn back to pizza.

Salerno is not tourist oriented city, so you can find here lower prices and good food for locals even near the railway station.

We went out to the sea, found the first pizzeria where it was possible to ordine fresh pizza. I don't know, I like when pizza is made for me, in the same moment I have to eat it.

We ordined Margherita con salame

Pizza was really excellent. 

With 0,5 l of water and Coka medium I paid euro 7,50

Pizza Margherita with salami in Salerno