Amalfi, the touristy town on the coast of Italy, was still relatively quiet when we walked through it’s streets that morning. My two good friends, Ben & Matt, and I had spent the previous evening there, walking the cobblestone streets and enjoying a beautiful meal outside of a restaurant. We had gone down to the water after dinner and waited for the sun to go down, so we could take photos of the city at night. The town had a lot to enjoy but today was different. Ben and I had decided to hike up outside of Amalfi while Matt relaxed by the pool.
We arrived back in Amalfi that morning, armed with water and some snacks. We had been told that, if we walked straight up the main road in town, it would lead us out past the lemon groves that produced Limoncello, past old iron mills that now stand in ruin, and into the mountain. We were eager for a good hike, during what had turned out to be an absolutely amazing vacation. The weather was spectacular, the food was beautiful, and the hazy skies of Italy had shown us some tremendous sights. We had already hiked up to Montepertuso’s Hole, above Positano, but this would be a longer trek into the mountain.
Ben, heavily laden with water for our hike.
One of the most memorable parts of the day was when we arrived in a small canyon. The town was far behind us, we had been hiking for over an hour. The canyon that was came into was nestled amongst a thick stand of trees and the walls of the canyon were covered in moss. Water ran down in a steady but delicate flow, trickling over the lush green and then dripping from small openings. It was quiet, except for the soft sounds of the water. I set up my tripod began to move around, taking photos. Ben did the same but realized that his memory card was full. I still remember looking up at him, watching him stand for 20 minutes amidst this awesome place, manually deleting photos that he didn’t want anymore, one-by-one, so he had room to take new photos.
Pro tip - always make sure you have fresh batteries and memory cards before going out!
We spent quite a while in that canyon, shooting and just enjoying the beauty of it. It felt solitary, we had seen nobody else, quite a contrast to the busy tourist traps of the Amalfi Coast. We set off again, slowly winding our way back down the mountain. We came across an old stone aqueduct that had not seen use in likely many many years. We explored, walking along the top of the aqueduct, my fear of heights almost getting the better of me as the aqueduct snaked around the side of the mountain. We were startled to hear small rough bells ringing and when we looked, we saw a heard of goats running up the side of the mountain, with 2 dogs shepherding them to wherever they were going. No one was in sight, but those dogs knew exactly where to take those goats.
It’s a long drop down!
As we continued down the mountain, we came across a fairly unusual sight. A man was shoveling dirt and rock in an open clearing in the woods, and then loading the dirt/rock into large buckets hanging from the sides of 3 horses. We watched him for a couple of minutes, most likely without his ever knowing that we were there. I’ve always wondered where he was going to take that dirt and rock, out in the middle of nowhere with those horses. We saw the ruins of iron mills, with just walls standing and the forest encroaching upon them. We summoned our nerves and ventured inside one, going within just 1 or 2 rooms - quite creepy.
It was such a memorable day. It’s been over 6 years since we made that hike and I can remember it like it was yesterday. When I travel, I like to try to see things that most people don’t see. The only way to do that is to get away from the tourist traps. Enjoy those places too, but step outside of the towns and cities, get onto a dirt trail on a mountain, and see where you find yourself. Try something you’ve never done before, take a risk, get outside your box - you will find yourself in wondrous places and build those memories that will last a lifetime.
Until next time….
John