Italy Day 5: Praiano and Amalfi

A lazy start to the day after the huge feast at La Tragliate last night. Up for breakfast on the sunny terrace- cappuccino, croissants, grapefruit juice and sun!

The huge yachts look like small sailboats from our high perch above to Mediterranean. It’s 400 steps down from our room to the beach. You can stuff yourself with pizza at the bottom on the beach and by the time you work your way back up to the room you’re ready to eat again, lol.

The plan is to hop in the car and discover a few new Amalfi Coast cities. We get going around 11:30 AM and hit the first town of Praiano. Praiano is just south of Positano with stunning views back toward The Positano Bay. Praiaino is much more laid back than Positano but still very much a tourist place with lots of Hotels and Inns. We ate lunch at La Brace. Pretty sure it was a family operation with the father as your host, daughter as your server and son in the kitchen (total guess but that was how the dynamic between them seemed). The food was very good. A little on the expensive side but friendly service from the father and very good food with a gorgeous view of Positano. I’d return.

One of the most entertaining things about Italy is watching the way Italians talk to each other. We all know Italians talk with their hands and wear their emotions on their sleeves but the very best is watching this whole dynamic play out on cell phones when the person on the receiving end of the phone call can’t even see the caller but the hands are flying around like an overworked aircraft signalman on crack and their facial expressions tell the entire story without understanding a lick of the language.

Driving the Amalfi is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Hairpin turns and the most dramatic vistas I’ve ever witnessed. The thing is if we are to live to talk about it the driver (me) has to keep their eyes on he road. Made for a nice ride for the Mrs though. By the time the driving is done for the day you are ready for a good stiff drink to take the edge off for sure.

After lunch and walking around Praiano we head for their south to Amalfi. Amalfi is where the large cruise ships pull in. Definitely geared toward tourists with a bustling center and piers. There is a large space for buses to pull in and walk across the street to the shops, cares and restaurants. The piers are beautiful. Everything all along the Amalfi is very clean, people are friendly and you feel very safe. We have a cappuccino bounce in and out of a few shops, take a walk down the pier and head back to the car for the 45 minute or so drive back to Positano.