Stone

 

I think I was in highschool when I first saw an Escher drawing. The intricacy of the design, the optical illusions, the out of this world images, they all created a never ending puzzle that mesmerized me. You can imagine my surprise when this past summer I found myself in front of a place that seemed oh, so similar with the two Escher drawings hanging in my office. Turned out that they were not imaginary places, but inspired by Atrani, a small village on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Atrani, Amalfi Coast

So how did I end up there, given that the Amalfi Coast was not high on my list, turned off by the stereotypes, including the crowds, and Atrani is such a small place that you can easily miss? Well,  while planning a trip in Italy, I was caught between two places, one I wanted to see, Matera, the other one where I needed to be, Napoli, and in between the Amalfi Coast and a couple of days. It was a sign.  

View of Matera, Basilicata Region

First, about Matera. You've probably seen images of it, without knowing. Italian TV shows like Imma Tataranni and Neflix's The Chosen, as well as Mel Gibson's Passion of Christ movie, were all partially filmed in Matera. Situated in the Basilicata region, this rocky area is less accessible than other parts of Italy.  The main train lines do not pass through it, only busses connecting it on the east with Bari on the Adriatic Coast, and on the south with Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. (Salerno is one of the entries to the Amalfi Coast.) Matera has been lived in since the eighth millenium BC and its core consists of houses dwelled into rocks, making the area being known as the Sassi (Sasso in italian means stone). It is a spectacularly carved city,  masterfully recovered and transformed from one of the poorest inhabited regions to an attractive touristic place full of hotels and restaurants. The panoramas all live up to the expectations and I always feel excited to see the places where shows I enjoyed were filmed. Under the city lies one of the most interesting water collecting system consisting of a set of communicating cisterns, some public, some private. The biggest one is known as  Palumbaro Lungo and apparently has a capacity of over five million litres of water. It can be visited and  because of its structure and the way it is lighted it looks like a piece of art. You almost forget that it had a vital role in the life of the city. 

Amalfi

My first encounter with the Amalfi Coast and the village of Amalfi took place on a perfect day. I caught an earlier boat leaving Salerno, literally the last person that got in, and arrived early in Amalfi miraculously having my room ready early, a more beautiful room than in the pictures. Encouraged by this early start, I changed my plan and took another boat to Maiori,  to do that Sentiero dei Limoni hike up on the hills that I heard so much about. Away from the crowds, the hike lived up to the expectations,  on the left the blue sea and orchards of lemons, big and yellow. The colors were clear, the heat not so bad. The path is between Maiori and Minori. At arrival in Minori, a bit hungry, I stopped for a Delizia al limone at Sal de Riso, not knowing that this was *the place* to have this delicious desert. (After having by now at least 10 different Delizia al limone, I can confirm that the best was indeed the one at Sal de Riso.) From Minori I took the boat back to Amalfi ending the day at the paper museum, so informative and interesting about how paper was made from cloths. 

The suspended stage at Villa Rufolo, Ravello

Amalfi is also a good place to see Ravello, another village. Unlike Amalfi, Minori, Maiori, Cetara, which are all by the sea, Ravello is hidden in the mountains. The trip there on a narrow and sometime single lane road is both spectacular and scary. Ravello is home to a few beautiful castles like Villa Rufolo with its suspended stage where often concerts take place and Villa Cimbrione with its terrace guarded by statues and amazing garden where one can get lost in for hours. 

Positano

Finally, purple Positano. at least that's how I remember it because of the flowers. I spent a few days both in Amalfi and Positano and enjoyed the most when the cities got quiet as the tourists that came by boat from Salerno or Sorrento left. I loved to see the city getting dark, all the boats parked for the night, people working for the restaurants closing it. Even better, I loved the early mornings, seeing the little boats going back and forth between the port and the big yachts, waking up and getting ready for a brand new day. 

Atrani

What about Atrani?  It is a very small village connected with Amalfi by a pedestrian tunnel diged in the mountain and not easy to find.  Atrani itself reminded me a bit of Matera the way all the houses were stacked together on a mountain, connected by stairs. It was easy to get lost, there were many signs directing you to little squares or back to the main road. Some of these path lead to the church with the tower that reminded me of the Escher drawings, but the view of the tower is even more beautiful from the road going (or coming back) from Ravello. It turns out that Escher often visited Atrani during the time he lived in Rome and he got inspired by its unique layout.  

I have been to Italy many times. It is the first country I visited, and where I discovered the joy of traveling. I went to the north, to the south, to the middle,  and to the islands; to big cities and small villages; by train,  by bus, or by boat. I love the language, the people, the food;  it feels like home to me.  And still it continues to surprise me. While I love the Escher drawings hanging in my office, it turns out that even if a picture is worth a thousand words, some places have to be experienced.