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Positano - One of the Most Romantic Spots on the Amalfi Coast

TRAVEL · February 12, 2017

Top 10 Romantic Spots on the Amalfi Coast

A Hopeless Romantic's Insider Tips for the Most Romantic Spots on the Amalfi Coast If there's one thing I love, it's a good romance. A book, a movie, a sappy card, and I'm hooked. I'm a romantic at heart, and that's probably why I fell in love with the Amalfi Coast. It was one of those love at ...

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Amalfi Coast Travel La Praia Beach Praiano

TRAVEL · September 7, 2015

Marina di Praia – My New Favorite Beach on the Amalfi Coast!

I think I have a new favorite beach. But shhh ... don't tell Santa Croce. I've always like the little cove at Marina di Praia, located between Conca dei Marini and Praiano. The road clings to the mountainside high above the beach and a small access road that's pretty easy to miss leads down to a ...

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TRAVEL · October 2, 2011

The First of October in Positano

While clearing the breakfast dishes from the kitchen table yesterday morning, I heard on the news that this September was the warmest recorded in Italy in last 150 years. Looking out the window at a slice of vivid blue sea sparkling in the sunshine, I thought that was just about the nicest way to ...

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PHOTOGRAPHY · June 3, 2011

Photo Friday: Sorrento Sunset

For as much as I love Amalfi, the sunsets just aren't as striking as you'll see from Positano or on the northern side of the Sorrento Peninsula. The Capo di Conca juts out into the sea beyond the town of Conca dei Marini blocking out the best view of the setting sun. While I do love watching the ...

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LIFESTYLE · May 20, 2011

Photo Friday: 15 KM in Positano

While sitting and waiting for the Tour Guide to fit his car into a remarkable small space near Positano, I was looking at this old stone mile marker on the side of the road. I don't normally see photos in bianco e nero, but the combination of the worn lettering of the sign, the old Mini Cooper and ...

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LIFESTYLE · November 12, 2010

Photo Friday: November Sunset

Sometimes, although very rarely, I go out of the house without my camera. I usually regret it. Not long ago on a whim we took an evening drive from Amalfi toward Positano. As we came around a corner into Conca dei Marini, the sun was sinking into the sea, setting the Amalfi coastline pink against ...

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Ciao!

My name is Laura and the Amalfi Coast is my passion and my home. I’m a writer and photographer who is endlessly inspired by the incredible beauty of the Amalfi Coast. Welcome to Ciao Amalfi!

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This morning was a little cloudy when I went out f This morning was a little cloudy when I went out for my morning walk like I do most mornings in Amalfi. Down the coast, across the Gulf of Salerno, rays of light were shining right on the city of Salerno. I had set out with Salerno on my mind because it was there that 82 years ago today—on September 9, 1943—the Landing of Salerno began during WWII. My Grandpa was in the Army during the war - a lot of it in Italy. Yet he would never speak of where he was or what he did, and certainly had no desire to ever see Italy again after the war. While he probably wasn’t in that first landing in Salerno, he would have been somewhere in Italy, perhaps further south in Calabria or in Sicily. I always think of him during these days and wonder about those hard experiences he must have had in Italy. And very grateful for what he and so many fought for and endured. 

If you ever visit Salerno, south of the city there’s an Allied War Cemetery that is a moving and important place to visit. 🤍
Have I ever shared one of my favorite poems about Have I ever shared one of my favorite poems about Amalfi? It’s by the American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933). It’s simple and it’s heartbreaking - like first loves so often are. But I think about it often, especially on night walks in Amalfi. 

Night Song At Amalfi

I asked the heaven of stars
What I should give my love —
It answered me with silence,
Silence above.

I asked the darkened sea
Down where the fishers go —
It answered me with silence,
Silence below.

Oh, I could give him weeping,
Or I could give him song —
But how can I give silence,
My whole life long?
The best kind of mail day! Just received a package The best kind of mail day! Just received a package of the books I ordered from @papexbookshop in Florence. Looking forward to reading the latest books by @nickypellegrino and @phaedrapatrick set in Italy (comp research is so fun!) plus a book I’ve been eager to read about Dorothy L. Sayers, who was a wildly fascinating woman. Just putting this here as a little encouragement for all of us to support our local bookshops - even when they’re not that local! 📚
Juggling but make it medieval and add more flags! Juggling but make it medieval and add more flags! 💙 Amalfi celebrated the historic Byzantine New Year yesterday with a grand parade, including this impressive performance by the Sbandieratori e Musici della Città Regia from Cava de’ Tirreni. Even better, this year for the 25th anniversary of the event, they celebrated our beloved local historian Professor Giuseppe Gargano, who inspired the creation of this historic event in the 1980s celebrating Amalfi’s history. Congratulation to Prof. Gargano - the new Magister do Civiltà Amalfitana! 🎉
I’ve been spending some time lately with my fait I’ve been spending some time lately with my faithful old companion Longfellow. It’s been such a glorious reminder that my work with him has only just begun. Head over to Substack (link in bio) to read more about Longfellow’s time in Rome in 1828, the Piazza Navona lake, and the unexpected fun of traveling with poets. Bibliotourism at its best! 📚
It was a surprise to me to find such a brilliant g It was a surprise to me to find such a brilliant green sign of life on the top of Mt. Vesuvius on a cold spring day hiking up to the Gran Cono back in March this year. In the freezing wind with steam rising from the crater, there was this moss growing bright green and happy like a summer day. While we were in awe of the overwhelming bigness that is a volcano, it’s the moss there at the edge that I’ve found myself thinking of since that day. Especially while listening to “Gathering Moss: A Natural & Cultural History of Mosses” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. And, likely not by chance, it was recommended by my friend Amber who was there on top of Vesuvius that day too. It turns out that the first plants to grow on a volcano after eruption are called pioneer species and are most often mosses and lichen. Thank you to Amber who is constantly reminding me that there is so much more to the world than meets the eye. 💚
Blue and white skies over Amalfi. ☁️ Blue and white skies over Amalfi. ☁️
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