The drive from Positano to Tropea was wonderful – for the first hour. Our Satnav estimated the drive time at 4.5 hours and the first section along the Amalfi coast was slow and very tight – but right on the estimated time. Once we made it to the A3 motorway I relaxed a little as we cruised south – noticing on the way that there were many small bushfires. When we came to the back of a very long stationary queue of vehicles it became clear that the motorway had been closed because of a fire and all vehicles were forced to exit.

With the help of the car’s satnav and the Sygic maps on my iPhone – and some lucky guesses on our part we navigated south on some very narrow country roads and were able to rejoin the motorway – only to be stopped again for another fire. This time we waited for the fire to be controlled and we were on our way again.

None of this would have been particularly stressful if not for the fact that roads into Tropea Centro (where we were headed) closed at 7pm. Fortunately we made it by 6.50 and were met by our host Alex.

The front door to our apartment was somewhat underwhelming.

But the view from the living area was just superb. The 10.5 hour drive had been worth it! Just on the fringe of the old town we had an easy walk to the bewildering array of restaurants and shops.

A wonderful place to spend a week soaking up the sun, food, wine and local culture.

 

 

 

We could see Stromboli just to the left of the setting sun – but the day we booked our night time cruise the waves were too big for the vessel to go safely. Bummer!

 

The Sea Bass (for 2) filleted at our table was the culinary highlight. Followed by the views from the restaurants – too many to bore you with. Linda was on a mission to consume the entire supply of local mussels – to die for!

 

The beach was a nice walk down hill from our apartment and a very hot walk back – but we solved that with a short drive each way. 12 Euros a day for a bed, chair and umbrella was great value – included the water and a close look at the passing parade.

Some pieces of the townscape follow

A free nighttime piano recital in the garden of the Duomo sounded too good to miss – but the pianist decided to tell us the history of Bach before playing. This wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been in Italian – an experience anyway – but too hot amongst 100 others away from the sea breeze.

 

A short day trip in search of more beach time took us to Capo Vaticano – too many steps to make it to the water but what a view.

While there we found a great use for the old public phone booth – Telstra should be able make some money renting them to the Catholic Church – a job for young Mark Foster!

Before leaving for Sicily I slipped into a mud bath and got Linda to take a quick photo. Not bad for an old guy!!

Actually he is around 2500 years old – one of two bronze statues recovered from the sea off the coast of Calabria and now restored and resting safely in the Museo Archeologica in Reggio. Unbelievable artistry for the time.

And then it was off to Sicily.